Go deep into the wildlands of Tanzania for an unforgettable safari adventure. Led by a highly experienced safari guide, who knows all the best animal-watching spots, you’ll scour the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for lions, leopards and wildebeest, watch elephants in Tarangire, meet hunter-gather tribes, interact with the Masai people and visit the ‘cradle of humankind’. And for the ultimate safari experience, we spend two nights camping in the Serengeti plains.
Activity Areas
Big Cats
New Wildlife Holidays
Safaris
Wildlife Holidays
Region & Country & City
Africa: Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Included in the Price
— All breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners
— All accommodation
— All transport and listed activities
— Tour leader throughout
— Group arrival and departure transfers available
Not Included In The Price
— Travel insurance
— Single accommodation (available on request)
— Visas or vaccinations
Accommodation Information
— Accommodation: 7 Classic nights (1 hotel, 4 safari lodge, 2 permanent camp)
— Group normally 4 to 14, plus leader and safari drivers
— Travel in a customised safari vehicle
Map
Itinerary
Day 1 Adventure starts in Arusha
Begin your adventure in Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania’s greatest safari parks.
At 6pm, say jambo (that’s hello in Swahili) to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.
Your tour leader then ensures a big Tanzanian welcome by arranging dinner.
Want to extend your wildlife watching? Join our Kenya Safari Adventure before this trip begins. Speak to your sales representative to book.
Accommodation: African Tulip Hotel (or similar)
Day 2 To Tarangire National Park • Search for iconic safari animals on an afternoon game drive
Meet your tour leader after breakfast and transfer (three hours) to Tarangire National Park, where large elephant herds roam and fat-trunked baobabs – the trees of life – punctuate the landscape.
After lunch at our lodge, we set out on an afternoon game drive (three hours), searching for iconic safari animals, including lions, hippos, leopards, zebras and the rarely seen cheetahs and hyenas.
This evening, we stay in the heart of the national park, surrounded by kopjes, ancient baobabs and the grassy plains. Keep an eye out for elephants, who often wander near to our resort.
Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa Lodge (or similar)
Day 3 Morning game drive • To Lake Eyasi • Meet the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes
We transfer (3hr 45min) to Lake Eyasi today, enjoying a morning game drive (1hr 30min) through Tarangire en route. After lunch upon arrival at our lodge, we transfer (15 minutes) to the lake shore, where we spend a fascinating afternoon with the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes, who have lived the same way here for the last 10,000 years.
During our visit, we learn how they live, hunt and gather food in the bush. We also visit the Blacksmith Tribe who are part of the Datoga but have broken off and lived and married independently for decades now. Their main income is from forging knives, arrowheads and jewellery for the greater Datoga and Hadzabe. Later, we return to our lodge for dinner.
Accommodation: Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge (or similar)
Day 4 Into Serengeti National Park • Afternoon game drive
We’re off to the Serengeti today! En route, we stop at the vast Ngorongoro Crater to gaze over the plains from the rim. After, we continue into the Serengeti, stopping in the Moru Kopjes area to see Masai rock paintings and Gong Rock, which makes a musical note when you strike it. The Moru Kojes area is also one of the best places in the Serengeti to see cheetah.
From here, we continue to our tented camp in the Central Serengeti. After lunch, we head out on an afternoon game drive: keep your eyes peeled for lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants and rhinoceros.
Return to camp around dusk and enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing in the heart of the African wilderness.
Accommodation: Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp (or similar)
Day 5 Full-day game drive in the Serengeti
Spend a full day scouring the Serengeti, one of the greatest wildlife-watching destinations in Africa. From May to July, we may be lucky to spot the great wildebeest migration, though the resident wildlife is so numerous that game viewing is excellent no matter the time of the year.
Accommodation: Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp (or similar)
Day 6 To the Ngorongoro Crater • Visit the ‘cradle of humankind’ and meet the Masai
Rise early and enjoy our final game drive in the Serengeti, including a picnic lunch in the Naabi Hills, before continuing to the ‘cradle of humankind’, Olduvai Gorge, where palaeontologists discovered some of the earliest remains of people. You can walk in the gorge, see very well-preserved fossilised footprints in the riverbed and visit the fascinating museum.
From there, continue towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping to visit a Masai village (or boma) on the forested lower slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. Learn how the Masai live, see inside their homesteads and take the chance to buy their handicrafts. After, we continue up to the crater rim to Karatu for our overnight stay.
Accommodation: Acacia Farm Lodge (or similar)
Day 7 Ngorongoro Crater game drive
It’s an early start, with our driver collecting us at 8.30am and taking us to the Ngorongoro Crater (a 55-minute drive away). Our route takes us up through lush rainforest, often shrouded in mist, before descending steeply to the crater floor for a full day’s game viewing. We have plenty of time to discover why the Ngorongoro Crater is regarded by many as the finest game park in Africa. Also enjoy a scenic packed lunch next to Lake Magadi, enjoying views over the crater walls – hippos can often be seen in the lake and elephants will be wandering not far away!
Accommodation: Acacia Farm Lodge (or similar)
Day 8 Return to Arusha
After an early breakfast, we return (2hr 15min) to Arusha, making a short stop en route to enjoy views over Lake Manyara before descending into the Rift Valley Escarpment.
We expect to arrive at Arusha Coffee Lodge in time for an early lunch around 11am, after which we'll transfer to the airport.
If you aren't ready for the adventure to end, please speak to your sales representative to book a relaxing post-trip stay on the idyllic island of Zanzibar.
