7-Day Honeymoon Mid-Range Tarangire Crater Serengeti

In the morning you will be collected from your lodgings in Arusha by our personal safari guide. We set out for Tarangire National Park across gently rolling Masai plains with scattered acacia trees. As we zip along we pass many Masai in their colourful dress walking on the roadside, riding bicycles, herding cattle and driving donkeys carts. Tarangire National Park, well known for its large elephant herds, is also host to a multitude of other creatures. From the open roof of our safari jeep we experience the seasonal swamps, savanna and life giving Tarangire River endeavouring to encounter a multitude of creatures from zebra to wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name but a few. It is possible we will glimpse lion stalking prey or leopards relaxing in the trees above. After our extensive game drive we drive to one of our mid-range partner lodges for dinner in a tasteful restaurant and a most capacious room to harbour our ease and dreams of wild cats!

After breakfast we journey on heading up towards the fertile highlands where wheat, coffee, and corn, are grown by the Iraqw people. Passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we will be afforded a view of the breath-taking Ngorongoro Crater before traveling onwards to the Serengeti National Park which we will reach by midday. The Serengeti National Park is the largest park in Tanzania covering an astounding 15,000 kms squared with diverse landscapes and habitats such as grassy plains, swamps, lakes, savannah and mountain. Here the great migration of wildebeest, zebra, and antelope takes place and, depending on the season, we may have the opportunity to witness thousands of animals on their search for food and water. After an extensive game drive, we drive to the Seronera Valley for an evening meal and overnight stay at your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

This entire day is set aside for game drives upon the Serengeti. The Serengeti, the habitat of an abundance of wildlife such as impala, buffalo, crocodile, and hippo, is more well-known for its great migrating herds of zebra, antelope, and wildebeest. The animals’ trek is determined by the rainfall and varies from year to year. In November and December the animals move from the northern region, dominated by woodlands and hills, to the grassy plains of the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June they return to the north. Apart from the migrating herds, we may have the opportunity to see the resident predators, leopard, cheetah, and lion, fulfilling their role in the circle of life. After an unforgettable day, we will return to our carefully selected partner tented camp for relaxation, dinner and our overnight sleep on The Endless Plain.

After an early breakfast we head out for another game drive upon the Serengeti. We may have the opportunity to spot the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – before embarking on our journey to the Ngorongoro Crater. The animals roam freely through the unfenced reserves offering us an uninterrupted game viewing experience. Arriving at the edge of the crater we have our first glimpse of what awaits us the following day – glistening streams, open grassland and a myriad amount of animals. We spend the evening and night at one of our carefully selected mid-range partner lodges, boasting aesthetically tasteful restaurants and the most commodious of rooms for your rest, ease, and dreams of the African Wild.

Early risers are rewarded with breath-taking views of the rising sun over the crater’s edge and, after a hearty breakfast, we rumble down the adventurous track into the crater. This UNESCO world heritage site, one of the seven wonders of Africa, formed about three million years ago, is 610 m deep and covers roughly 260 square kilometres. Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25,000 ungulates, the crater offers the best game viewing of all the parks in Tanzania. In a matter of minutes we will be able to see wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant, and some of the more than 500 bird species here inhabiting. With a little bit of luck we may catch a glimpse of the endangered black rhino through the grass. After an extensive game drive and a picnic lunch we leave the crater in the afternoon to travel back to Karatu, again staying at one of our, hand-picked for quality, mid-range partner lodges.

After breakfast, we drive to our final destination on this epic safari - Lake Manyara National Park. This relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha, is so named for the shallow salt lake which covers a good seventy percent of the parks surface area. Flooding and drying with the seasons the soda lake is home to thousands of flamingo as well as over 500 other bird species. On our exploration of the park, we will see monkey, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains, but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. After another memorable game drive we, with our adventure at an end, return to Arusha in the late afternoon, replete with images of the African wilds to last a lifetime.