Itinerary

1. Day-1: Moshi-Arusha airport to Arusha National Park

   Your adventure begins where you must be picked up, depending on your preference. You will head off to the Arusha National Park, a jewel of Tanzania where waterbucks and gazelle roam throughout the year and where you will surely see giraffes, zebras, and warthogs. You will drive along the golden, baked shores of Lake Momella, whose waters glow teal, aquamarine and azure against the bold African sky. The elusive leopards and elephants tend to be shy at Arusha, but there is a good chance of getting lucky. 

   You will also feel the pulse of Africa through the soles of your feet as we take a stroll; you’ll be accompanied by a knowledgeable and skilled ranger who will help you find out more about the natural beauty all around you. You will explore the lush, green forest alive with the antics of colobus monkeys and chance upon the bright, bubbling waters of a waterfall among the greenery. You’ll stop overnight at a camp near the park, where you can rest your legs and enjoy a delicious dinner served under the stars.

2. Day-2: Arusha National Park to Tarangire National Park to Mto wa Mbu

   After a good sleep at night, you enjoy a healthy breakfast and then set off for the Tarangire National Park, which is a haven for birdwatchers. Tarangire boasts over 550 bird species, and its marshes have the highest number of breeding species in one place in the world. If you’re a bird lover, you won’t want to leave. You’ll easily spot the flocks of dazzling yellow-collared lovebirds, the native rufous-tailed weaver, the northern pied babbler, the red-and-yellow-barbet, the superior ostrich, as well as hundreds of migratory birds. 

   Amongst the birds, you can sit back and watch the parade of animals for which Tarangire is famous: these include the stately elephant, powerful lion, giraffe, graceful impala, cheetah, mongoose, buffalo and baboons. After feasting your eyes on this glorious park’s diversity, you’ll head off to Mto Wa Mbu and reach the campsite in the late afternoon. You’ll probably want to stretch your legs while our cook prepares a delicious dinner.

3. Day-3: Mto Wa Mbu to Lake Natron

   After your morning breakfast, you will set off for Lake Natron, a salt and soda lake cradled in part of the great East African Rift Valley. The lake is a pink, russet and white patchwork because of the microorganisms that thrive on its salinity and the salt-crust rafts that pepper the lake. You’ll arrive at the campsite in time for a delicious lunch, and then you’ll take an afternoon stroll to the lake, where you could be delighted by a pink cloud of flamingoes; the lake is the only regular breeding ground in East Africa of around 2.5 million lesser flamingoes, who depend utterly on the lake and are therefore categorised as near threatened, despite their numbers. You’ll wander past salt marshes and freshwater wetlands and onto a sparkling waterfall. Dinner and overnight at Lake Natron campsite.

4. Day-4: Lake Natron to Serengeti National Park

   After breakfast, you will leave the harsh and compelling landscape of Lake Natron to travel to the lush bounty of the Serengeti National Park. You will journey via Loliondo and Wasso, towns where the Maasai, Chagga, Sonjo and Warusha peoples live and work together in harmony, and through to the Klein’s Gate, the northeast entrance to the Serengeti. On your drive, don’t forget to look out for various animals, including antelope, wildebeest and zebra. You’ll rest up at a campsite in the centre of the Serengeti and enjoy a lovely dinner while you anticipate what tomorrow will bring.

5. Day-5: Serengeti National Park

   You will wake up to pink and apricot African dawn in the centre of the Serengeti, a paradise for wildlife and bird lovers, with a thrill wherever you turn your head. Make sure you fill up on breakfast, as there’s lots to see today, especially if you visit during migration season. The Serengeti is home to the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, an incredible and world-famous phenomenon. But even outside migration season, you’ll be up close and personal with various animals, including over 70 species of large mammals.

   You will see lions, leopards, elephants, cheetahs and water buffalo all within a few feet of your jeep. But these aren’t all. The Serengeti is home to many other equally fascinating and beautiful animals. This is a dizzyingly active ecosystem, and you’ll also marvel at eland, antelope and Grant’s gazelle; hyenas and crocodiles; monkeys and baboons; and hippos and rhinos. Birders will spot hundreds of bird species, both endemic and migrating from Eurasia. After a heady day enjoying the wildlife, relax with a drink at our campsite at Seronera while you watch the sunset and wait for your delicious dinner to be served. Eat up for the strength of the next big day.

6. Day-6: Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater

   You’ll spend this morning revisiting the diverse landscapes of the Serengeti – riverine forest, swamps, kopjes and grasslands before your next part of the adventure. After a tasty lunch, you’ll journey off to the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose fertile volcanic plains and stunning highlands hold some of the richest density of animals in the whole of Africa. You’ll spend the night at Simba Camp, which is at the rim of the crater, and while you watch the golden pink sunset melt over the savannah within the caldera, our friendly cook will prepare a delectable dinner for you.

7. Day-7: Ngorongoro Crater to Mto wa Mbu

   You’ll be up with the African dawn because early morning is the best time to experience the Crater waking up. It’s a different feel and filling breakfast; a mug of hot coffee and crisp air will enliven you to enjoy it. There’s plenty of time for photography, and what a day! You’re likely to spot the Big Five – lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and water buffalo – in a landscape lush with greens, olives and gold topped with the intense blue of the Tanzanian sky. 

   You will stop for a cheeky picnic lunch near a handful of hippos: older ones patiently sunning or muddying themselves while the youngsters play and splash. The Ngorongoro Crater has a unique geology, and this is why so many species live here; apart from the Big Five, you’ll spot zebra, wildebeest and hyena and – for you bird lovers – the salmon pink mist of graceful flamingos at Soda Lake and vultures and hawks eagerly circling the sky in search of a discarded carcass. Storks, ibis, and cranes are also common to the Crater. You’ll begin your drive to the tranquillity of Fanaka Camp after lunch and have worked up an appetite for a hot, fresh and tasty dinner under a sky packed full of stars.

8. Day-8: Lake Manyara National Park to Moshi

   On our last day of the tour (we know, we wish it was longer, too!), we will experience the beauty of Lake Manyara National Park. Nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is a picturesque tapestry of habitats: the golden savannah, lush forest, arid, baked scrubland and tumbling rivers. You’ll wake up to an early breakfast to start the day early enough to spot the park's wildlife and breathe in the beauty of the place. You’ll picnic in the heart of the park and then explore the shores of Soda Lake, with its pink shimmer of flamingo, one of over four hundred species of dazzling birds, including the forest hornbill, pelican and cormorant.

   Lake Manyara is home to the legendary tree-climbing lion and powerful water buffalo, African elephant, giraffe, impala and hippo. In the late afternoon, you’ll say goodbye to Manyara and drive to Moshi, through Maasai bomas, baobab forest and rolling savannah. Retired but rejuvenated when you return to Moshi, your adventure will end. We can take you to the airport or Arusha if you are too awestruck with your safari experience to move.