5-DAY NORTHERN TANZANIA SAFARI
TANZANIA
This 5-day wilderness safari offers the experience to explore the best safari destinations of northern Tanzania. The beauty of Lake Manyara with its flamingos and tree-climbing lions, to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, finishing with Tarangire with its huge baobab trees and large elephant population. Although these destinations are not far apart, you will find each one having its own unique experience. This itinerary can use basic camping or safari lodges/tented camps for overnights according to your preference.
"Five days, endless Experiences."
Arrival at JRO (Kilimanjaro International Airport)
Welcome to Tanzania. You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Arusha town; you will meet the company representative and trip your guide who will brief you and cross check all important travel documents.
Day 1: Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast at your hotel, your private, English-speaking guide will pack your items in the vehicle We’ll then jump in the safari vehicle and head to Lake Manyara, about a 2 hour drive, in time for a perfect first-day game drive. Located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, Lake Manyara National Park is famous for its large alkaline soda lake which is home to the pink flamingos, herons, and yellow-billed stork. We’ll also keep an eye out for the tree-climbing lions, which are unique to this national park. We’ll also have to watch out for some fun antics from the local baboon troops: Lake Manyara is believed to have the largest number of these primates on earth! In the late afternoon, we will head to your campsite/lodge. For logistical reasons, this night will not be inside a park.
Day 2: Drive to Serengeti National Park
After a hearty breakfast and our picnic hampered lunch is prepared, we’ll drive around 4.5 hours through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, but not through the famed crater this day. We’ll then arrive at the Olduvai Gorge, where the remains of a reputedly 1.8 million-year-old skeleton, thought to be one of the distinct links of the human evolutionary chain, is found. In this same area, there is a complete series of hominid footprints estimated by paleoanthropoligists to be over 3.7 million years old. After browsing through the museum, we will then continue into the Serengeti where we will be game viewing as we work our way into the Seronera (central Serengeti) where dinner and overnight rest await us at your campsite/lodge/tented camp.
Day 3: Enjoy Serengeti National Park
A full day to explore the Serengeti. If you’ve ever dreamed about an early morning balloon safari hovering over the Serengeti plains, this is your chance ($600/person additional cost). Either way, you will have time for game viewing in our safari vehicle. Your guide will have insider knowledge where the best game viewing is at your time of travel. You will see why the Serengeti is perennially voted the top safari destination in the world. By evening, we will return to the same accommodations as the previous night for relaxation, dinner, and overnight rest.
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater
An early morning departure, as we travel east, eventually re-entering Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This time we will get the chance to explore Ngorongoro Crater. As we wind down the 600m (2,000ft) crater walls, you will be taken back by the sheer beauty of this destination. The density and variety of animals inside the crater is amazing. This is one of the top safari destinations in Africa, but it is not large, just 20km in diameter. So after 3-4 hours all will be seen. We then ascend out of the crater and proceed to our evening’s lodge/campsite. The top of the crater has an elevation of up to 2,300m so it can be windy and chilly. It will be a good idea to have a warm jacket and knit cap even.
Day 5:Tarangire National Park
After an early breakfast, we will travel to Tarangire National Park, centerpieced by the meandering Tarangire River which draws a large number of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and antelope to its river banks, especially during the dry season between June and October when the river is the only source of water in the area. In the mid-afternoon, we depart and reutrn to Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), or Moshi for the end of the itinerary.