7-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari through Serengeti and Ngorongoro

• Drive from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park. The lakeshore teems with birds, and the park is famous for its elusive tree-climbing lions. There is also a surprising number of large mammals, and the striking cliffs of the Rift escarpment form a dramatic backdrop to your first experience of the region's magnificent wildlife.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.

• Drive through the Ngorongoro Conservancy for afternoon game drives in the Serengeti.

• En route through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stop 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 the small museum, you are able to see evidence of your ancestors that has been dated back to 2.5 million years ago.

• Head into Serengeti National Park, arriving after lunch.

• The rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing among the vast plains, broken only by acacia trees and the occasional kopje (rock formation). In January and February, you will normally encounter the migration, with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephant, as well as many large predators such as lion, cheetah, and leopard.

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

• Enjoy a full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of your time. Your Tanzanian safari guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year. You can spend time at the Hippo Pool, watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water while living happily alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, or find yourself in the middle of the migration, surrounded by wildebeest and zebras.

• Travel 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, you can see across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape provides the ultimate game viewing, and you will hopefully see all of the plains game: elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and lions, and, if you are lucky, the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting birdlife such as the elegant secretary birds and the flightless ostrich.

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

• Enjoy a morning game drive in the Serengeti with your Tanzanian safari guides.

• Travel in the afternoon to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and on to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, where you will spend the night.

Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Kirurumu Tented Lodge: Full board.

• Sleeping near the Ngorongoro Crater means that you are one of the first vehicles to descend into the caldera. Ngorongoro is a Conservation Area rather than a national park. This means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Maasai people, who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife.

• During the drive down to the crater floor, gain a glimpse of the Maasai lifestyle. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and leopards, if you are lucky enough. The only animal you will not see here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steep sides of the crater.

• Leave the crater in the late afternoon.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.

• Head to Tarangire National Park. The park, which has its own source of water, comes into its own in the dry season as birdlife congregates on the Tarangire River and herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and, in particular, elephant can be seen. Predators such as lions and leopards are also regularly spotted here. The lodge is located within the park and has a large lookout area from where sundowners can be enjoyed while watching the game on the sweeping plains below.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge: Full board.

• After breakfast, drive to Kilimanjaro Airport from Arusha for your flight back home.