8-Day Signature Northern Tanzania Safari

Overview

1. Day 1 Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport Stay Planet Lodge, ArushaMeals Dinner

   When you land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your professional driver-guide is there to meet you. The same guide stays with you for the whole trip. After a quick hello, you drive to your lodge in Arusha, the busy safari capital of northern Tanzania. The town sits at the foot of Mount Meru, and the lodge is a quiet, green place to start. Check in, rest a little and have a freshly cooked dinner. In the evening your guide goes through the safari plan with you, so you know what to expect in the days ahead.

2. Day 2 Arusha National Park – Walking Safari & Game Drive Stay Planet Lodge, ArushaMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After a big breakfast, you head out for a full day in Arusha National Park. Many visitors skip it, which is a shame. This small park packs a lot into one area: mountain forest, volcanic craters and open savannah. The day starts with a two-hour guided walking safari. On foot you can see zebras, giraffes, warthogs and curious colobus monkeys. Your ranger explains how the animals behave and tells you about the birds and plants. After the walk, you take a game drive round the Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater, where there are plenty of flamingos and waterbuck. In the late afternoon you go back to Arusha for dinner and a quiet evening.

3. Day 3 Arusha – Tarangire National Park Stay Lake Burunge Tented CampMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After breakfast, you drive southwest to Tarangire National Park for your first full safari day. The park is known for its old baobab trees and big elephant herds. The country here is rough and hilly, with scattered acacia trees and giant termite mounds. On your game drives, look for elephants cooling off near the Tarangire River and lions resting under the trees. The birdlife is excellent too. Tarangire has over 500 species, so bring binoculars if you like birds. Lunch is a packed meal at a picnic site with a view, and then you drive on through different parts of the park. In the late afternoon you reach your tented camp near Lake Burunge. At night you may hear animals calling in the distance.

4. Day 4 Tarangire – Lake Manyara National Park Stay Bougainvillea Safari Lodge, KaratuMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   Today you head north to Lake Manyara National Park. It is small, but a lot lives here, and it lies at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Just past the gate you enter a green groundwater forest. Troops of baboons wander about, and blue monkeys jump through the trees. Further in there is thick forest, open grassland and the alkaline lake itself. Look out for the park’s well-known tree-climbing lions. You may also see elephants, hippos and lots of birds, including pelicans, flamingos and hornbills. After a picnic lunch in the park, you drive on to Karatu, a quiet town in the farming highlands. Tonight’s lodge looks out over the Rift Valley.

5. Day 5 Karatu – Serengeti National Park Stay Tanzania Bush Camp – Central SerengetiMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After breakfast, you set off on the long, scenic drive to the Serengeti, Tanzania’s most famous park for wildlife. On the way you stop at a traditional Maasai village. Your hosts tell you about their customs, music and daily life. You enter Serengeti National Park at the Naabi Hill Gate, and the land opens up into wide golden grassland with acacia trees, home to millions of wild animals. Keep your camera ready. From today you can expect lions, cheetahs, giraffes and huge numbers of grazing animals. In the late afternoon you reach your tented camp in the central Serengeti. Have a hot meal and listen to the night sounds of the bush.

6. Day 6 Full Day in Serengeti National Park Stay Tanzania Bush Camp – Central SerengetiMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   You have the whole day in the Serengeti. The plains run as far as you can see, which makes this one of the best places in Africa for big animals. Your drives take in different areas, from the Seronera River valley, where leopards rest in the trees, to the open grassland where cheetahs hunt gazelles. Depending on the season, you may also see part of the Great Wildebeest Migration: a long, noisy line of hooves and dust. Your guide plans the drive around where the animals are and what you most want to see. After a long day out, you come back to camp for dinner and stories around the campfire.

7. Day 7 Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater Stay Bougainvillea Safari Lodge, KaratuMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After an early breakfast, you drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera. You go down 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The crater floor is like East Africa’s wildlife in one place, with lots of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and elephants. With some luck, you may spot one of the shy black rhinos or see a lion pride hunting. Lunch is a picnic at the Hippo Pool picnic site. Then you climb back up to the crater rim and drive to Karatu for a quiet evening in the highlands.

8. Day 8 Ngorongoro Crater - Departure Meals Breakfast | Lunch

   Take your time over breakfast, then leave the highlands and drive back to Arusha. Where we drop you depends on your plans. We take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your international flight, or to Arusha Airport for a short domestic flight to Zanzibar. If you go to Zanzibar, you can add a few days on white-sand beaches by clear blue water at the end of your trip.

   Meals: Breakfast | Lunch
   End of Services by Tanzania Tourism Safaris