8 DAYS SAFARI – TARANGIRE NP / LAKE MANYARA NP / NDUTU / SERENGETI NP/ NGORONGORO CRATER
DAY 0: ARRIVE KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / ARUSHA – 55 KM / 01 HOUR
Arrive into Kilimanjaro international airport ex your flight. Clear customs and immigration formalities, met by our driver who will have your name on a paging board at the arrival lounge. Transfer to Arusha for overnight.
DAY 1: ARUSHA / TARANGIRE NP – 120 KM / 02 HOURS
Pick up from your hotel in Arusha and drive towards Tarangire National park for a full day of game drive. Tarangire National Park is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania, it is located in Manyara Region. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season. The park is famous for its high density of elephants and baobab trees. Visitors to the park in June to November dry season can expect to see large herds of thousands of zebra, wildebeest and cape buffalo. Other common resident animals include waterbuck, giraffe, dik dik, impala, eland, Grant’s gazelle, vervet monkey, banded mongoose, and olive baboon. Predators in Tarangire include lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal, honey badger, and African wild dog. Later drive to Sangaiwe Tented Lodge for dinner and overnight.
DAY 2: TARANGIRE / MANYARA NP – 75 KM / 1.5 HOURS
After breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National park and embark on a full day of game drive. Lake Manyara National Park is known for the flamingos that inhabit the lake. During the wet season, they inhabit the edges of the lake in flocks of thousands but they are not so present during the dry season.
More than 400 species of birds inhabit the park and many remain throughout the year, because of this Lake Manyara National Park is a good spot for bird watching. Visitors to the park can expect to see upwards of 100 different species of bird on any day.
Leopards, lions, cheetahs, elephants, blue monkeys, dik-dik, gazelles, hippopotamus , Masai giraffe, impala, zebras and many more wild animals inhabit this park and many can be seen throughout the year. There is a hippo pond at one end of the park. where visitors can get out of their cars and observe from a safe distance. The leopards and lions are both known to lounge in the trees while not hunting for prey. Diner and overnight at Manyara Wildlife Safari camp.
DAY 3: MANYARA / NGORONGORO NDUTU AREA – 180 KM / 4 HOURS
After breakfast, we drive towards Ngorongoro Conservation Authority to Ndutu Area. End of January and February is calving season – a period when wildebeest, zebra, and other migratory animals give birth to their offspring.
Once the calves are born, the herds don’t move much. The chance of witnessing a wildebeest birth is high. Predator interaction is also very likely, as lion and leopard move into the region to prey on young and vulnerable calves. Dinner and overnight at Tanzania Bush Camp Ndutu Ngorongoro.
DAYS 4 & 5: FULL DAYS OF GAME DRIVE IN NDUTU AREA
With the ongoing rains, February is a super green season in Ndutu with the green grass drawing the migrating wildebeest back for grazing. The nutritious grassy plains are perfect for their calves, providing a plentiful supply of essential minerals needed for growing calves and lactating mothers. We spend the entire day doing amazing game drives. Meals and overnight at Tanzania Bush Camp Ndutu Ngorongoro.
DAY 6: NDUTU / CENTRAL SERENGETI NP: 80 KM / 1.5 HOURS
After breakfast, we drive towards Central Serengeti National Park. This part of Serengeti National Park, in northern Tanzania, is known for its massive annual resident game. There is simply no better place in Africa to observe large carnivores in action! Excellent encounters are available year-round and it is not unusual to encounter all four large predators (lion, hyena, leopard, and cheetah) during the course of a day along with a multitude of smaller predators (mongoose, serval, fox, and jackal). Seronera is actually derived from the Maasai word ‘siron’ meaning the place of the bat-eared fox. We drive to our tented camp for dinner and overnight at Tanzania Bush Camp – central Serengeti.
DAY 7: SERENGETI NP / NGORONGORO CRATER – 145 KM / 04 HOURS
Another morning game drive in Serengeti National Park as we drive towards Ngorongoro Crater for dinner and overnight at your lodge on the crater rim Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
DAY 8: NGORONGORO CRATER / ARUSHA – 60KM / 01 HOUR (TO THE CRATER) 190 KM / 4 HOURS (TO ARUSHA)
After breakfast, descend into the crater floor for a half day of game drive. Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago, is 610 meters (2,000 feet) deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometers (100 square miles) Besides the stunning scenery, one of the main attractions of this area is the variety of flora and fauna found in a remarkably compact area all year round. The mineral-rich floor of this spectacular bowl is largely flat, open and covered in nutritious grasses – much to the liking of large herds of zebra and wildebeest, which graze here. These extensive open plains are also home to herds of buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle and tsessebe (often called topi). Later drive to Arusha for drop off at Kilimanjaro International airport for your flight out.
End of services
Rate includes
- All meals and overnight as per the above program
- Park entrance and Crater service fees
- Transport in safari 4×4 Land cruiser jeep with professional English-speaking driver guide
- Concession fees
- Government taxes
- All airport transfers
- Unlimited bottled drinking water during safari
- Free Wi-Fi on jeep
Rate excludes
- International and local flights
- Tips and gratuities
- Laundry and other beverages
- Travel insurance
- All things of a personal nature