Day 1: Drive to Lake Manyara or Tarangire, afternoon game drive

Depart for Lake Manyara National Park with picnic lunch and game drive till late afternoon. Lake Manyara is tucked beneath the Rift Valley wall. A thin green band of forest flanked by the 600 metres sheer high red and brown cliffs of the escarpment and the shores of the soda lake which gives name to the park. Famous for its tree-climbing lions, Manyara features nearly 400 different species of bird, red-billed quelea, pelicans, cormorants, and thousands of flamingos.

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Depart for Tarangire National Park with picnic lunch and game drive till late afternoon. Tarangire is famous for its huge herds of elephants and baobab trees. Throughout the dry season, thirsty antelope and elephants trek hundreds of kilometers to drink at the Tarangire River.

Meals included: Lunch, Dinner

Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Endoro Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodations: Escarpment Luxury Lodge
Luxury Accommodations: Tarangire River Camp
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Tarangire Camp

Day 2: Drive to Serengeti, afternoon game drive

Drive 3-4 hours to the Serengeti for an afternoon game drive.

Arguably Africa’s greatest national park, the Serengeti (meaning “endless plains”) is a massive park and home to a yearly migration of more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle undertaking their long trek to new grazing grounds. In return, a wealth of predators including lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas also inhabit the region.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Serengeti Halisi Camp
Mid-Range Accommodations: Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
Luxury Accommodations: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Ewanjan Camp (Seronera)

Day 3: Serengeti, full-day game drive 

Full-day game drive in Serengeti, lunch at Visitor’s Center.

The crucial characteristics of the Serengeti ecosystem have changed little in over a million years. Serengeti’s boundless plains are sprinkled with wooded hills, towering termite mounds, rocky kopjes, and rivers lined with acacia trees. Big cats and a huge host of grazing animals roam freely, but here you also can see other unique species like mongoose, hyrax, warthog, bat-eared fox, jackals, bushbabies, monkeys, baboons, and much more.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Serengeti Halisi Camp
Mid-Range Accommodations: Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
Luxury Accommodations: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Ewanjan Camp (Seronera)

Day 4: Drive Serengeti to Ngorongoro, optional Olduvai Gorge and Maasai Village visits

Drive Serengeti to Ngorongoro with a game drive en route. Optional visits to the Olduvai Gorge and Maasai village.

The Olduvai Gorge delivers substantial evidence of the earliest signs of humankind, with rare hominid footprints preserved in solid rock from 3,600,000 years ago.

There are many authentic Masaai villages in the area to visit. Here you have a chance to get to know authentic Maasai families and see what real life is like for the locals. You can visit homes, watch traditional dances, and purchase homemade jewelry.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Rhino Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodations: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Luxury Accommodations: Gibbs Farm
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp

Day 5: Ngorongoro, half-day game drive, return to Arusha city / Kilimanjaro Airport 

After breakfast descend down the crater for a half-day game drive.

Ngorongoro Crater is a spectacular setting and contains an abundance of wildlife with over 20,000 large animals including Tanzania’s remaining black rhino. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is unique in that it allows over 40,000 Masaai pastoralists with their cattle goats and sheep to live alongside the abundant wildlife in a natural setting.

Late afternoon return to Arusha city or airport for onward journey.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch