9-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro

• Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and head to Mvuli Hotel in Arusha.

• Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

• Remember to attend a pre-safari briefing and equipment check.

Dinner and overnight at Mvuli Hotel.

Dinner and breakfast included.

• Spend the morning at leisure, followed by a safari briefing and lunch.

• In the afternoon, depart Arusha, passing through the Masai Steppe, filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee, and banana plantations.

• In the town of Makuyuni, turn northwest and continue the journey up through a scenic escarpment. Soon, you will reach your lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with stunning views over the distant Lake Manyara.

• Arrive by late afternoon and check in at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. This highly unusual lodge is built in traditional African style on the very edge of the cliffs. Dotted around the grounds, all with views of the lake, are a series of circular two-story 'rondavels', which house the rooms.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• After breakfast, embark on a game drive. Lake Manyara is a marvellous sight, once described by Ernest Hemingway as "the loveliest lake I had seen in Africa". While the lake is mostly known for its tree-climbing lions and baboons, it is also home to herbivores such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs, and giraffes.

• Return to the lodge for lunch, after which you continue to the northwest across the stunning hilly countryside of the Highlands.

• Enjoy the views of wheat and coffee plantations as you enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

• Marvel at the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you will start spotting game well before you get into the park. Arrive at Serengeti Sopa Lodge, set in the Nyarboro Hills and overlooking the Serengeti Plains. The rooms have en-suite bathrooms, hairdryers, and a veranda facing the plains, making it an ideal place for relaxing and watching game.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• Enjoy early morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is one of the oldest and most beautiful ecosystems in Africa and one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The park boasts more than two million wildebeest, half a million Thomson's gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra. Animals that you can also watch out for include lions, leopards, elephants, rhino, hippo, giraffes, baboons, and wild dogs.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• After breakfast, depart for Ngorongoro while viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains.

• Stop en route for a picnic lunch and continue your journey towards Ngorongoro.

• Visit a Maasai village before continuing to your lodge. The Ngorongoro Crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often cited as one of the world's eight wonders. Your lodge is set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, and its position on the eastern rim allows the most spectacular and uninterrupted views of the sunset.

Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart to explore what is commonly referred to as the world's largest wildlife zoo.

• After breakfast, descend with a picnic lunch through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes, and springs to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It is an awesome wildlife experience.

• Lunch is served near a small lake filled with hippos. In the late afternoon, make a short journey from Ngorongoro Crater to your special lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• Depart from Ngorongoro after breakfast and head southeast past Lake Manyara and Mto Wa Mbu village.

• Through the highlands and the Karatu district, you will view the scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations before journeying down the spectacular escarpment, where you turn south onto the main Arusha-Dodoma road and into the park.

• From here to the lodge, enjoy a game drive en route. Surrounded by ancient baobab trees, the lodge has seventy-five spacious rooms with mosquito nets, ceiling fans, and a balcony with a great view of the landscape beyond.

• After lunch and perhaps a swim, enjoy an afternoon game drive. Tarangire is home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa and other game, including the elusive leopard. Over 400 bird species can be spotted here as well. With water constantly available in the area, the greenery is lush, providing a wonderful contrast to the burnt ground.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• After breakfast, depart from the national park.

• Following an en route game drive, stop in Arusha for a hot lunch and shopping, then proceed on a short journey to Marangu, Kilimanjaro.

Dinner and overnight at Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort.

Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included.

• Get an opportunity to visit one of the highest mountains in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro. Activities include waterfalls, a Kilimanjaro viewpoint, coffee plantations, Changa Museum, an underground tunnel, Changa Traditional, Chaga local food, and banana beer.

• After the walking tour, return to the hotel for a hot lunch and prepare for departure.