7-Days Tanzania Safari - Intensive
Arusha National Park - Tarangire National Park -
Lake Manyara National Park - Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
Highlights
The Nationalparks in Tanzania are considered superlatives in terms of their scenic diversity and abundance of wildlife.
Experience Arusha National Park with Mt. Meru, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater during this safari.
You will go on many game drives to see as many of the “Big Five” as possible – elephants, lions, buffalo, rhinos and leopards – while hunting, resting or at the watering hole.
ITINERARY
Today you start your safari through the national parks of northern Tanzania.
Your first destination is Arusha National Park, which you reach after a short drive. You will experience your first game drive in this small but very interesting animal park.
This park impresses with its scenic diversity and is a kind of “Africa in miniature”. The Ngurdoto Crater, known as “Little Ngorongoro”, the Serengeti Ndogo (“little Serengeti”) savannah clearing, the beautiful Momella Lakes and the forested mountain slopes of Mount Meru form an impressive natural backdrop. The diverse habitats are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Although elephants are rarely seen here and lions are never seen, there are an enormous number of giraffes. Buffalo and waterbuck are also abundant, as are a large number of forest antelopes. Other animal inhabitants of the park are forest elephants, zebras, warthogs, hippos, genet cats and colobus monkeys.
Accommodation: Lodge
1x Lunchbox/Dinner
Today’s destination is Tarangire National Park, which you will discover on a game drive.
This park offers everything the safari heart desires and symbolizes the typical “African image”: huge baobab trees and umbrella acacias, large herds of elephants and magnificent sunsets provide an unadulterated bush feeling.
There are around 100 species of mammals in the park, such as giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, impala, dik-diks, kudu, oryx antelope, hyenas, lions, cheetahs and baboons.
Elephants are undoubtedly the biggest attraction. The Tarangire is particularly spectacular in the dry season, when large herds of animals flock to the Tarangire River, which carries water all year round. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch for water veins in the dry riverbed, while migrating wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the dwindling waterholes. The evergreen swamps attract 550 bird species: nowhere else in the world do more species breed in one area.
Accommodation: Lodge
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox/Dinner
After breakfast, the journey continues to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. You reach the African Rift Valley and leave the lowlands. You drive up a steep uphill road to the much higher and more vegetated crater highlands. From up here, a fascinating panoramic view opens up over the Masai plains and Lake Manyara. In the afternoon, you will reach the seemingly endless plains of the southern Serengeti. Covering an area of almost 15.000 square kilometers, the Serengeti is dominated by wide open plains with an abundance of game.
You will enter the heart of the Serengeti and already on the way you can observe many wild animals in the incredibly wide plains and at the kopjes.
After a game drive in the afternoon, we will drive you to your Tented Camp in the central Serengeti. Enjoy the evening with a good meal and listen to the sounds of the wilderness.
Accommodation: Tented Camp
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox/Dinner
Off we go on a full-day game drive in the Serengeti National Park. Undoubtedly the most famous nature reserve in the world, it offers unparalleled natural beauty and an astounding variety of wildlife.
The Serengeti is home to the largest wild concentration of ungulates in Africa such as wildebeest, antelope, buffalo and zebra, which are regularly spotted in the vast plains of the Serengeti. Lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas are also ever-present and regularly patrol the open savannah.
The African wild dogs, which hunt in packs, are a special feature. A safari in the Serengeti is one of the most untamed wilderness experiences in Africa.
The Serengeti has become famous for the “Great Migration”, the seasonal migration of the animal herds – the largest animal show on earth! In search of water and grazing land, millions of wildebeest, zebra and various gazelles cross the entire Serengeti from the south northwards to the Masai Mara in Kenya and back again in a seasonal cycle. The herds instinctively follow the rain and are on a never-ending journey.
You spend another night at your Camp.
Accommodation: Tented Camp
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox/Dinner
Optional: Serengeti balloon flight
After breakfast, you will go on another game drive in the Serengeti. Then it’s off to the next highlight of your Tanzania safari: the Ngorongoro Crater.
Optionally, you can visit the Olduvai Gorge on the way, which is famous for the discovery of ancient fossils and is also known as the cradle of mankind. The Ngorongoro Crater and the surrounding highlands are among the most beautiful regions in Tanzania. The volcanic craters form a breathtaking backdrop to some of the most fertile and richest grazing areas in Africa. The most famous crater is undoubtedly Ngorongoro, the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world and home to the highest density of big game in Africa.
Enjoy the magnificent view from the crater rim (2.286 m).
Overnight stay at a Lodge directly on the crater rim.
Accommodation: Lodge
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox/Dinner
This enormous caldera of the Ngorongoro is a wonder of the world. In fact, there is hardly a comparable place on earth in terms of biodiversity and head count. During a safari, practically all the important African animals can be spotted here in just a few hours. Their habituation to vehicles is so high that there are literally close encounters here and you can witness hunting scenes. From the crater rim, a steep dirt road leads down to the crater floor 600 meters below, which is home to around 30.000 mammals: buffalo, wildebeest and zebra predominate, but also a variety of antelopes such as Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles as well as the mighty eland graze in the open grassland.
The highest density of predators in Africa can also be found here and this is a favorite hunting ground for lions, spotted hyenas and leopards.
The crater is also home to elephants and hippos as well as the endangered black rhino.
In the afternoon, you drive to your last national park, Lake Manyara.
In Mto wa Mbu, you have the opportunity to go on a guided village walk.
Optional activity:
– Village walk in Mto wa Mbu
Explore this bustling community with a local guide and get an insight into this multicultural community. This village is unique in Tanzania, with over 120 different tribes living here. This cultural melting pot with its exotic mix of languages and customs offers you an interesting insight.
On the walk, you will see a number of farms, schools, churches and a flour mill, among other things.
Optionally, you can have a local Swahili lunch, which is served in the village center. Perhaps you would also like to try “Mbege”, a traditional banana and millet beer?
Accommodation: Lodge
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox/Dinner
An extensive game drive allows you to immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of Lake Manyara. Nestled in one of the most spectacular landscapes in northern Tanzania, this park lies at the foot of the East African Rift Valley.
With its lush groundwater forests, open grasslands and pristine lake shores, the park is a scenic gem. Two thirds of the park is taken up by the alkaline lake, which is populated by tens of thousands of flamingos during the rainy season.
A remarkable abundance of animals can be found here in a very small area. Large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra gather on these green plains. The wide-spreading branches of the acacia trees are the preferred habitat of the legendary tree lions. Elephants, giraffes, hippos and numerous antelope species can also be spotted. Lake Manyara is also a bird paradise – over 400 species are represented here.
In the afternoon, drive back to Arusha/Moshi, where your amazing safari ends.
1x Breakfast/Lunchbox
PRICE INCLUSION
- Safari as per program
- Game drives in all national parks
- All national park and concession fees
- Ngorongoro Crater entrance and national park fees
- 4×4 Safari vehicle (Landcruiser with retractable roof and window seat for each participant)
PRICE EXCLUSION
- Meals and drinks not mentioned
- Personal expenses, tips
- Optional excursions and activities