9 Days - Best of Tanzania Safari

Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by one of our experienced driver guides, ready to greet and escort you to Arusha and your chosen hotel. He will introduce you to this wonderful city and country.

Today we set out early, collecting you from your hotel in Arusha and heading south to stunning Tarangire National Park. We arrive at your lodge by noon, in time for a pleasant lunch. Your afternoon game-drive will reveal all the wonders of Tarangire, a National Park often referred to as the ‘Elephant Playground’. You will also have the chance to see the big cats, lions, cheetahs and leopards, among them you will also see zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes and many species of antelopes. And if you are a bird watcher, then here is the best place to start spotting as many species. At the end of an inspiring afternoon amongst the wildlife, we retire to the comfort of the lodge for an evening meal and some rest.

After our breakfast at the lodge, we collect picnic lunch box and leave Tarangire early and enjoy a short, pleasant morning drive to Lake Manyara National Park. First of all, we enjoy this morning exploring the stunning landscape of the park, looking for wildlife on the plains, in the acacia woodlands and by the shores of the shallow alkaline lake. Nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment, the park is recognized for its incredible beauty. You can see many game animals, such as buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippo and others. Eventually you will visit the beautiful Lake Manyara, which Ernest Hemingway once called the “The loveliest lake in Africa.” The national park is home to the unique tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara, which you’ll have the chance to see lounging in the high tree branches. At the end of the afternoon, it’s back to your lodge for some relaxation and a delicious dinner.

After breakfast, start your way to Ngorongoro Conservation Area where Ngorongoro crater is found.

Ngorongoro Crater is often referred to as a wonder of the world and your early morning game drive shows you why. We will descend 600m into the crater for a wonderful game drive inside the Ngorongoro Crater on World Heritage Site holding a permanent population of more than 30 000 animals. As only very few of those migrate in and out of the crater with its 2000 ft. high walls, you can expect to see lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, flamingos, jackals, rhinos, antelopes, many birds and other species. The Crater is also home to the rare black rhino almost extinct in Tanzania. With a bit of lucky you will see the ‘Big Five’ during one game drive. You will have your picnic lunch in the crater. At the end of the afternoon, you will be transferred to your lodge for some relaxation and a delicious dinner.

After breakfast, we will head to the Lake Ndutu area, situated in the Ngorongoro conservation area, part of the southern Serengeti eco-system. Lake Ndutu is alkaline, like most of the other Rift lakes, however the water is still drinkable and used by a wide array of local wildlife. We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge or camp, and after lunch we will do an afternoon game drive in the Ndutu area. The majority of the wildebeest migration can normally be found on the short-grass plains from December to April. The area is usually heavily populated with elephants, birds and resident game.

After breakfast, enjoy a full day game drive in the Ndutu area. Explore the range of different habitats that include swamps, woodland, soda lakes and the world-famous Serengeti short grass plains. See great herds of wildebeest and zebra. During a time around February, normally lasting for about 3 weeks, the majority of the wildebeest calve. The sea of grass provides little cover and the young are easy pickings for a variety of predators. Wildebeest calves can run minutes after they are born and within 3 days they are normally strong enough to keep up with the herd. At the end of the afternoon, exhausted and exhilarated, you will be transferred back to your chosen accommodation.

After breakfast we head towards the central Serengeti National Park, also known as the Seronera. 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 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 on lunch time and later enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Park. At the end of the afternoon, exhausted and exhilarated, you will be transferred back to your chosen accommodation for dinner and to talk about the many fantastic experiences you’ve had today.

Waking up in the Serengeti is something really special. Sights, sounds and smells of Africa are all around us, and ahead is a full day of adventure in the world’s most famous national park. After breakfast enjoy a full-day game drive in the Wagakuria area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high there, with prides of lion up to 30 strong. July – October are considered the most desirable months to sight the Great Migration where over 2 million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of green pasture. This is surely one of the greatest wonders of the natural world. This is when the wildebeest are in the northern Serengeti plains, and you have a chance to see up to thousands crossing the great Mara River. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve. In the late evening drive back to your camp for Dinner and overnight.

Before breakfast go for the early morning game drive in the Serengeti which is the best time to see the animals as they get out from their hide for the morning preys or return from their night hunt. Later return to your lodge for hot breakfast. After a pleasant breakfast, you will be transferred to Seronera airstrip to catch your flight to Kilimanjaro.