7-Day Tanzania Safari with Lake Eyasi Tribes and Serengeti

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2½ hours

Distance: 130 km

• At around 08:30, leave Arusha town and drive for two hours to Lake Manyara National Park.

• Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge and enjoy an afternoon game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.

• Explore Lake Manyara National Park, one of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake covering two-thirds of the park at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment.

• The park's varied habitat attracts a wide variety of African animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Manyara's famous tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2½ hours

Distance: 110 km

• After breakfast, drive to the shores of Lake Eyasi.

• Arrive in time for lunch at the tented lodge.

• Lake Eyasi is a very scenic soda lake found on the southern border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This less-visited lake lies at the base of the Eyasi escarpment on the western Rift Valley wall.

• Be introduced to the extraordinary people who belong to an indigenous tribe known as the 'Hadzabe' hunter-gatherer bushmen.

• The tribe inhabits the shores of Lake Eyasi, as does the Nilotic-speaking Datoga tribe.

• Visit their homesteads and learn about their way of life, animal tracking, medicinal plants, and much more.

• Marvel at the wildlife and the wide range of bird species while taking a stroll around the lake.

• Return for dinner and overnight at the tented lodge.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 4 hours

Distance: 150 km

• Early in the morning, depart to the village for a local hunting experience with the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes. This is not a mere performance. The bushmen rely on these techniques to survive, and one needs to be very attentive and, at times, quiet. At the same time, they demonstrate their use of locally made poisons in incapacitating the poor creatures on which they depend for survival.

• Return to the tented lodge for a late breakfast, and then travel to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

• Drive to a Masai village in the late afternoon.

• Meet the village elders, get an insight into the Masai way of life, visit the bomas, learn about their prized cattle, and visit the local school.

• Enjoy dinner and overnight at the tented camp.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 4 hours

Distance: 145 km

• After breakfast at the lodge, descend over 600 meters into Ngorongoro Crater to view wildlife on a half-day tour.

• Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro Crater supports a wide variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants.

• Another big drawcard of this picturesque national park is its dense population of predators, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard.

• Visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos, and other water birds can usually be seen here.

• Return to the lodge to enjoy lunch and then head towards Serengeti National Park.

• Stop over at Olduvai Gorge, boasting a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here that the anthropologists Drs. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of the famous 'Nutcracker Man' and 'Handy Man,' both very significant links in the chain of human evolution.

• Leaving the highlands behind, descend into the heart of wild Africa - the Serengeti National Park - with its endless plains rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see.

• Go for a late evening game drive en route to the lodge.

• Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Serengeti Tented Camp.

• After breakfast, head to the south-eastern side of the park, visiting the Barafu Kopjes and the Ngare Nanyuki River area for morning and afternoon game drives.

• Apart from the lion prides found in the area, the Barafu Kopjes is the place to visit for possible cheetah sightings.

• The Ngare Nanyuki River area is also well known for being packed with game.

• Enjoy dinner and overnight at the tented camp.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 6 hours

Distance: 205 km

• Enjoy an early morning game drive before heading to Karatu, and check in at the lodge for one night before taking the Manyara tour the next day.

• Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Bougainvillea Safari Lodge.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2½ hours

Distance: 130 km

• After breakfast, visit the local market and villages around Karatu and drive to Lake Manyara National Park.

• Arrive in Arusha.

• Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

End of tour.