Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival

   Arrival at the airport - Arusha. Our driver guide will be waiting for you upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport. It will take you to the hotel/lodge (Kibo Palance for dinner and overnight). Along the way, you will gain your first African impressions: smell the natural scents, hear roosters crowing, and see the colourful streets of Arusha. Once at the hotel, you can relax by the pool in peace with a cool Tanzanian drink.

   Hotel status: Bed and breakfast

2. Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park

   Early breakfast and drive to Lake Manyara National Park. It is a special medium-sized park because of the groundwater forest (so no rainforest!) and, of course, the lake. The forest gradually changes into an open grassy landscape, giving you a wonderfully varied game drive - you spot groups of baboons in the forest, drive past lions, elephants, and wildebeest on the grass plains, and stop by the hippos in the hippo pool. You have a beautiful view of the four-hundred-meter-high East African Rift Valley slopes from the park. This Rift Valley is six thousand kilometres long (from Lebanon to Mozambique) and tears the African continent in two. This results, among other things, in the formation of alkaline lakes (such as Lake Manyara), which are a favourite hangout for flamingos in the wet season—dinner and overnight at Farm of Dreams—meals status full board.

3. Day 3-4: Serengeti National Park

   After breakfast with your lunch packets, drive to Serengeti National Park with an en-route game viewing followed by dinner and overnight at Serengeti Safari lodges for two nights—meals status full board.

   Serengeti means endless plains in the Maasai language, and that is precisely what you will see in the coming days: miles and miles of African savannah! And believe us: it may be the most impressive landscape you will ever see. And, of course, Serengeti National Park is also home to an incredible variety of wildlife – which is why many nature films have been filmed here. Take in this unique landscape as the wildebeest and zebras of the Great Migration pass by, bleating. Spot lions on a group of rocks (the so-called Kopps), leopards in lonely trees, or cheetahs searching for a calf among the wildebeest. Pass giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, gazelles, and, if you're lucky, a velvet cat or wild dog. If you want to do something special, you can also view these plains from a hot air balloon. Spend the night in a luxury safari tent, and listen to the distant roar of a lion or the bleating of the herd of the great migration as you slowly drift away. 

   This is the authentic safari! On the way to or from the Serengeti, you will also pass the Ngorongoro Highlands, an impressive landscape where you will encounter giraffes and some Maasai tribes, among other things.

4. Day 5: Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

   After early breakfast with a morning game drive in Serengeti, lunch and drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for dinner, and overnight at Ngorongoro Luxury Tented camp—meals status full board.

   The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an immense nature reserve home to perhaps the most special place in Africa – the Ngorongoro Crater! This is a relatively small but very fertile area of 20 by 20 kilometres, surrounded by a steep crater rim. Nowhere in the world will you find so many wild animals in a small area as here – up to 25,000 large animals roam on an average day! 

5. Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater

   You will have breakfast, descend the crater floor for game viewing up to late afternoon, have lunch, and drive back to Arusha town to your booked hotel for dinner and overnight—meals status bed and breakfast.

   Today, you, therefore, have a good chance of seeing some members of the big five: lions, elephants, and buffalos can be found here in abundance. Moreover, the crater is home to several dozen rare black rhinos, and nowhere are you more likely to see them than here!

   The Conservation Area is much larger than just this crater – there are several craters, and Olduvai Gorge (with the oldest human remains) is also located here. There are also several beautiful Maasai villages to visit along the way. If you have the time, you can take a walking safari on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater accompanied by a ranger. Or also very special: a walking safari in the Empekai crater further away - through lush green forests, you descend on foot to the crater lake, where you can encounter elephants or wildebeest!

6. Day 7: Departure

   Today is the last day of your safari. You can fly back or extend your trip. Take it easy and enjoy all the impressions of the last day. You will probably fly back home, but still looking forward to a few well-deserved days at the beach, we are happy to arrange that for you! For extra days on one of the paradise islands: Zanzibar, Pemba Island, or Mafia Island.