5-Day Tanzania Experience: Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Lake Manyara

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arusha to Tarangire National Park

  

  

  You will depart from your lodge in the morning after breakfast and drive straight to Tarangire National Park. The park’s landscape is awe-inspiring, dotted with colossal termite mounds, ancient baobab trees, and golden savannah. The park has a year-round water supply, which is why it’s so rich in wildlife. Bird lovers won’t be disappointed—the park hosts over 550 species of birds, including the world’s largest, the Maasai ostrich. You’ll have a great view from the open roof of your sturdy 4x4, so get your camera ready for giraffes, warthogs, impalas, cheetahs, mongooses, buffalo, and baboons. Look up at tree level to spot one of the famous climbing leopards of Tarangire, and look closer—could that be a python? But don’t forget those elephants! You’ll spot herds of elephants of all ages: bachelor herds or herds of females—babies, teenagers, young mums, and older mums, all led by a matriarch. You might spot a majestic bull elephant too. Accommodation: Karatu Safari Camp Lodge

• day 2

  Tarangire to Lake Manyara National Park

  

  

  After breakfast, we leave the lodge and proceed with a game drive as we head to Lake Manyara for a full day of game viewing. The park is highlighted by its many trees and the famous tree-climbing lions, which are often spotted taking afternoon siestas on the branches. Other animals commonly found in this park include impalas, giraffes, buffaloes, and more impalas. Just at the entrance of this beautiful park is an underground water forest, a perfect habitat for blue monkeys, baboons, bushbucks, and gigantic elephants sheltering in the shade from the afternoon sun while devouring green branches, twigs, and herbs. At the Hippo Pools and Lake Manyara itself, you will have the chance to observe hippos and aquatic birds, including colorful flamingoes, pelicans, Egyptian geese, cormorants, and many more. Accommodation: Karatu Safari Camp Lodge

• day 3

  Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park

  

  

  

  

  We proceed to Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and stop at Olduvai Gorge, known as the ‘Cradle of Mankind.’ Close to the main road, it was here in the Great Rift Valley that the remains of early hominids dating back 3 million years were uncovered. Afterwards, we visit the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world – Serengeti National Park. The word "Serengeti" means endless plains, which describes the park’s 14,763 square kilometer boundary. Yet, for its sprawling area, the Serengeti does not disappoint when it comes to rich game viewing. The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The park is home to all members of the Big Five, the great wildebeest migration, and vast plains that offer stunning views of sunrise and sunset. Later in the evening, overnight at Seronera Camping.

• day 4

  Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

  

  

  

  

  We embark on an encore game drive in the expansive Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti boasts one of the most varied collections of wildlife on the planet. Annually, from May to December, millions of animals embark on a migration that brings them from central Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara and back again in an incredible spectacle. Even during the downtime, vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle roam here, along with groups of elephant, giraffe, and buffalo, as the lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and jackals stalk their meals. We depart from the Serengeti to visit the Ngorongoro, which has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Thirty thousand animals make their home in this crater, making it an ideal place for sightings of the Big Five – lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. This truly world-class attraction is also known as the 8th Wonder of the World. Before your permit expires, it is time to drive out of the Conservation Area and head to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Simba Camp.

• day 5

  Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

  

  

  

  After breakfast, your safari guide will drive you directly to Ngorongoro Crater. You will descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife. Supported by a year-round supply of water and fodder, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to a wide variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, elk, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another highlight of this scenic national park is its dense population of predators, which includes lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large, shallow, alkaline lake in the southwest corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. Large numbers of flamingos, hippos, and other waterfowl can usually be seen here. Afterwards, your safari guide will drive to Engutoku Tok picnic site, where you can use the washroom. In the late afternoon, you will return to the campsite, pack your belongings, and then drive back to Arusha.