AVAILABILITY: Yearround

ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotel, lodge or campsite

 

HIGHLIGHTS: Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Olduvai Gorge, Maasai Village

 

ITINERARY

• DAY 1: Depart from Arusha at 9 am to Arusha National Park. You can expect to see black and white colobus monkeys, zebras, buffalos, antelope and some of more than 400 bird species including the Crowned Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Levaillants Cuckoo. After lunch in the bush, you’ll take a game drive through the park to see Momella Lakes full of pink flamingos and other water birds. On the way back, get photos of the giraffes walking near the road. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite at Arusha National Park.

• DAY 2: After breakfast we will continue on to Tarangire National Park. This area has an extensive collection of exotic birds, antelopes, lions, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes and the supposedly tree-climbing pythons around the swamps. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite.

• DAY 3: Depart from Tarangire to Lake Manyara, passing through the market town of Mto Wa Mbu where you can pick up souvenirs. Lake Manyara National Park is known for it’s tree-climbing lions. You’ll also see thousands of flamingos, pelicans, storks, kingfishers and other birds that flock to this saltwater lake. This park also teems with elephants, hippos, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and the largest baboon trips in Africa. The jungle here is where early Tanzanian movies were filmed. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite.

• DAY 4: After breakfast we’ll be on our way past the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Serengeti National Park. We’ll first head to the Seronera area, which attracts herds of animals and families of predators because of the Seronera river. We’ll drive along the river in search of gazelles, topis, ostriches, and possibly predators such as lions and cheetahs. We recommend a stop at the Visitor’s Center to pick up leaflets, maps of the areas, or get a snack. We’ll eat our picnic lunches here under the giant acacia trees. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite in the heart of the Serengeti.

• DAY 5: We’ll get up early for a 6 am sunrise game drive to spot hunters waiting to ambush their prey, and the pool of hippos. We’ll return to camp at 9 am to enjoy a late breakfast. We’ll continue our game drive at 10:30 am. Our safari drive will continue according to the date of your travel to follow animals on their trail and possibly be able to witness the annual wildebeest migration. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite.

• DAY 6: After breakfast we will continue game viewing en route to Ngorongoro with picnic lunches. We’ll stop at Olduvai Gorge, which lies on the site of an ancient lake, covered by thick layers of volcanic ash, which carefully preserved the world’s earliest records of mankind. It was here that Louis and Mary Leakey and their team discovered a multitude of hominid fossils dating back to 1.75 million years ago. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Oldupai Gorge Museum, located on the gorge’s rim. Next on this exciting day is a visit to the Maasai group, a semi-nomadic people who are one of Africa’s best-known ethnic groups. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or campsite.

• DAY 7: This morning we will descend into the Ngorongoro crater floor. From the comfort of your open-top vehicle, you will have the opportunity to again see the Big Five on your half-day game drive. This caldera exhibits more than 120 species of mammals, such as lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard. We will also visit saline lakes which host habitat for flamingos and other birds, as well as the secretary bird, white stork, kori bustard, crowned cranes and ostriches. We will also see pools full of hippos, and possibly even the endangered East Africa black rhino. Finally we will drive you back to your Arusha hotel.

 

 

Program includes: Hotel/lodge/camp accommodations for the duration of the safari, private 4-wheel drive vehicle with a roof hatch. Professional English-speaking safari and tour guide/driver, all park entrance fees, all meals on the safari, water and hot drinks during the safari, camping equipment if applicable (tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, table and chairs), all game viewing activities.

 

Program excludes: International flights, airport taxes, entry visas, travel insurance, tips and gratuities, personal costs, medical and personal insurance.