This 7 days best of Tanzania safari takes you through the Norther circuit which is the best destination for a safari in Tanzania. You will visit the best safari parks including Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater, and Tarangire National Park
Day 1 – Transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
Our guide will pick you up from your hotel in Arusha, brief you about your upcoming safari before transferring to Lake Manyara National Park. Upon arrival at Lake Manyara National park, you will proceed to check-in at your lodge where you will have lunch, relax for a few minutes and embark on your tour into the wild for an afternoon game drive.
Lake Manyara National Park is located along the foot of the great east African rift valley’s western escarpment and has a massive but shallow soda lake which covers two-thirds of the park.
The park attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, the unique tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos which are attracted by the algae in the lake. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Day 2 – Lake Manyara National Park – Serengeti Plains
After breakfast you will transfer to the Serengeti National Park, through the beautiful high lying farmlands of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As we leave the highlands behind, and descend into the Serengeti National Park also known as the heart of wild Africa.
The Serengeti has endless plains, which roll into the distance as far as the eye can see. You will then proceed to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracting a variety of wildlife which best represents most of the Serengeti’s species.
We reach the park in time for lunch and after which you go for an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti national park. Dinner and overnight at Mbalageti Lodge.
Day 3 – Full Day at the Serengeti Plains
After your early breakfast, we shall go for a morning game drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which twists into the plains south of the Seronera River, some of the wildlife to look out for in this section include the Lions, Thomson gazelles, Topi, ostriches and cheetahs. After your game drive, you will proceed to the Visitor Centre which is close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites.
The Centre offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The shop also as refreshment, and we shall therefore have our lunch from there. Later In the afternoon we will drive through the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, this circuit is known for having a number of lions and some very large cobras.
Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. The Kopjes are good hunting grounds for lions especially in dry seasons when most wildlife come to drink up. Dinner and overnight at Mbalageti Lodge as above.
Day 4 – Transfer from the Serengeti Plains to the Ngorongoro Crater
After an early breakfast at the lodge we shall transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. We will stopover at Olduvai Gorge, boasting with a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here, that the anthropologists Drs. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of ‘Nutcracker Man’ and ‘Handy Man’, known as the early men.
We shall arrive at the lodge in time for lunch after which we will descend over 550 meters into the Ngorongoro crater to view wildlife for the rest of the day. Supported by a year round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, eland, warthog, zebra, buffalo, hippo, and giant African elephants, lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and leopard.
We shall then visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds are usually found here. Dinner and overnight stay at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Day 5 – Full Day at Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast we descend 550m into the magnificent Ngorongoro crater for a full-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is densely populated with a variety of wildlife species making it one of a few such areas in Africa with an estimated 30,000 animals including some the very last surviving Tanzanian black rhino.
The major reason why a variety of wildlife are attracted to the crater is the year round water supply and fodder. Some of the animals found in the park include zebra, buffalo, and herds of wildebeest, eland, and giant African elephants, warthog, and hippo.
Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its huge population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard. We will enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge as above.
Day 6 – Ngorongoro Crater – Tarangire National Park
After your breakfast we shall transfer to the Tarangire National Park. The park stretches along the banks of River Tarangire, mostly composed of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. The parks natural vegetation is majorly composed of Acacia woodlands and giant Baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the southern sections.
Both the river and the swamps attract wildlife especially during Tanzania’s dry season. The park is undisputedly known to have some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa there are also several rare wildlife species at the Tarangire including the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx, as well as a few Ashy Starlings.
After your morning game drive, you will have a picnic lunch before embarking on an afternoon game drive. You will later retire to your lodge for relaxation and rest.
Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Day 7 – Transfer from Tarangire National Park to Arusha / Departure
You will wake early for a morning game drive in Tarangire National Park. You will then return to the lodge for your breakfast, packing up and check-out. We will then transfer back to Arusha.