Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arusha - Tarangire

   • Pick up from Arusha and transfer to Tarangire National Park.
   • After breakfast, the driver guide will take you to Tarangire National Park for a game drive till evening and overnight.

   TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK: It is the sixth-largest national park in Tanzania and is located in Manyara Region. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season.

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

2. Day 2: Tarangire - Serengeti Plains

   • After breakfast, we head towards the Serengeti National Park via the beautiful, high-lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species.
   • We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park.

   Dinner and overnight in the Seronera area, as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

3. Day 3: Serengeti Plains

   • Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa across rivers and over numerous small villages.
   • We do an after-breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River and which is good for possible lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre, close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites, is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed centre offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees.
   • In the afternoon, we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lions and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink!

   Dinner and overnight in the Seronera area, as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

4. Day 4: Serengeti Plains - Ngorongoro Crater

   • After breakfast at the lodge, we depart to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. We will stop at Olduvai Gorge, which boasts a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here that the anthropologists Drs. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of ‘Nutcracker Man’ and ‘Handy Man’, both very significant links in the chain of human evolution.
   • We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, and after lunch, we will descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half-day safari tour. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a wide variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually be seen here.

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

5. Day 5: Lake Manyara - Arusha

   • Depart for Lake Manyara National Park with a picnic lunch for a full-day game drive. As you enter the national park, lush forests of Acacia and Mahogany trees begin to set the mood for what is waiting ahead. The game drive will go on till late afternoon, with a small break for a picnic lunch. During the game drive, watch out for buffaloes, giraffes, impalas, baboons and blue monkeys. Another spectacle of Lake Manyara National Park is the tree-climbing lions; however, spotting them is a game of luck. In the right season, you can see the shoreline turning pink with millions of flamingos flocking there.
   • After, you will be transferred back to Arusha.
   • Upon arrival in Arusha, you will have time to visit the Maasai market and curio shops around the city before driving to Kilimanjaro airport to catch your flight.