Arusha – Tarangire National Park

After a short briefing in the morning, you will travel southwest towards the Tarangire National Park. With its interesting landscapes – from swamps to baobab trees, it is considered as one of the most attractive parks in northern Tanzania. It has one of the largest elephant populations in East Africa and is also home to predators such as lions, leopards and cheetahs. You might also spot giraffes, buffaloes and zebras as well as various antelopes and gazelles.

You will enjoy an extensive game drive before you will exit the park in the late afternoon to travel to a nearby campsite for your overnight.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (L,D)

Tarangire Area – Lake Manyara National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After breakfast you will leave the Tarangire Area and continue your journey to the Lake Manyara National Park. The shallow alkaline Lake Manyara stretches along the base of the Rift Valley Escarpment and attracts thousands of birds, including huge flocks of flamingos.

Other animals that call the park their home include buffaloes, elephants, hippos and Masai giraffes as well as troops of boisterous baboons and monkeys in the forests. The park once became famous for tree climbing lions and if you are lucky to spot them you will be amused by the site of these animals lounging on branches in the acacia trees.

After a game drive in the park you will ascend to the Ngorongoro highlands, where you will overnight on a campsite situated on the crater’s edge with magnificent views of the caldera below.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti National Park

You will have breakfast at dawn and see the sunrise over the crater before travelling down the steep trail into the crater below. Here, inside the world’s biggest caldera, you will see a diversity of wildlife ranging from black rhinos, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles to lions, leopards, elephants and mountain reedbucks in the forests on the slopes. The crater is also one of the best places to see the magnificent but almost extinct black rhino.

You will have lunch at a picnic spot before you exit the crater in the early afternoon and travel to the acacia-dotted plains of the Serengeti. The Serengeti is the most famous park in Tanzania and it is here where the biggest animal migration in the world takes place. Herds of wildebeests and zebras cross the border between Tanzania and Kenya in search of fresh grass and water and predators are never far behind.

You will spend the night at a campsite in the central Serengeti.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Serengeti National Park

You will set off on an early morning game drive while enjoying the warming rays of the sun. After your return to the campsite, it is time for a hearty breakfast.

Adventurous guests may choose to experience the Serengeti from the air and join a hot-air balloon ride followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush. This activity is not included in the tour price and needs to be booked in advance.

In the afternoon you will enjoy another game drive before returning to your campsite to overnight.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Serengeti National Park – Lake Victoria

After an early start, you will continue through the Serengeti National Park towards Lake Victoria. En route you might see animals you haven’t spotted so far. The Serengeti is also home to the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – and today you might be able to tick off all the members of this group.

After leaving the park, the safari continues to Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the second largest in the world. The area around Lake Victoria is the most fertile and densely populated region in Tanzania. Stopping at the lake you will have the chance to see another side of Tanzania. Away from the tourists and the masses, you will experience the lives of the local people. You can watch fishermen at work and visit a local school – an experience not available on the usual tourist programmes.

You will spend the night at a campsite on the lakeshore.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Lake Victoria – Masai Mara Area

After breakfast you will join the local fishermen and a guide on a canoe trip on Lake Victoria. You will see how the locals catch fish the traditional way and admire the previous night’s catch. After your fishing excursion you will depart on the longest section of your safari – the journey to the Masai Mara.

The road towards the Kenyan border is a long and adventurous one, but it should be worth it as the “Mara” is reputed to have the highest lion population of all reserves in Africa. Other large cats include leopards and cheetahs and they can be spotted all year round as their sightings are not dependent upon the seasons or the great migration.

You will overnight in tents on a campsite outside the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Masai Mara Game Reserve

During the next two days you will go on game drives with your experienced guide. You will take a trip to the Mara River, the greatest hurdle for the wildebeests and zebras on their yearly trek in search of fresh grass and water. At the end of October and the beginning of November, an incredible scene is set when the river has swollen to almost bursting levels. Tens of thousands of animals must cross it, knowing that certain death awaits them – crocodiles lurking below the surface. It can be a gruesome sight. At other times of the year, hippos, hungry crocodiles and other animals can also be seen at the river.

You will spend two nights at a campsite outside the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Masai Mara Game Reserve

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Masai Mara Area – Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast you will leave the Mara to reach Lake Nakuru National Park in the early afternoon. The alkaline lake attracts gigantic flocks of flamingos giving the lake a shimmering pink hue from afar. The park is home to waterbucks, baboons and monkeys, Rothschild’s giraffes, lions, cheetahs and leopards as well as over 450 bird species and pythons and you are also likely to see both the endangered white and black rhino.

You will spend the night on a campsite inside the park.

Dinner and overnight at Campsite (B,L,D)

Lake Nakuru National Park – Nairobi

You will leave Lake Nakuru National Park just after breakfast to reach the bustling capital of Nairobi in the early afternoon.

Depending on the rest of your travel program, you will be taken to the city centre or directly to the airport.

End of Tour