BEST OF NORTHERN TANZANIA
7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS
ITINERARY
DAY 1 : ARUSHA
Met on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport by our representative outside immigration and custom halls.
Transfer to MT MERU HOTEL for overnight.
DAY 2 : ARUSHA-LAKE MANYARA (2H30)
After breakfast, safari briefing and introduced to your driver guide.
Depart and drive to LAKE MANYARA HOTEL for lunch .
From whichever direction you approach Manyara, the first view is spectacular. From the east, the Rift Valley wall rises several hundred metres to form an impressive backdrop to the lake. From the west, if one is perched at the top of the escarpment, the park lies far below, with a long green strip of water that glistens in the sunlight. The vegetation around the lake’s shores is surprisingly varied and comprises mostly forest, acacia woodland and open grassland. The park covers an area of 330 sq km of which about 230 sq km is the lake itself. You can always find hippo in the Simba River, elephant in the forests and a resident herd of Cape buffalo on the open plains at Mahali Pa Nyati, which means, ‘the place of the buffalo’ in Swahili. In addition, there are approximately 400 species of birds and with some luck you might see tree-climbing lions.
After lunch depart for game drive in lake Manyara national park and
return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
www.hotelsandlodges-tanzania.com
DAY 3 : LAKE MANYARA- SERENGETI
(4h30 – 5h)
Breakfast and drive to Serengeti National park to arrive for lunch.
Afternoon game drive in the park, return to the lodge by dark fall, dinner and overnight.
SERONERA WILDLIFE LODGE.
DAY 4 : SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK.
The whole day is spent in the wilderness looking for the big five with picnic lunches.
Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight. SERONERA WILDLIFE LODGE
In the local vernacular, Serengeti means ‘the endless plains that go up to the sky’. And they do just that. It is therefore easy to understand why this is the most popular and spectacular of all game parks in East Africa. Covering 14,765 sq km, one of the striking features of this park is the series of large granite outcrops that dominate the vast plains, making it very different to the Masai Mara. Life in the park centres on the triangular trek of several million hooves. This movement never stops, as the animals constantly seek out new grazing pastures. Every year, after the south’s short November rains, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, topi and hartebeest gather in their thousands on the Serengeti’s southern plains and the Ngorongoro Highlands. Then, around April, they head towards the western corridor of the Serengeti, where many overflow into the Masai Mara around July/August. They remain here until late October/November, when Tanzania’s new rains prompt the move south again, towards Lake Ndutu and Lagaja. This yearly phenomenon also affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of other species, who rely on the migratory herds for their survival. These include predators, gazelles, birds and lowly insects, not to mention the grasses and trees that are fertilised by droppings. Another of the highlights here, is the early morning balloon safari.
DAY 5 : SERENGETI – NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA (4h)
Breakfast and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a stop at the pre-historic site of the Olduvai Gorge.
Proceed to NGORONGORO WILDLIFE LODGE for late lunch.
The rest of the afternoon at leisure to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Dinner and overnight.
DAY 6 : NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
Breakfast and descent for Crater Tour with picnic lunches ( maximum of 6 hours )
Late afternoon return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. NGORONOGRO WILDLIFE LODGE
One of the wonders of the world, it is difficult to give a fair description to the enormity and beauty of the Crater.There is no comparison, if only the Garden of Eden!A steep wall of thick forest surrounds the circumference, which looks like a natural amphitheater 260 km2 in size.An incredible ecosystem consisting of grasslands, swamps, lakes, rivers, woodlands, forests and an arid area of shifting dunes exists here, and thus the crater is able to sustain a vast resident population of game including elephant, buffalo, lion, hippo, wildebeest, gazelle, leopard, black Rhino, monkeys and hyena.
DAY 7 : NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA – ARUSHA (4h)
Breakfast and drive to Arusha Town .
Lunch at the Shanga River House restaurant..
The rest of the afternoon free for your last minute shopping.
Later picked up and transfer to the airport for your International flight or to Zanzibar.