Tour of Tanzania Safari

Today you will be picked up at your Arusha hotel at 8am and drive on a good tarmac road to the scenic Tarangire National Park. After a picnic lunch, we continue with an afternoon game drive though the lovely landscapes that feature granite ridges, extensive green marshlands, and Tarangire’s famous giant baobab trees. Covering approximately 2600-sq-km, the park is especially spectacular in the dry season when many of the migratory wildlife herds of wildebeest, zebra, eland and impala gather at the permanent waters of the Tarangire River—‘river of warthogs’. It is the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed, and the park is well-known for its huge herds of elephant. Predators in Tarangire include lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal and honey badger, and it also boasts an impressive bird count of around 500 species including eagles, falcons and owls. On your first night on safari, dinner will be taken on an open deck overlooking the African bush.

• Overnight in Tarangire National Park
• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Lunch and dinner included
• Drinking water is provided. All other drinks are extra.

After breakfast we head to the world-famous Serengeti National Park, and on the way enjoy a picnic lunch and a spectacular drive along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater rim in the hilly plateaus of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In this region you will spot the red-robed Maasai people, living in traditional villages of thatched huts and grazing their cattle amongst the savannah game like zebra, wildebeest and gazelle. The route heads northwest via the Naabi Hill Gate and into the Serengeti—meaning ‘endless plains’ in the Maasai language, it is one of Africa’s largest and most celebrated wilderness areas and home to all the animals people expect to see on safari. You will spend the next two nights at a comfortable safari lodge or tented camp, which is located in the south-central region of the park known as the Seronera Valley. It’s a very scenic area with acacia-studded open plains lined with low hills and abundant wildlife including large numbers of big cats.

• Overnight in Serengeti National Park
• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
• Drinking water is provided. All other drinks are extra.

After breakfast, we embark on both morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti to look for the numerous animals and birds, all expertly identified by your Tanzanian safari guide. Grazing herbivores include giraffe, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, waterbuck, hartebeest, eland and topi, and the Serengeti is famous for its large prides of lion, and cheetah that are seen hunting in family groups. You’ll also see hippos wallowing in the pools and large crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbanks. Depending on the season, you could witness the annual wildebeest migration, when an estimated two million hooved animals move between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya following the rains and fresh pastures. But even without the migration, the Serengeti is an exciting place year-round, and a memorable, out-of-the-ordinary experience is to start the day with an optional hot air balloon safari; US$599 per person. It’s wonderful to float over the plains and rivers in the first light of dawn and watch the wildlife below.

• Overnight in Serengeti National Park
• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
• Drinking water is provided. All other drinks are extra.

Departing the Serengeti, we drive back into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This highland region of plains, woodlands and forests protects the 600-metre-deep Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was formed when a volcano erupted and collapsed on itself approximately two and a half million years ago, and the well-fertilised volcanic soils create rich grazing for the animals and it is often referred to as ‘the Garden of Eden’. On the way, and for an extra fee, you can stop at the museum at Olduvai Gorge to learn about the archaeological excavations that escalated the studies of early man. We drive down to the crater floor with a picnic lunch, and your expert guide will show you every corner of the dramatic landscape to see some of the 20,000 or so large mammals that live there. These include a number of black rhino, making the crater the best place in Tanzania to see these amazing creatures, and it’s also well-known for high densities of carnivores including leopard, lion, hyena and jackal. When we ascend back to the crater rim, you may catch a glimpse of a magnificent sunset before heading to our camp/lodge.

• Accommodation: At your camp
• On the crater rim of Ngorongoro
• Meals & drinks: All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

After breakfast, depart for Lake Manyara National Park on the floor of the Great Rift Valley for an afternoon game drive. At 330-sq-km, this is one of Tanzania’s smallest parks and about 200-sq-km is covered by its Rift Valley soda lake. The varied ecosystem consists of ground water forests, acacia woodland and open grassland along the lakeshore. These habitats sustain a wealth of wildlife, including large herds of elephant and buffalo, giraffe and impala, while troops of olive baboon and Sykes monkey frolic in the trees and you might be lucky and spot the famous tree-climbing lions that the park is famous for. The lake also attracts more than 400 species of birds, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

• Overnight in Lake National Park
• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
• Drinking water is provided. All other drinks are extra.

After a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, return to your camp/lodge for a final lunch when you can reflect about all the amazing African wildlife you have seen on this exciting 6-day safari. Our final leisurely drive is back to Arusha and your hotel or the airport for your onward flight.

• Accommodation: No accommodation
• Meals & drinks: Breakfast & Lunch
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)