5-Day Tanzania Safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro

• Meet your tour guide in Arusha and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with a roof hatch.

• Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, then head into Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive. The park's varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Lake Manyara's unique tree-climbing lions, and large flocks of flamingos drawn to the algae in the lake.

Dinner and overnight at Bougainvillea Safari Lodge.

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

• Descend into the heart of wild Africa - Serengeti National Park - with its endless plains stretching into the distance as far as the eye can see.

• Continue to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park and home to the Seronera River.

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

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Camp.

• Glide in a hot air balloon over the Serengeti Plains, available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement. Float silently above the awakening bush while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa.

• After breakfast, go on a game-viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River and offers possible sightings of lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich, and cheetah. The Visitor Centre near the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is also worth a visit after the morning's game drive.

• Enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees.

• Follow the Kopjes Circuit, which runs anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, an area that usually attracts a number of lions and some formidably large cobras.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Camp.

• Have breakfast at the lodge and depart for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

• Stop at Olduvai Gorge, a site boasting a history dating back to the dawn of time.

• Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, then descend more than 600 meters into the crater for a half-day safari. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants.

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

Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge.

• Enjoy breakfast and transfer back to Arusha.

• Have lunch upon arrival in Arusha.