Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
You'll depart after breakfast and drive across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Although only 205 sq. miles in size this enchanting park is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, which are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The park is also home to a large number of buffalos, giraffes, elephants, impalas and a Hippo lake, where large numbers of hippos usually gather.
This park has become famous for climbing lions and the flamingos on the lakeshore. The landscapes of this park are absolutely stunning, very different from the Serengeti for example. The game drives are done along the shore of the lake, providing incredible views of giraffes and buffalos in the foreground with the lake, flamingos and flat plains in the horizon. Great photo opportunities!
Extra tour recommended: Bicycle ride in Lake Manyara.
Alternative: Visit Tarangire National Park instead.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Manyara National Park
- Accommodation:
-
Haven Nature Camp & Lodge
Wildlife in Lake Manyara NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park
Today you're off to the famous Serengeti National Park, home of the Great Migration. Your drive today is spectacular as you drive up the crater highlands, stopping at the rim for a birds-eye view of the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. Continuing on, as you crest the hillside, spread out before you, is the vast Serengeti. Serengeti means "endless plains" in Kiswahili. This 18,000 sq km park is inhabited by more than 2 million large animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson's gazelles. Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey that migrate throughout the park.
On the way into the Serengeti, you can opt to stop at the famous Oldupai Gorge, where the discovery of the first man that walked the earth took place. After attending a short lecture describing the archaeological digs and geology of the gorge, you'll have time to visit the small museum.
- Main Destination:
- Central Serengeti National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
Wildlife in Serengeti NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
Today you will wake up very early to do an early morning safari before breakfast, to spot the animals when they are more active, and also to have a fantastic sunrise in front of you. The sunrise in the African savannah is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have.
After the game drive, you'll return to the camp for brunch. In the afternoon, transfer to Ngorongoro, the 8th Natural Wonder of the World. With walls 2,000 ft high and a crater floor that spreads for 102 sq miles, the crater is a virtual Noah's Ark, inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa including the rare black rhino. In fact, the crater has the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. The large bull elephants that reside here have extremely large tusks, due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses. You'll arrive in Ngorongoro in the afternoon.
There is a possibility for an afternoon walking safari in the Ngorongoro Highlands.
- Main Destination:
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Very early in the morning, you'll descend down to the crater floor for a day of wildlife viewing in one of the most incredible places on earth. After a stop for a picnic lunch near the hippo lake, and more wildlife viewing in the afternoon, drive up the steep road out of the crater and return to Arusha.
Option: Add one extra day to visit Oldonyo Sambu Maasai village.
- Main Destination:
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
