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

Drive from Moshi or Arusha to either Lake Manyara National Park (best December to May) or Tarangire National Park (best June to November) with picnic lunch enroute and an afternoon game drive. Both parks are outstanding with many photography opportunities. On this 9-day safari, you have the built-in opportunity to see both reserves no matter what time of year you go.

Lake Manyara National Park, rimmed by the scenic 600-meter cliffs of the Rift Valley escarpment, protects a large alkaline lake and is home to a wildlife-rich savannah-forest mix. It makes an outstanding introduction to Africa’s wildlife, with elephants, wildebeest, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, impala, waterbuck, and waterbuck roaming the park in healthy numbers while lions are also present.

Tarangire National Park is famous for its huge herds of elephant and baobab trees. Throughout the dry season, thirsty antelope and elephant trek hundreds of kilometres 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 Manyara

Day 2: Lake Manyara or Tarangire, full-day game drive

Today, you will have a full-day game drive in either Lake Manyara or Tarangire with a picnic lunch.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Endoro Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodations: Escarpment Luxury Lodge
Luxury Accommodations: Tarangire River Camp
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Manyara

Day 3: Morning cultural activity, optional Maasai village, afternoon drive to Ngorongoro

Local activities include a Zipline, cultural hike, biking to the Lake Manyara shoreline, Mto wa Mbu village tour, Tinga Tinga painting class, or a coffee tour. One of these will be done as a half-day morning tour. In the afternoon, drive to Ngorongoro.

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 how 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 4: Ngorongoro Crater, half-day game drive

Wake early and join your guide for a sunrise game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater. Due to official park regulations, game drives are limited to about 6 hours, but this gives us plenty of time to take in the sweeping scenery and impressive wildlife found here. The Crater is akin to a fishbowl of classic African wildlife, with herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, and a variety of antelopes calling the Crater floor home. Huge elephants dot the distance while rhino still graze freely here. We suggest enjoying a picnic lunch inside the Crater, and enjoy the hippo pool, where we also usually find a load of interesting wetland bird species too. Return to your Crater area lodge and enjoy a little downtime to relax.

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: Drive to central Serengeti, optional Olduvai Gorge, afternoon game drive

Drive to the central area of the Serengeti (Seronera). You can stop at the Olduvai Gorge en route. Continue on to your lodge/camp with game viewing along the way.

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.

The fabulous Serengeti is a singular safari destination in Africa. The oldest and largest intact land-based ecosystem in the world, the Serengeti is celebrated for its wealth of leopards and lions. Serengeti, meaning ‘endless plains,’ is home to the largest annual overland migration of mammals in the world, with over a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles along with a range of other antelope species gradually undergoing an over 800-km long trek seeking new grazing grounds.

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 6: Serengeti, full day game drive, optional hot air balloon safari

Today enjoy a full-day game drive in the Serengeti or a morning and afternoon game drive with a break and rest in between back at your safari lodge. You also have the option of a scenic hot air balloon safari early this morning at extra cost.

The fabulous Serengeti is a singular safari destination in Africa. The oldest and largest intact land-based ecosystem in the world, the Serengeti is celebrated for its wealth of leopards and lions. Serengeti, meaning ‘endless plains,’ is home to the largest annual overland migration of mammals in the world, with over a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles along with a range of other antelope species gradually undergoing an over 800-km long trek seeking new grazing grounds.

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 7: Drive to the northern area of the Serengeti, a full-day game drive

Today, you will drive to the northern area of the Serengeti (Mara/Kogatende) with a full-day game drive en route.

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: Mara Kati Kati Tented Camp
Mid-Range Accommodations: Mara Under Canvas (TWC)
Luxury Accommodations: Lemala Camp (Ndutu/Mara)
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Kuria Hills Camp (Mara)

Day 8: Full-day game drive in the northern Serengeti

Today explore more of this famous wildlife reserve with your safari guide. The Serengeti provides incredible wildlife viewing year-round with the “great migration”.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Budget/Mid-Range Accommodations: Mara Kati Kati Tented Camp
Mid-Range Accommodations: Mara Under Canvas (TWC)
Luxury Accommodations: Lemala Camp (Ndutu/Mara)
Elite Accommodations: Lemala Kuria Hills Camp (Mara)

Day 9: Fly back from the Serengeti

You may have time for a short, early morning game drive en route to the airstrip in the Serengeti. Fly to the Arusha Airport, Kilimanjaro Airport, or Zanzibar (flight charged separately).

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch