Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arusha to Lake Manyara

   • Pick up from Arusha and head to Lake Manyara National Park.

   • Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge.

   • After lunch, head into the Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive with the Tanzanian tour guide. This national park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park), located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The park’s varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, Lake Manyara’s unique tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake.

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

   Non-game viewing travel time: 2½ hours
   Distance: 130 km

2. Day 2: Lake Manyara to Serengeti Plains

   • After breakfast, head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

   • Leaving the highlands behind, 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.

   • 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.

   • 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.

   Non-game viewing travel time: 6 hours

   Distance: 205 km

3. Day 3: Serengeti Plains to Ngorongoro Crater

   • 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.

   • After breakfast at the lodge, depart to Ngorongoro Conservation Area with the Tanzanian tour guide.

   • Make a stop at Olduvai Gorge, boasting 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.

   • Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge.

   • After lunch, descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half-day safari tour. Supported by year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, including 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, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot.

   • 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.

   Non-game viewing travel time: 4 hours

   Distance: 145 km

4. Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   • Enjoy breakfast.

   • Head back to Arusha.

   • Upon arrival in Arusha, have lunch.

   • It is possible to have an additional half-day game drive at Ngorongoro Conservation Area if you are not restricted by an early departure time to Arusha. Please note an additional cost will apply.

   Non-game viewing travel time: 4 hours

   Distance: 190 km