Distance: 120 km

Non-game viewing time: 2–3 hours.

After breakfast at your hotel, our safari driver-guide will meet you, & you will depart for Tarangire National Park via Arusha town just in case of any last-minute purchases before heading to the park. The driving will be on the Great Northern Highway, across the Maasai steppe, and in many villages.

Tarangire is the fifth-largest national park in Tanzania, at the foot of the Great East African Rift Valley. Its vegetation is comprised of low-lying hills of acacia woodland, giant baobab trees, & Savannah grassland.

The main features of this park are a larger population of elephants, the Tarangire River, which is a permanent water source in the entire park, & the huge baobab tree that dwarfs some animal species that come beneath it. You may expect to spot herds of wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, zebra, giraffe, hippos, and many antelope.

Primates like baboons, blue monkeys, and velvet monkeys are also inhibited by the park, lion, hyena, jackals & the ever-elusive leopard which needs sharp eyes to sport can also be seen.

Later in the afternoon, drive across the Great East African Rift Valley for a sunset watch & to Marera Valley Lodge for dinner & overnight.

Overnight at Marera Valley Lodge or something similar in Karatu town. All meals are included.

Distance: 145 km

Non-game viewing time: 3–4 hours.

After breakfast, depart for Serengeti National Park, the driving is via the attractive high-lying farmland of Karatu and up to Ngorongoro gate, after check-in, you will drive more up and along the crater rim, and you may stop for some nice pictures at the crater viewpoint. More drive around the Crater rim and down to the “wild rich” Serengeti National Park with its endless rolling plains.

On the way, you will visit one of the Maasai villages, where some Maasai warriors invite you & give you a brief story of their life around this area, questions & answer sessions before entering their small houses to meet kids & members of the family. Later, they will sing and dance to their famous song, which involves jumping high. From there, drive further with an en-route game drive to Naabi Hills Gate for check-in before heading to the Central Serengeti park area called Seronera.

Seronera is the richest wildlife habitat in Serengeti, endowed with Seronera River, the main water source in the area that attracts an abundance of wildlife well representative of most of Serengeti’s species. Picnic lunch will be served at the Kopjes (Rocky outcropping). Afternoon game drives in search of the Wildebeest Migration, late drive to your lodge during or before the sunset for dinner & overnight.

Overnight at Thorn Trees Camp, Central Serengeti. All meals are included.

Your 5-day Tanzania lodge safari continues, and today we are taking you on a full-day game drive in the Serengeti. You will start as early as 06:30 with a packed breakfast box and lunch box. Early morning game drives allow you to spot the cat family on the road as they try to avoid the morning mist, You may also see nocturnal animals coming back from their long night of hunting or a group of lionesses organizing an ambush or eating along the road.

Break for breakfast in the bush, and then you will be heading to where the wildebeest migration is packed. Spend much time watching the migration of herds, the big cats, and others. (packed lunch will be served in the bush or at one of the picnic sites in the area. You may expect to see a lot of animal actions, like hunting, killing, fighting, & so on. Drive back to the camp during or before sunset, dinner, & overnight in the camp.

Overnight at Thorn Trees Camp Central Serengeti, all meals included.

Distance: 85 km

Non-game viewing time: 3–4 hours.

On this day, as early as 06:30, you can do another early morning game drive to carry your breakfast & lunch box. Spend much time in Serengeti doing game drives before starting your en-route game drive towards Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Arrive at the lodge for a sunset watch from the crater rim, dinner, and overnight.

Overnight at Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge at the Crater Rim or something similar in Karatu Town. All meals are included.

Distance: 175 km

Non-game viewing time: 4–5 hours.

Start with the first rays of the sun at 06:30, a decent 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater floor, for a wonderful game drive. Supported by water from the highlands and enough fodder, this area is rich in wildlife, which includes herds of wildebeest, giant African elephants, eland, zebras, warthogs, buffalo, and the rare black rhino. The so-called Big 5 which includes the lion, leopard, buffalo, black rhino, & African elephant, can be spotted in this area during a one-day game drive. (Packed lunch will be served on the crater floor.).

Another big surprise in this picturesque crater is the denser population of predators, which includes lions, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, and the ever-mysterious leopard, which requires a trained eye to spot. You will visit Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake that is among the water sources in the crater, Some flamingos, hippos, & other aquatic birds can be seen in this lake.

Game drives until the afternoon, then start your way out & drive back to Arusha, if not flying the same day, you can visit some Maasai markets or shopping centers on your way to Arusha. Arriving in Arusha late afternoon for overnight.

Note:

(Accommodation on this day can be arranged upon request at extra cost.) If you fly on the same day, we will take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight back home. (KLM can be the best option leaving Kilimanjaro International Airport at 21:30.)