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 (3 days)
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. 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. Tree-climbing pythons are sometimes seen in the acacia branches, although they are very well hidden, so your guide looks closely. Fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk, the long-necked antelope that stands on its hind legs to feed, can be seen here but not in the Serengeti. 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. Tarangire has one of the highest densities of elephants in Africa, and the herds include many babies in the green months. You rest at a standard budget camp, with a hot shower, a comfortable bed and a hearty dinner after the day outdoors. Tomorrow's programme: Lake Manyara National Park game drive.
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK GAME DRIVE
Lake Manyara is a compact park between the Rift Valley escarpment and a shallow alkaline lake. 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. Elephants here are very relaxed, and families may pass within a few metres of your vehicle without worry. 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 groundwater forest at the park gate is fed by springs from the escarpment, so it stays green and cool even in the dry months. The park is very compact, so you can cover the forest and the lake shore in half a day, then continue to your next destination. Game drives here are short and varied, so you can fit them in before or after the drive to Karatu or the Ngorongoro highlands. Tonight you stay at a clean, comfortable budget lodge or camp with simple rooms, hot showers and generous home-style meals. Tomorrow's programme: Ngorongoro Crater descent and game drive.
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 descent road is steep and rough, and your driver-guide takes it slowly, so you can enjoy the views over the crater as you go down. The crater formed when a giant volcano collapsed some two to three million years ago, leaving a caldera whose walls rise about 600 metres. Picnic lunch is at the hippo pool, and vehicles are limited to six hours on the crater floor so you must descend early. The crater rim stands at about 2,300 metres, so mornings can be cold and misty even on a hot day on the plains below. 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.
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 Ngorongoro Crater and ends in Lake Manyara 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.