5 Days Tarangire / Lake Manyara / Serengeti / Ngorongoro Crater Safari

Day 01: Nairobi - Arusha. Board shuttle bus at 08:00 hrs to the border town of Namanga where you will clear customs and immigration formalities. Proceed into Tanzania to Arusha town. On arrival you will be dropped at your hotel for overnight.

Day 02: Arusha - Tarangire National Park. You will be picked up at around 0930am and depart to Tarangire National Park for the Game drive. Tarangire is most spectacular during the dry season when thousands of animals migrate into the park from the surrounding dry Maasai steppe, to use the permanent water supply of the Tarangire River. You can see herds of elephants, numbering over a hundred.

Tarangire is also renowned for its tree pythons, which are easily seen. The animal population in the dry season rivals that of the Serengeti with wildebeest, zebra, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, gerenuk, fringe eared Oryx and flocks of birds of many different species. Prime game viewing is between July through November. The famous and giant baobab trees dot the park, their branches looking just like roots. Some of the baobab trees are over 300 years old.

Legend has it that a displeased god turned them upside down at the time of creation. All meals and overnight at Zion Campsite / Lodge. Approx transit time Arusha to Tarangire 1 Hour.  Meal Plan: [L,D]

Day 03: Tarangire - Lake Manyara. Breakfast at around 0700am. Thereafter drive to Lake Manyara National Park for the Game drive. Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree climbing lions and large flocks of flamingoes.

The park contains five distinct vegetation zones and is of scenic beauty. Picnic Lunch will be served in the Park/Hot Lunch at the camp. Drive to the plunging walls of the great rift valley where lies Lake Manyara National Park the Hemingway camped in the hunting safari that inspired his book, Green hills of Africa. Afternoon Game drive in the Park. Late afternoon drive for dinner and overnight at Campsite / Lodge. Approx transit time Tarangire to Lake Manyara 1 Hour. Meals Plan: [B,L,D]

Day 04: Lake Manyara - Serengeti National Park. Breakfast at around 0630am. Depart for Serengeti with lunch en route. On arrival, proceed for a game drive. The park covers 12,944km2 of open plains making it one of the largest in the world.

The rocky outcrops commonly known as Moru kopjes in the eastern part of the park are of scenic beauty and occasionally cats can be seen lazing on them. The park contains vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle and other antelopes. Dinner and overnight at the Seronera Campsite / Lodge. Approx transit time Lake Manyara to Serengeti 4½ hrs. Meal Plan: {B, L, D}

Day 05: Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater Rim. Very early Game drive in the vast Serengeti plain. Breakfast at around 0900am. Proceed with another game drive en route to Ngorongoro Crater rim via Olduvai Gorge for dinner and overnight at Simba Campsite / Lodge. Approx transit time Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater 3 hours. Meal Plan: [B, L, D]

Optional visit to Olduvai Gorge, the site of the Leakey family discovery of fossils of human and animal ancestors dating back to almost two million years. This cost $37 per person payable direct to the museum. 

Day 06: Ngorongoro - Arusha. Breakfast at around 0600am. Take Picnic Lunch with you and descend the Ngorongoro Crater floor for the Game drive. View the various resident animals on the crater floor. The largest unbroken caldera in the world, Ngorongoro has an area of 260 kilometers and a depth of 610 meters.

The crater provides a protected habitat for thousands of mammals and birds. The entire day is spent on the crater floor viewing lion, hyena, wildebeest, zebra, black rhinoceros, and many species of small antelopes. The Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area is located between the Serengeti and Lake Manyara. It is home to the famous Ngorongoro Crater which is the largest unbroken caldera in the world.

It is one of the few places in Africa where you stand a very good chance of seeing the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant) in the course of a game- drive.

There are around 1000 lions in the Crater, approximately 20 black rhino, and the spectacular Lerai Forest is one of the best places in Africa to spot leopard. This is one of the natural wonders of the world. Picnic lunch in the Crater. Afternoon before 0330pm drive to Arusha. On your arrival you will be dropped at your hotel for overnight. Approx transit time Ngorongoro to Arusha 2½ hours