3-Day Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater Safari

• Meet your professional Tanzanian tour guide/driver in Arusha town for a short safari briefing before travelling to Lake Manyara National Park.

• Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge.

• After lunch, head into Lake Manyara National Park. This impressive park is one of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas, featuring a massive but shallow soda lake that covers two-thirds of the park at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. The park's varied habitat attracts a wide range of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Manyara's famous tree-climbing lions, and large flocks of flamingos drawn to the algae in the lake.

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

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2 ½ hours
Distance: 130 km

• After breakfast, descend 600 m into this magnificent crater for a morning half-day game drive with your Tanzanian tour guide. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in Africa and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals, including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the crater sustains a great variety of wildlife, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another major draw of this picturesque national park is its dense population of predators, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot.

• Enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater, after which travel to Tarangire National Park.

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

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2 hours & 3 ½ hours

Distance: 60 km & 155 km

• After breakfast, head into Tarangire National Park for a morning game drive. The park follows the line of the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation consists largely 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. Tarangire National Park is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. This national park is also home to three rare species - the greater kudu, the fringed-eared oryx, and a few ashy starlings.

• Return to the lodge for lunch.

• Depart for Arusha town.

Non-game-viewing travel time: 2 hours

Distance: 120 km