Overview
| 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 (12 days)
ARRIVAL IN ARUSHA
You arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and are met by your driver-guide, who takes you on the 45-minute drive to your hotel in Arusha, at the foot of Mount Meru. After check-in your guide gives a full briefing on the route, the park rules, the vehicle and what to expect each day, and you can ask any questions about your safari. The rest of the day is free to rest after your flight, or to walk to the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre and the local markets. Early to bed is wise, since the game drives start at dawn. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVE AND WALKING SAFARI
Arusha National Park is a small, varied park close to Arusha town, with the Ngurdoto Crater, the Momella Lakes and the slopes of Mount Meru, Tanzania's second highest mountain. A game drive takes you through montane forest and open grassland where giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, zebras and black-and-white colobus monkeys are easily seen. You can also take a walking safari with an armed ranger, one of the few parks near Arusha where walking is allowed, and a canoe trip on the Momella Lakes, which attract flamingos and other water birds. On a clear day Kilimanjaro rises above the clouds to the east. The park is ideal for a short day trip, for an easy first or last day of a safari, or as a gentle warm-up before a Kilimanjaro or Meru climb. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVES
Tarangire is best known for its giant baobab trees, some over a thousand years old, and for the largest elephant herds in northern Tanzania. You spend the day on game drives along the Tarangire River, the only permanent water source in the area during the dry season, where elephants, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, impala and eland gather in large numbers. Lions are often found resting in the shade of acacia and baobab trees, leopards are seen in the riverside trees and the park holds more than 500 bird species, including the colourful yellow-collared lovebird and the huge kori bustard. In the green season the animals disperse across the wider ecosystem, but the scenery and the birdlife are at their best. Your guide takes a picnic lunch at a viewpoint above the river, where you can stretch your legs and watch the herds from a distance. Mid-morning and late afternoon are the best times for game viewing, as the animals move to the water and the light is soft for photography. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVE
Lake Manyara is a compact park between the Rift Valley escarpment and a shallow alkaline lake. The road starts in groundwater forest, where blue monkeys, vervet monkeys and large troops of olive baboons live among mahogany and fig trees, then opens onto grassland and the lake shore. Giraffes, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and elephants are common, hippos wallow in the pools near the lake, and thousands of flamingos and pelicans gather on the shore when water levels allow. The tree-climbing lions for which the park was once known are still occasionally seen resting on the branches of acacia trees. Game drives here are short and varied, so you can fit them in before or after the drive to Karatu or the Ngorongoro highlands. You can also add a canopy walk, a night game drive or a mountain-bike ride through the farms on the escarpment as an optional extra. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
LAKE EYASI, HADZABE AND DATOGA CULTURAL DAY
Lake Eyasi is a shallow seasonal soda lake at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, home to the Hadzabe, one of the last hunter-gatherer peoples in Africa, and the Datoga, who are skilled pastoralists and blacksmiths. You leave very early to reach the Hadzabe camp at sunrise. With a small group of Hadzabe men you walk through the bush with bows and arrows, watch them track small game, collect wild honey and make fire with sticks, and you may be invited to try your own hand at shooting. Later you visit a Datoga boma to see how they forge arrowheads, jewellery and tools. The visit is a respectful, low-impact cultural experience and your guide explains how the fee you pay supports the community. Bring a hat, sunscreen and closed shoes, and expect a hot, dry and dusty day. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVES
The Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres of open plains, kopjes, woodland and rivers, and holds the largest concentration of big cats and plains game in Africa. On a game drive you cross the Seronera valley, the central area known for lions and leopards resting in the sausage trees and on the granite kopjes. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles and topi graze the plains and hyenas, jackals and cheetahs hunt around them. Hippos and crocodiles line the Seronera and Grumeti rivers, and the birdlife includes ostriches, secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers and many vultures. Your guide uses park radio reports, tracks and years of local knowledge to find the best sightings and takes a picnic lunch in the bush or at a hippo pool. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light and the most animal activity, so most days start with coffee at dawn. From December to March the herds are in the southern plains around Ndutu for the calving season, when tens of thousands of calves are born in a few weeks and predators are everywhere. From June to October the herds move to the northern Serengeti and the Mara River, where the dramatic river crossings take place. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVES
For a further day in the area, you explore a different part of the park with your guide. The Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres of open plains, kopjes, woodland and rivers, and holds the largest concentration of big cats and plains game in Africa. On a game drive you cross the Seronera valley, the central area known for lions and leopards resting in the sausage trees and on the granite kopjes. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles and topi graze the plains and hyenas, jackals and cheetahs hunt around them. Hippos and crocodiles line the Seronera and Grumeti rivers, and the birdlife includes ostriches, secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers and many vultures. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVES
For a further day in the area, your guide takes you to quieter corners where the crowds are fewer. The Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres of open plains, kopjes, woodland and rivers, and holds the largest concentration of big cats and plains game in Africa. On a game drive you cross the Seronera valley, the central area known for lions and leopards resting in the sausage trees and on the granite kopjes. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles and topi graze the plains and hyenas, jackals and cheetahs hunt around them. Hippos and crocodiles line the Seronera and Grumeti rivers, and the birdlife includes ostriches, secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers and many vultures. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVES
For a further day in the area, you return to the best sightings and spend longer with the animals. The Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres of open plains, kopjes, woodland and rivers, and holds the largest concentration of big cats and plains game in Africa. On a game drive you cross the Seronera valley, the central area known for lions and leopards resting in the sausage trees and on the granite kopjes. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles and topi graze the plains and hyenas, jackals and cheetahs hunt around them. Hippos and crocodiles line the Seronera and Grumeti rivers, and the birdlife includes ostriches, secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers and many vultures. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
NGORONGORO CRATER DESCENT AND GAME DRIVE
At dawn you drive down the steep crater road to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world, about 260 square kilometres across and 600 metres deep. The crater floor holds roughly 25,000 large animals in a natural enclosure, so the viewing is concentrated and reliable throughout the year. You search for black rhinos, one of the best places in Africa to see them, along with lions, spotted hyenas, elephants, buffalo, hippos and huge herds of wildebeest and zebra. Flamingos gather on the soda lake, and golden jackals, servals and secretary birds are often found on the grassland. Picnic lunch is at the hippo pool, and vehicles are limited to six hours on the crater floor so you must descend early. You then climb out and continue to your next stop. Mornings can be cool and misty at the rim, so bring a warm jacket. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
LAKE NATRON AND OL DOINYO LENGAI
Lake Natron lies in the far north of the Rift Valley, close to the Kenyan border, below the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Mountain of God of the Maasai. The lake has a high soda content that gives it a red and orange colour, and it is the main breeding ground for lesser flamingos in East Africa. Your guide leads a walk to the Ngare Sero waterfalls, where cool streams pour through a gorge and you can swim in the pools, and a visit to a Maasai boma to learn about daily life. Evening walks along the lake shore give excellent views of flamingos, pelicans and migratory waders. Roads are rough and the area is hot, so the days start early. You can add a sunrise or night climb of Ol Doinyo Lengai, a steep volcanic ascent that takes 6 to 8 hours and is for fit, experienced hikers only. You stay at a high-end lodge or luxury tented camp with spacious suites, fine dining, a spa or pool, and views over the landscape, with attentive staff looking after every detail.
DEPARTURE FROM TANZANIA
After breakfast you check out and your driver-guide takes you to the airport for your flight home, or to your next destination. Allow plenty of time for the transfer and for check-in, and your guide will help with your luggage and any last-minute shopping for souvenirs. We hope you leave with wonderful memories of your safari and look forward to welcoming you back soon. Please let us know if you would like to add a beach stay, a Kilimanjaro climb or a cultural experience to your next trip.
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 Arusha National Park.
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.