8 Days Tanzania Lodge Safari: Northern Circuit

Day 1: Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park

0800hrs: Depart from Arusha town for a 2.5 hrs drive to Lake Manyara National Park for game drives.

 Lake Manyara National Park is a small but scenic safari park, excellent for bird watching and a good area to find elephant, as well as the potential excitement of spotting a legendary Lake Manyara tree-climbing lion.  Lake Manyara is a good soft introduction to the Tanzania safari experience. It is a magical and pretty park that winds its way around a mainly forested driving route between the banks of Soda Water Lake and the impressive rise of the Great Rift escarpment.  Elephant, giraffe, buffalo and wildebeest can be found grazing in unexpected clearings or heading towards the water to drink or wash, and the rivers and riverbeds provide scenic vistas for possible animal spotting.  Warthog thrive here, growing notably fat and tusked, and it is a natural playground for baboons and monkeys. The tree-climbing lion of Lake Manyara inspire extensive theorizing as to the wonders of evolution, and are also notoriously rarely seen.

Dinner and overnight at Migunga Tented Camp.

 

Day 2: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park

0800rs: After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch for Serengeti National Park with game drives en route. En route also stop and visit Olduvai Gorge – a pre historic Archeological site with a rich history of human evolution.

Serengeti plains are justifiably famous for the huge concentrations of wildlife, especially the big cats, as well as being the stomping ground of the Great Migration, a massive accumulation of 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 350,000 gazelles stretching their legs over 1,200 miles in an annual race to find enough water and green grass for their survival. The National Park is broadly divided into three distinct areas, the Seronera Valley and Seronera River, the Western Corridor and the Northern Lobo area that extends northwards through the Lamai Wedge to the Maasai Mara.  Most visitors enter the Serengeti through the southern Naabi Hill Gate, which opens onto the Seronera Valley; a vibrant wildlife area at the heart of the Serengeti.

During the month of July, the massive herds of wildebeest migrate northwards to Masai Mara in Kenya in a single file column.

Dinner and overnight at Seronera Wildlife Lodge.

 

Day 3: Serengeti National Park

Spend full day in Serengeti National Park with morning and evening game drives. All meals and overnight at Seronera Wildlife Lodge.

 

Day 4: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservancy Area

After breakfast depart Serengeti National Park for Ngorongoro Conservancy Area with game drives en route, dinner and overnight at Bougainvillea Safari Lodge.

Ngorongoro is a fascinating and unusual Conservation Area which includes the Ngorongoro Crater at its centre, and then extends through the Crater Highlands, in which local tribes are permitted to maintain their traditional lifestyles in as natural environment as possible.  This extraordinary volcanic landscape is rich and fertile, with stunning craters and lakes, and the high altitude creates a scenic environment for photography.

 

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast descend into the Crater with picnic lunch boxes for a game drive, in the crater.

The crater is said to have the highest concentration of wildlife in Africa. As such, Ngorongoro Crater has achieved world renown, and attracts a growing number of visitors each year. Even if time is limited this natural but accessibly small caldera ensures a rewarding safari. 

 

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact caldera in an exceptional geographical position, forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 sq km with sides up to 600m deep. It is the stalking ground of 20 - 30,000 wild animals at any one time.

The crater floor consists of a number of ecological environments that include grassland, swamps, forests and Lake Makat, a central soda lake filled by the Munge River. All these various habitats attract various wildlife to drink, wallow, graze, hide or climb.

Although animals are free to move in and out of this contained environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests and spring source lakes on the crater floor tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain throughout the year.

Ngorongoro Crater is also presently one of the most likely areas in Tanzania to see the endangered Black Rhino, as a small population is thriving in this idyllic and protected environment one of the only areas where they continue to breed in the wild.

The Crater rim, over 2,200 meters high, touches swathes of clouds for most days of the year, with cool high altitude vapors that seem to bring a clean lightness to the air, and also a chill.

Later in the afternoon ascend back to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Bougaivillea Safari Lodge.

 

Day 6: Ngorongoro – Tarangire National Park

0800hrs: After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National park through the highlands of Ngorongoro.

Tarangire National Park covers an area off 2600sq km and derivers its name from the Tarangire River that flows through the center of the park. The river flows from south to north/northwest and empties its water in Lake Burungi. An exceptional collection of "Acacia tortilis" and baobab trees has become synonymous with the name Tarangire National Park.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire safari Lodge.

 

Day 7: Tarangire National Park

Full day in the park with morning and afternoon game drives.

Attractions:

Here 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.

On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thigh ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.

Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud clocking.

Tarangire's pythons climb trees, so do the lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises these predators.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge.

 

Day 8: Tarangire – Arusha

Take an early morning game drive and after breakfast depart for Arusha arriving in time for lunch. Afterwards, transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your homebound flight.

Rates Based On Two People Sharing.

Season	Per Person Sharing	Single Room Supplement	Period
Peak	2650	Enquire	01 Jul - 31 Oct/16 Dec - 02 Jan
High	2500	Enquire	01Jan - 31 Mar / 01 Nov-20 Dec
Low	2299	Enquire	01 April – 30 June

NB: Discount available for more than 2 people traveling together

Cost Includes: 2 nights accommodation on bed and breakfast at Kibo Palace Hotel Arusha. Full Board accommodation while on safari Morning and evening game drives during the safari Park Entry fees Government Taxes Services of a professional English speaking guide Transport in a 4X4 safari vehicle with pop up roof for photography Transfers to and from the airport on arrival and departure.

Excludes: Drinks, laundry or items personal in nature, Medical / Luggage or Personal Insurance, Any other type of Personal Expenses and Tips to Driver/Guide, International Air fare Airport taxes