ARUSHA - TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK - SERENGETI - NGORONGORO CRATER - ARUSHA
This is a suggested or sample Tanzanian safari itinerary – it can be adapted to suite your own personal needs and preferences, as well as for any seasonal changes or migratory animal movements.
DAY 1
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
- Non game-viewing travel time:4 hours
- Distance:240 km
After breakfast you are met by our professional tour guide/driver, who will deliver a short safari info briefing, after which we travel east to the Tarangire National Park. The park runs along the line of the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation mainly consists of Acacia woodland and giant African Baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals, during Tanzania’s dry season. The Tarangire National Park is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. We will enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park and do two exciting morning and afternoon game drives, along the Tarangire River. Late afternoon we depart for our lodge where you can sit back with a relaxing sundowner drink while waiting for dinner.
MARAMBOI TENTED LODGE
FULL BOARD
DAY 2
TARANGIRE – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
- Non game-viewing travel time:4 hours
- Distance:205 km
After breakfast we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti national park.
KATI KATI TENTED LODGE
FULL BOARD
DAY 3
SERENGETI
- Non game-viewing travel time: N/A
- Distance: N/A
Waking before dawn, you will take part in a stunning sunrise game drive. As the rising sun kisses the savannah, you’ll have the best opportunity to see predators in action as they take advantage of the low light and cooler temperatures to look for an early meal. It’s an ideal time to see lions, leopards, and cheetahs in action as well as the early morning movements of the wildebeest, zebra, and other herbivores.
Alternatively, you may wish to take to the skies with a sunrise hot air balloon safari and champagne breakfast. SEE BELOW.
After your unforgettable morning, you’ll return to your lodge for a late breakfast and to freshen up before hitting the road again with a picnic lunch. Our driver will select the best possible route based upon the time of year and the kind of animals you’d like to see. This could be following the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lion and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink!
The Great Wildebeest Migration – If you have planned to witness the Great Migration your itinerary will be planned depending on the time of year of your visit. Please visit OUR WILDEBEEST MIGRATION GUIDE
MARA KATI KATI / KATI KATI TENTED LODGE
FULL BOARD
MORNING of DAY 3
SERENGETI BALLOON SAFARI
Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush, while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages. After landing you will enjoy a Champagne breakfast in the middle of the Serengeti plains.
FIND OUT MORE
DAY 4
SERENGETI – NGORONGORO CRATER
- Non game-viewing travel time:4 hours
- Distance: 145km
After breakfast we depart for the Ngorongoro Conservation area. Our drive takes us back through the Serengeti via a different route, offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals that eluded you on day two. We will stopover at Olduvai Gorge, boasting with a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here, that the anthropologists Drs. Loisand Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of ‘ Nutcracker Man’ and ‘Handy Man’, both very significant links in the chain of human evolution.
NGORONGORO SOPA LODGE
FULL BOARD
DAY 5
NGORONGORO CRATER
- Non game-viewing travel time: 4 hours
- Distance: 190 km
After an early breakfast we will descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half day’s safari tour. Supported by a year round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants.
Another big draw card to this picturesque national park, is it’s dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas and jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually been seen here.
After the thrills and excitement of the day, you will have a picnic lunch by the park’s famous hippo pool. Thereafter, you will drive back to Arusha. Upon arrival in Arusha will we will end our African safari adventure.
