Overview
Ten days gives you time to follow what the animals are doing instead of sticking to a rigid plan. Our guides know the Serengeti well, so if there is a fresh kill or a lion pride resting near the track, you can stay and watch. The trip suits travelers who want quality time with big cats rather than a quick checklist of sightings.
Along the way you also spend a day with a Chagga family at Materuni near Kilimanjaro, join the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers at Lake Eyasi, and explore Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. Contact us for dates and prices.
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (10 days)
ARRIVAL AND TRANSFER TO MOSHI
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) at any time. Abakombe Tours drives you to Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, where the rest of the day is free. In the evening you meet for a pre-safari briefing and equipment check.
Overnight at Moshi Chanya Lodge, half board.
MATERUNI VILLAGE DAY WITH A CHAGGA FAMILY
A day in Materuni village on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes: village walks, a guided hike to the waterfall, a coffee tour, a visit to a local primary school, traditional Chagga dancing and food, a cooking class, a taste of banana beer and superb views of the mountain.
Overnight at Moshi Chanya Lodge, full board.
GAME DRIVE IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
You drive to Tarangire National Park for a day of game viewing. In the dry season, animals and birds crowd along the permanent Tarangire River. Afterwards you continue to your lodge near the Rift Valley escarpment close to the Ngorongoro Crater.
Overnight at Karatu Tented Lodge, full board.
MORNING WITH THE HADZABE AT LAKE EYASI
In the morning you join the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers. They show you how to start a fire with two dry sticks, a skill used for thousands of years, and how to shoot with bow and arrow. You can gather tubers, roots and fruit with the women or follow the men on a morning hunt. In the rainy season you may also join them collecting wild honey. The visit ends with a traditional dance and lasts 3-4 hours.
Overnight at Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp, Lake Eyasi, full board.
OLDUVAI GORGE AND INTO THE SERENGETI
Heading for the Serengeti, you can stop at Olduvai Gorge, where Louis and Mary Leakey made landmark discoveries about early humans in the 1950s; its small museum shows remains around 2.5 million years old. After lunch you enter the Serengeti for an afternoon game drive across plains dotted with acacias and rocky kopjes. From December to February the migration herds are usually nearby, and resident giraffe, buffalo, elephant, lion, cheetah and leopard are present all year.
Overnight at a tented camp in the Serengeti.
FULL DAY WITH THE SERENGETI'S BIG CATS
An early start gives you a full day in the park. Your guide chooses the best areas for the season: perhaps the hippo pool, a lion pride at rest, or the middle of the migrating herds. You also visit the kopjes, rocky outcrops that shelter predators and offer wide views over the grasslands. Look for elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and lion, and with luck leopard and cheetah.
Overnight at your Serengeti camp.
SERENGETI TO THE NGORONGORO HIGHLANDS
After an early game drive you head for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai herders live alongside the wildlife. After a stop at the gate to learn about the volcanic landscape, you drive along the crater rim with views of the herds below and settle into your lodge on the rim.
Overnight at a lodge in the Ngorongoro highlands, full board.
FULL DAY IN THE NGORONGORO CRATER
You descend more than 600 m to the crater floor to explore patches of forest where monkeys and elephants live, the lake where flamingos gather, and the open grassland where lions hunt. Lunch is a picnic in the crater. In the late afternoon you drive the short distance to Karatu.
Overnight at Karatu Tented Lodge, full board.
LAKE MANYARA AND BACK TO ARUSHA
From Karatu you drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Though small, it is one of Tanzania's most varied parks: two-thirds lake, set below the Rift Valley wall, with groundwater forest, grassland, hot springs, woodland and steep slopes. It is a birding paradise with over 350 species and is known for its tree-climbing lions. After a picnic lunch you drive back to Arusha.
Overnight at Green Mountain Hotel, half board.
ARUSHA SHOPPING AND DEPARTURE
After breakfast you visit Arusha town for some shopping at the Maasai market, then transfer to the airport for your evening flight.
Rates Per Person
The Overview tab explains the accommodation and meal options. Send us your dates and group size for an exact price.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Serengeti National Park and ends in Olduvai Gorge.
Airport Information
Kilimanjaro International Airport or Mwanza Airport is the most common arrival point for this trip.
Transfer Information
We meet you at the airport and handle every transfer between destinations throughout your trip.
Accommodation Before/After
Want an extra night in Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar before or after your trip? Just ask and we will arrange it.