Jewels of the Serengeti

Upon arrival to Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your Arusha hotel by private vehicle. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to explore.

After breakfast, depart for beautiful Lake Manyara, a shallow alkaline lake that shimmers in the Great Rift Valley. You will arrive in time for lunch at your lodge, followed by an afternoon game drive. Lake Manyara National Park consists of a thin green band of forest, flanked by the sheer drop of the red and brown cliffs on one side and by the white-hot shores of the ancient lake on the other. Lake Manyara safaris offer the opportunity to witness elephant, giraffe, buffalo and wildebeest, warthog, and is a natural playground for baboons and monkeys. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, depart for the famous Serengeti National Park with a packed lunch. Upon arrival, you will embark on an afternoon game drive. Return to your lodge as the sun sets for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)

Today you will have a full day of game drives in the park with a packed lunch. The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates your Serengeti safari as golden-maned lions feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowl the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat. But there is more to a safari in the Serengeti Plain than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park's isolated granite kopjes. Over 500 bird species have been recorded here, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills. (B,L,D)

Enjoy breakfast at the lodge, then depart with a packed lunch to the famous Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which features rolling plains, lakes, craters, mountains and dormant volcanoes. Journey up the side of the vast Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest volcanic craters in the world. Descend into the 8th Wonder of the World, a unique biosphere that has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Enclosed within its towering walls are grasslands, swamps, forests, saltpans, a fresh water lake and a glorious variety of birdlife. Here, too, are all the members of the Big Five; elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo as well as a large cast of plains game and one of Africa’s densest populations of predators. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor before continuing with your expedition inside the land that time forgot. Climb back up to the surface and drive back to your lodge for dinner. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, meet your guide and depart for Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s best-kept secret on the northern safari circuit. Named after a nearby river called Tarangire, it has the same attractions as the parks up north; the only difference is that this park is not usually as crowded with visitors as the others. Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, and then depart for an afternoon game drive in the park, returning just as the sun begins to set. (B,L,D)

This morning, checkout of your lodge after breakfast and drive back to Arusha in time for lunch. After lunch, you will be dropped off at Kilimanjaro International Airport to continue on to your next destination. (B,L)