Best of Tanzania

Day 3 - Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, descend through the early morning mists and 2000ft/600m into Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is a world heritage site that is a haven for a variety of wildlife. Ngorongoro is the remnant of a volcano that blew apart, leaving a flat plain area ringed with steep walls, which now has a large soda lake, fresh springs and sheltering forests. There is a large concentration of animals in the Crater and sightings of the "Big Five" - Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino and Leopard - are almost guaranteed. The structure of the Crater and the wildlife it attracts makes for a great African wildlife experience.

You will enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater before returning to the lodge in the late afternoon

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D

Day 4 - Ngorongoro - Serengeti

After breakfast drive to Serengeti via the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site where the Leakeys, a family of renowned archaeologists, discovered the remains of a 1.8 million year old skeleton; one of the distinct links of the human evolutionary chain.

Continue to your lodge in the Serengeti where you will arrive in time for lunch.

Serengeti Serena Lodge is located on a hill with awesome views across the sweeping plains of Serengeti National Park. Home to the great migration, the Serengeti offers you an abundance of wildlife including the “Big Five” - lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard. Inspired by a traditional African village, separate "rondavel huts" house the 66 luxury en-suite guest rooms, in a simple but stunning design. Each room has a balcony with a view of the vast Serengeti plains. The lodge is rich in local atmosphere created by indigenous African handicrafts and art. A delightful water feature runs through the main public areas, creating a natural source of waterborne plants.

Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 5 - Serengeti

Today enjoy morning and afternoon game drives on the vast Serengeti plains where close up encounters with its wildlife are a remarkable experience.

The grasslands and savannahs of the Serengeti National Park sustain a huge animal population and are world-famous for the Great Wildebeest Migration. Golden-manned lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, elephant, jackals, wild dogs, topi and impala are just a few of the hundreds of different species that live in the massive park.

Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 6 - Serengeti

Another day of exceptional wildlife experiences and scenic wonders! As enduring as the game-viewing is the liberating sense of space that characterizes the Serengeti Plains, stretching across the sunburnt savannah.

There are also wooded hills and towering termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and acacia woodland stained orange by dust. There are more than 500 bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.

Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 7 - Serengeti - Tarangire

After breakfast drive to Tarangire with picnic lunch en route. Upon entering the park take time to discover Tarangire with a game drive en-route to your lodge.

The park was named after the river that flows the length of the park and provides a constant water source for the animals.

The main highlight is elephant, which mass here in enormous numbers during the dry season June to December. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.

During the green season January to May, the park is beautiful, still has reasonable levels of game and very low visitor numbers, making for a very accessible yet apparently remote safari experience.

Built to blend with its surroundings, Tarangire Sopa Lodge is hidden among the ancient baobabs of Tarangire National Park. The rooms are simple and comfortable, and are arranged in groups of four, in African-style buildings. Large sliding doors open to a private balcony. A broad veranda wraps itself around the lodge and gives prime viewing for the waterhole below, which is filled during the dry season and becomes a magnet to wildlife.

Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 8 - Tarangire - Arusha - Kilimanjaro

After an early morning game drive in Tarangire drive back to Arusha for Lunch at Cultural Heritage where you can shop to your heart’s delight and enjoy a delicious buffet of various dishes from local traditional African and Indian to Italian and European foods.

Later transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight. (B, L)