Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arusha to Lake Manyara

   • Pick up from Arusha and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park.

   • Arrive on time for lunch at the lodge.

   • After lunch, we head to the Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive. This national park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park), located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The park’s varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake.

   Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

   Non-game-viewing travel time: 2½ hours.
   Distance: 130 km.

2. Day 2: Serengeti National Park

   • After breakfast, head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

   • Leaving the highlands behind, we 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. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which is a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of Serengeti’s species.

   • Arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in Serengeti National Park.

   Dinner and overnight stay in the lodge as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

   Non-game-viewing travel time: 6 hours.
   Distance: 205 km.

3. Day 3: Serengeti Plains

   • Be one of the few fortunate people to glide in a hot air balloon over the Serengeti Plains, spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages.

   • Game viewing after breakfast along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains, south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings.

   • The Visitor’s centre not far from the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed centre offers some interesting wildlife sighting as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees.

   • In the afternoon, follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attracts a number of lion and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions.

   Dinner and overnight stay in the lodge as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

4. Day 4: Serengeti Plains to Ngorongoro Crater

   • After breakfast at the lodge, we leave for the Ngorongoro Conservation area. 

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

   • We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge and spend the afternoon at leisure.

   Dinner and overnight stay as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested on the crater rim. No accommodation is available inside the crater.

   Non-game-viewing travel time: 4 hours.
   Distance: 145 km.

5. Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater

   • After breakfast, descend 600 m into this magnificent crater for a full-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely crowded African wildlife areas in the world and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals, including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino. Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its huge population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard.

   • Enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor.

   Dinner and overnight stay as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested on the crater rim. No accommodation is available inside the crater.

6. Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater to Tarangire National Park

   • After breakfast, leave for Tarangire National Park. The park runs along the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation mainly consists of Acacia woodland and giant African Baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals during Tanzania’s dry season.

   • After a picnic lunch, we go for an afternoon game drive.

   Dinner and overnight stay in Tarangire National Park area, as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

   Non-game-viewing travel time: 3½ hours.
   Distance: 155 km.

7. Day 7: Tarangire National Park to Arusha

   • Enjoy an early morning game drive in Tarangire National Park, followed by breakfast at the lodge. 

   • Then, transfer back to Arusha.

   • Reach Arusha and have lunch.

   • Later, you will be taken to your hotel.

   End of tour.

   Non-game-viewing travel time: 2 hours.
   Distance: 120 km.