9 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari Adventure
On this 9 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari Adventure, visit Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. The elephants and bird species will surprise you in Lake Manyara. The endless plains of Serengeti are on your bucket list for wildlife viewing. Hippo, rhino, and buffalo are among the many crater residents at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Before you go back to Arusha, you will visit Tarangire National Park where large herds of elephants, accompanied by the largest birds in the world, ostriches, will surprise you.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Hotel in Arusha
Driver will pick you up from the airport and transfer you off to your hotel
Day 2: Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel in Arusha and head to Lake Manyara National Park. Established in 1960, the small Lake Manyara National Park is home to tree-climbing lions, elephants, and large troops of baboons and monkeys. The park is dominated by the shallow, alkaline lake and boasts diverse habitats like grassy plains, escarpment, and forest. Here, hundreds of bird species gather, most notably, thousands of pink flamingos. In addition to the striking scenery, you have the chance to see giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, wildebeests, and comical warthogs. The safari vehicle has an open roof and is the ideal viewing platform to appreciate the nature and animals of this park. In the late afternoon, you will head to the Marera Valley Lodge where you will spend the night.
Day 3: Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, drive toward the Serengeti National Park via the beautiful high-lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, you will proceed into the heart of wild Africa. You will drive into the Central park area known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. You will arrive in time for a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park. Overnight will be at Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp.
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, go on a game-viewing drive along the Songore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible lion, Thomson’s gazelle, topi, ostrich, and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. In the afternoon, you will follow the Kopjes Circuit which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lions and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons, including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink. Overnight will be at Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp.
Day 5: Serengeti to Ngorongoro area
Dawn is a good time to watch wildlife, so you will be up early to join an early morning game drive. You will return to the camp for breakfast before heading out for another game drive in the park. In the Seronera region, you will often see wildebeests and zebras in close proximity to lions and other predators such as leopards and cheetahs. After a picnic lunch, you will continue your journey toward the Ngorongoro area. Once you have reached the crater rim you will enjoy fantastic views of this 600m-deep collapsed volcano. You will stay at the Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge, situated on the crater rim.
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater to Karatu
After an early breakfast, you will drive down the steep and narrow road that takes you into the crater. The slopes are forested but soon the landscape changes to savannah. Here the wildlife is just breathtaking, and with a little luck, you can observe the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard) in just a few hours. You should also see warthogs, wildebeests, zebras, hippos, and some of the more than 500 bird species in the area. After a morning dedicated to game viewing and a picnic lunch, you will leave the crater later in the afternoon. Drive to Karatu where you will overnight at the Marera Valley Lodge.
Day 7: Karatu to Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, depart for the Tarangire National Park. The park is dotted with amazingly big baobab trees and extraordinarily large herds of elephants. If you are a lover of the jumbos or other general large game, Tarangire is a place not to miss while on your African safari to Tanzania. The park is home to many animal species and some rare breeds like the oryx and hirola, and some rare bird species. After a full day of game drives with a picnic lunch, you will drive to Tarangire Baobab Tented Camp for leisure.
Day 8: Tarangire to Arusha
After breakfast, you will proceed with the game drive in Tarangire National Park. This park with its endless grasslands, huge baobab trees, the perennial Tarangire River. And seasonal swamps, is home to the largest elephant herds in Northern Tanzania. Animals gather at the river and you should be able to see elephants, giraffes, bushbucks, hartebeests, dik-diks, waterbucks, warthogs, and reedbucks all year round. Furthermore, the park is also home to buffaloes, zebras, and wildebeests. Which are always closely followed by a range of predators such as lions. Leopards are seen every once in a while but cheetahs are rarely spotted. After an extensive game drive, you will leave the park in the late afternoon. And head to your choice of accommodation in Arusha.
Day 9: Fly to Dar es salaam for onward travels
TRIP INCLUDES
- Park fees(For non-residents)
- All activities(Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation(Unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation(Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Meals(As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water(On all days)
Excluded
- International flights(From/to home)
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips(Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items(Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees