Tour Overview
This Tanzanian safari begins in Arusha, which is a prime location to being your exploration of this country’s greatest national parks. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and Arusha National Parks are all within your grasp on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to Africa.
Included/Exclude
Park fees (For non-residents)
All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
A professional driver/guide
All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
All Taxes/VAT
Roundtrip airport transfer
Meals (As specified)
Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)
International flights (From/to home)
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fee
Tour Plan
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where our driver-guide will transfer you to Arusha City. Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a temperate and comfortable climate. The city is close to many of Tanzania’s greatest attractions and is a major international diplomatic hub. You will be given a briefing about your upcoming safari and your overnight stay will be at the Planet Lodge.
After breakfast you will depart at 0800hrs with your naturalist guide for Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is Tanzania's third largest national park and a sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are another interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. You may catch glimpses of lions, leopards and cheetahs. Your dinner and overnight stay will be at the Sangaiwe Tented Camp.
Go on an early morning hike along the Sangaiwe hills and then depart at 0800s hrs for Lake Manyara National Park, which stretches from the base of the dramatic Rift Valley escarpment to its famous soda lake. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in Africa. As you enter the gate, the park is dramatically marked off by lush green vegetation consisting of tall trees emerging from the groundwater forest, which provides a home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. Further down, the forest opens up into woodland, grassland and swamps. Further down lies the soda lake itself, where over 350 species of birds, including the lively flamingo, pelican, sacred ibis, grebe and stork, can be viewed. This park is a bird watcher’s paradise! Manyara is also known for its numerous buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippo, large variety of smaller animals, and of course: the very elusive tree-climbing lions. Your dinner and overnight stay will be at the Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge.
After breakfast at the lodge, depart at 0800hrs for Serengeti National Park, driving through the Ngorongoro Highlands and stopping in the Naabi Gate area for a picnic lunch. Go on an afternoon game drive in the central part of the Serengeti, which is probably the greatest and most famous park on earth. It covers over 14 000 sq. km and offers, amongst many other things, the biggest concentration of big cats in the world (cheetahs, lions, leopards, etc). Many different landscapes can be found in the Serengeti: savannah with the big plains to the south, hills and woods to the west, the kopjes area to the east, and bush land to the north. Important rivers (Seronera, Banagi, Grumeti ) also run through the park. Many different species of mammals can be spotted during game drives, including elephant, buffalo, giraffes, antelope, hippo and crocodiles. Your dinner and overnight stay will be at the Serengeti Tortilis Camp.
Your day will be spent on morning and evening game drives through the Serengeti plains. These vast, seemingly unending plains are inhabited during the migration by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. There is a great diversity of wildlife here, including lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, buffalo, birds and up to ten thousand elephants. Your dinner and overnight stay will be at the Serengeti Tortilis Camp.
After breakfast, depart at 0730 hrs for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend into the 100-square-mile Ngorongoro Crater. Here you will view game on the vast grasslands of the crater floor. The bottom of the crater is dotted with watering-holes, shelters and almost 30,000 animals in an area naturally enclosed by the slopes of the volcano. You will also find the ‘Big Five’: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and is surrounded by very steep walls rising 610m from the floor. It is considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world and is an amazing haven for wildlife throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Your overnight stay will be at the Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge.
After breakfast at the lodge, drive to Mto wa Mbu for a cultural visit with the local women. Learn about their farming and financing groups. You will have local lunch with them and taste the local African food. After lunch, drive back to Arusha, where you will have an early dinner or local barbecue before transferring to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight back home.
