Day 1: Arrive

Upon arrival at the airport, we will meet you and transfer you to the hotel in Arusha town.

Overnight: Impala hotel. BB

Day 2: Tarangire

After breakfast depart for Tarangire National park for a game drive.

Overnight: Tarangire Sopa Lodge. FB

The park covers an area of 2850 sq km and is located 120 km from Arusha, bordered with Tarangire Wildlife conservation area to the northeast, an area set apart by the government, to cater for the needs of the local people as a grazing ground for their herds. The park owes its name to Tarangire River, which flows across the area. It is characterized by dense vegetation of acacia and mixed woodland, the area around Tarangire River however, is dominated by huge baobab trees and old palm trees to a lesser prominence, as well as black cotton grass.

Though it is not as famous as other parks in the north, Tarangire offers the same attractions as other parks in the north. Its unique aspect is the annual animal immigration that takes place during the dry season. While Serengeti’s animal migration has attained mundane fame, for many tourists, little is known of Tarangire annual migration. The difference with Serengeti however is that, in Serengeti animals migrate away from the park during the dry season (June to October), the opposite happens in Tarangire; animals migrate from Maasai Steppe to the park during the dry season. They migrate to the park in search for water, which is provided by Tarangire River, and predators migrate along in search for preys. During this period the park has the largest concentration of animals than in any park in the northern Tanzania.

June to October is the best time to see large number of wildebeest, elephants, zebras, and hartebeest. Not all animals are migratory though; other animals such as giraffes, Impala, Eland, lesser kudu, waterbuck, gazelle and sometimes rhinos or leopards can be seen throughout the year. More people are attracted by the giant pythons and large herds of elephants.

Day 3: Serengeti

Transfer in the morning to Serengeti national park via Olduvai gorge. Game viewing en-route to the lodge.Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge. FB

The Serengeti covers several different eco-systems, each with its own unique combination of animals and plant-types. For example, at the centre of the park is Seronera, to the west the Grumeti River, while the south offers more remote and untouched game-viewing.

“Serengeti” is a masai tribe word meaning “endless plains” and refers to an area of 14,763 square km that host a multiplicity of ungulates as well as the annual wildebeest migration. The vegetation in the Serengeti consists of short and long grass plains in the south, the acacia savannah in the centre and the wooded grassland in the west around the Grumeti and Mara rivers. Serengeti, characterized by the endless plains, acacia trees and punctuated by large stone kopjes presents an archetypal picture of a wild and remote Africa and supports an amazingly large number of wildlife.

It is also home to a wonderful array of flora and fauna from large prides of lion, leopard and cheetah, to herds of elephant, giraffe, gazelles, monkeys, eland, zebras, wildebeests, leopards, cheetahs. On your safari in Serengeti, expect to see a whole world of grazing animals. On one of our private Tanzania safaris, you will get to see the African landscapes and animals at their most beautiful and evocative.

It is however one thing in particular that makes the Serengeti particularly famous. Every year it plays host, along with the neighboring Masai Mara, to the wildebeest migration. This spectacle of over 1,000,000 wildebeest migrating in search of fresh grazing is the largest such animal movement on the planet. First they move northwards, returning south after the rains have started. As they go, their hooves throw up a huge cloud of red dust, something that has come to symbolize the park. Pursued by lions and attacked by hungry crocodiles as they attempt to cross the Mara River, it is nature at its most raw and most exciting; a unique safari experience.

Day 4: Serengeti

Have a full day tour of the Serengeti park teeming with animals.

Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge. FB

Day 5: Ngorongoro

After breakfast, have a morning tour of the Serengeti on the way to Ngorongoro conservation area. Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. FB

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most famous safari destinations on earth- no Tanzania safari would be complete without a visit. Covering 265sq km, it is the world’s largest known intact caldera, with a drop from the top of the sides.

With between 25,000-30,000 animals calling it home, it has one of the highest densities of wildlife of any area on earth. Not only this, its floor offers a good variety of terrain and landscape. With grasslands, swamp and areas of acacia forest, it provides habitats for a good variety of different animal and even a small soda lake. With springs feeding the fertile soil, the grazing is good which encourages the animals to stay put rather than migrate in search of new pastures. This in turn keeps the carnivores happy! It is also a haven for the endangered Black Rhino, attracted by the lush grazing and thick forest in which to live. Access to the crater is restricted to between 7 am and 4 pm in an attempt to control the volume of traffic that enters. As it is a comparatively small area, it is busier that the wide open spaces of the Serengeti, but still offers a unique safari experience. The crater itself is but a small area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a protected zone that covers some 8,300sq km. Only the indigenous people, the Masai, are allowed to live within it and they grant concessions to the lodges to operate on their lands. Soda lakes, volcanic peaks, rich forest all add to the diversity of the area and you can add to the list the world-famous Olduvai Gorge. It was here that the Anthropologist family, the Leakeys discovered some of the oldest remains of early man, dating from some 1.8 mission years ago. Subsequent excavation have increased these discoveries and include footprints dating back an estimated 3.7 million years. The Crater and conservation areas offer some of the most beautiful landscapes in the whole of Tanzania.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater

Have an early breakfast and descend into the crater for full day game viewing at the crater floor.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. FB

Day 7: Lake Manyara

After breakfast, transfer to Lake Manyara national park for a game drive. You will have picnic lunch in the park.

Overnight: E Unoto Luxury Retreat. FB

Day 8: Moshi

Visit a Maasai village in the morning for an unforgettable cultural experience.

After lunch drive to Moshi town.

Overnight: Sal Salinero Villa hotel. HB