An early morning briefing at your Arusha hotel kick starts your safari, before you head off away from the main safari route of the northern circuit, to Tarangire National Park, a true wildlife gem known primarily for its vast elephant population and impressive baobab trees. (Driving time 90 mins - 2 hours)
Highly underrated, yet bursting with a dense wildlife population, it won’t take you long to appreciate just why we love Tarangire. During the dry season (June to September) thousands of animals including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, kudu, and the rarely seen oryx migrate from the dry Maasai steppe to the Tarangire River in search of water.
Lion, leopard and other predators follow, so be sure to charge your camera battery and empty your memory stick as some unique moments are waiting to be captured. With impressive landscapes dominated by baobab trees, an enormous elephant population and over 550 varieties of bird, Tarangire offers secluded game viewing and loads of game – a winning combination in anyone's book!
Spend the day enjoying game drives, with picnic lunch included.
Overnight at Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge or similar.
A leisurely day to explore Tarangire.
Overnight at Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge or similar.
Continue to the highlands of Karatu, stopping on the way to view Manyara and the escarpment below.
Overnight The Retreat at Ngorongoro or similar
An early start today, but one we’re sure you’ve been itching to tick off your African travel bucket list.
Enjoy a full morning and picnic lunch in the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the natural wonders of the world. The volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro offers spectacular game viewing in the crater. We can almost guarantee you four of the Big Five will show up, as well as a rich variety of birds, all viewed against the backdrop of the thickly forested crater walls. Varied terrains and dramatic landscapes consisting of forest, grasslands and both freshwater and soda lakes make the Ngorongoro Crater a true marvel of creation.
(On some Essence of Tanzania itineraries, your crater visit may take place on Day 3, in the afternoon. The timing of this activity will be confirmed by your guide when commencing this safari)
Continue onto the heart of the Serengeti, home to more than three million large mammals spread over vast endless plains. It is here that we may encounter the fascinating spectacle of the annual wildebeest migration, where one and quarter million wildebeest trek in columns of up to forty kilometres long in search of grazing, drawing with them plenty predators and numerous other species of game.
From January to March the herds can largely be found birthing their young in the southern area around Ndutu, before proceeding north through the centre and Western Corridor during June and July, eventually splitting to the west and north as they continue their way toward the Mara River. August to October sees dramatic river crossings which can only be considered Africa’s “greatest leap of faith”, before the herds return south in November to repeat this amazing instinctive procession all over again
Here lies Serengeti Wilderness Camp, a great place to base up all year round. There is exceptional resident game in the area, including big cats, herds of elephant, wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and plenty of antelope. At certain times of the year the migration is a stone's throw from the camp. Enjoy game drives in this area over the next few days.
Overnight Serengeti Wilderness Camp (or similar)
Head to the northern Serengeti, a beautiful area of gentle rolling hills, riverine forests, small rivers and occasional granite outcrops and kopjes. This is the place to be between July and October as masses of migrating wildebeest and zebra hurl themselves across the Mara river in Africa's greatest leap of faith. Big cats are never far away and lie in wait for an easy hunting opportunity.
Serengeti North Wilderness Camp, our seasonal camp located a short distance from the banks of the Mara River, is an intimate tented camp and the perfect base from which to enjoy game drives in the surrounding area.
Overnight at Serengeti North Wilderness Camp (or similar) for 2 nights.
Morning transfer to Kogatende airstrip for your flight back to Arusha. It is an exceptionally scenic flight across the vast expanse of the Rift Valley escarpments and the highlands of Ngorongoro. We fly back from Kogatende as the driving distance back to Arusha is not possible to cover in one day.
Flight is only included if you are staying at Serengeti North Wilderness Camp. If you are staying in Central Serengeti or Ndutu, return to camp via road. Flights from these camps are an optional extra.
Services end on arrival in Arusha.
