5-Day Private Tanzania Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK), which caters for domestic flights, a Travel Holidays Tours & Safari representative will meet you and drive you to your accommodation in Arusha. Overnight will be at your accommodation as you await the start of your luxury Tanzania safari adventure on the following day.

Early in the morning after breakfast, we depart for Lake Manyara National Park, an unspoilt paradise widely famous for its abundance of birds and tree-climbing lions.

The dramatic western escarpment of the Rift Valley forms the park's western border. To the east lies the shallow, alkaline Lake Manyara. The lake covers a large area of the park, flooding and drying with the seasons, and is also home to thousands of flamingos during the rains.

The name Manyara comes from the Maasai word 'emanyara', a popular plant used to build the protective enclosure around a family homestead, or boma. Furthermore, the park's vegetation is diverse, ranging from savannah to evergreen forest. During your exploration of the park, you may see giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, as well as buffalo and elephants. If you are particularly lucky, you can spot lions lounging in the trees.

After lunch and an extensive game drive, we head to our luxury partner lodges in Karatu for dinner and an overnight stay.

After breakfast, we depart for Ngorongoro Crater. Arriving at the edge of the crater, our eyes are welcomed by breathtaking views of the intact volcanic caldera, which is also home to the highest density of big game in Africa.

Unquestionably, Ngorongoro Crater is like a forgotten world. Concealed by steep volcanic walls is a pristine wilderness that includes sweeping savannah, pockets of acacia woodland, as well as glistening lakes and swamps.

The crater was created when a large volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself two to three million years ago. It is equally famous for its geological delights and for being a natural reserve that is home to some of the densest large mammal populations on the African continent.

Undoubtedly, the drive down into the crater is an adventure in itself, and when you reach the crater floor, you quickly find yourself among large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and more than 500 bird species. Furthermore, the crater provides you with the best chance of seeing the endangered black rhino, which, with luck, can be spotted in the open grasslands.

After a picnic lunch at Ngorongoro, we ascend the edges of the crater and continue with an en-route game drive to Serengeti National Park.

The Serengeti is truly spectacular. It is famous for its vast open grasslands, which allow for excellent sightings of wildlife. The Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest national park, and it is also one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Moreover, its climate and vegetation have remained largely untouched for millions of years.

Whilst the Serengeti boasts abundant wildlife, it is perhaps best known for the annual Great Migration. Vast numbers of wildebeest, accompanied by large numbers of zebra and antelope, move in an annual pattern, constantly seeking fresh grazing. The precise timing of the migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.

After a picnic lunch, we head out for an en-route game drive through the endless plains of the Serengeti, heading to Karatu, where we will arrive in time for dinner.

After breakfast, we depart for our final destination, Tarangire National Park. The park is named after the Tarangire River, which runs through it. This 'river of warthogs' is the only source of water for wildlife in the region during the dry season. In places, the vegetation is quite dense, including elephant grass, acacia woodlands, and lush groundwater forest. The park is well known for its elephant families, which can often be seen congregating by the river. You may also see giraffe, bushbuck, and hartebeest. These animals are closely followed by a range of predators, including lions and leopards. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet.

After an extensive game drive, we head back to Arusha. This marks the end of our luxury Tanzania safari adventure.