8-Day Tanzania Big Five Safari through Serengeti and Ngorongoro

Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). A safari driver from our company will be waiting at the airport to pick you up and take you to Arusha at Moivaro Coffee Lodge, where the rest of the day is at leisure. We stay at Moivaro Coffee Lodge, beautifully situated on the coffee farms, a perfect place to prepare for your adventure.

We will gather at the hotel for a pre-safari briefing and an equipment check.

We will also confirm that you have the required medical coverage and travel insurance.

Dinner and overnight at Moivaro Coffee Lodge: Half board.

Accommodations:

Midrange Comfort-level lodge or camp near ARRIVE IN TANZANIA. - confirmed at booking

Luxury Top-tier partner lodge or camp near ARRIVE IN TANZANIA. - confirmed at booking

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

We depart from Moivaro Coffee Lodge and head through Arusha National Park, where we view herds of buffalo in the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, the flamingos of the Momela Lakes, and the imposing peak of rugged Mount Meru. Arusha National Park houses a variety of wildlife, including giraffe, zebra, colobus monkeys, leopards, and hyenas, within its small but bustling 53 square miles of natural habitats.

Enjoy a picnic lunch while gazing at the rolling hills and wooded savannahs of this national treasure.

At the end of the day, we return to your lodge in Arusha.

Dinner and overnight at Moivaro Coffee Lodge: Half board.

Accommodations:

Midrange Zondela House

Luxury Giraffe Manor Tanzania

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

Today we drive to Tarangire National Park for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park that offers some excellent sights. Generally, in the dry seasons, Tarangire comes alive as wildlife and birdlife congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water.

We spend the night in our lodge, beautifully set outside the park with stunning views and a unique atmosphere.

Dinner and overnight at Karatu Acacia Farm Lodge: Full board.

Accommodations:

Midrange Tarangire Safari Lodge

Luxury Lolkisale Tarangire Camp by Top Guides

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

Today we drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day of game drives. This is one of Tanzania's smaller parks but still offers a rewarding and diverse safari experience. The lakeshore at Manyara teems with birdlife, and while you are looking for the birds, you might spot one of the elusive tree-climbing lions. There are a surprising number of other large mammals, and the striking cliffs on the Rift escarpment form a dramatic backdrop.

In the late afternoon, we make a short journey to our special tented camp.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Tented Camp: Full board.

Accommodations:

Midrange Kirurumu Manyara Lodge

Luxury Manyara Best View Lodge & Spa

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

Head towards Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world's most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here, at a small museum, we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that has been dated back 2.5 million years.

After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself, and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January, and February, we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephants, and many large predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards.

We return to our special tented camp for the night.

Accommodations:

Midrange Engiterata Adventure Camps

Luxury Kiriche Luxury Camp

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

We have another full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year. We can spend time at the Hippo Pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water, happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, or be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest and sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest.

We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes. These volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals, and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti.

This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing. We will hopefully see all of the plains game: elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and lions, and if you are lucky, the elusive leopard.

Accommodations:

Midrange Engiterata Adventure Camps

Luxury Kiriche Luxury Camp

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park. This means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people, who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife.

During the drive into Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the crater itself, and from here we can look down and see herds of wildebeest or buffalo.

Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and leopard (if you are lucky). The only animal you won't

Accommodations:

Midrange Ngorongoro Farm House

Luxury Ngorongoro Lodge by Meliá

Budget Available upon request - tell us your budget and we'll find the right fit

Free morning to relax after your great northern safari or explore the town, especially the Maasai market.

The return transfer to (JRO) after your safari is part of this package.

Departure day - no accommodation booked for tonight.