8 Days – Arusha NP, Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti (2 nights), Ngorongoro & Materuni falls

Day 1 - Arusha to Arusha National Park. Game drives and walking tour in the park

Today our safari begins! Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in or around Arusha between 8 to 8:30 AM and take you to Arusha National Park. This is a scenic park with a decent number of animals. The park is at the base of Mount Meru and has a range of habitats including forest – home to the black-and-white colobus monkey – and is excellent for birding. Lakes here often host flocks of flamingo. The park's appeal is mainly its scenery. After short game drives, we explore the park on foot where you might come across giraffes, buffalos and other animals from a distance. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you.

Day 2 - Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire. Game drives in Tarangire for rest of the day

We start at around 7:00 AM from Arusha and drive to Tarangire National park with packed lunch boxes. Tarangire gate will be about 2.5 hours drive away. Once we reach the park, we start game drives here. Tarangire National park is known for its majestic baobab trees that dot the landscape, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. We will have a lunch break at a picnic scenic picnic spot. Post lunch, we will continue with game drives till around 5:00 PM or so and after the game drive, we will drive to accommodation. Dinner and overnight at this lodge.

Day 3 - Lake Manyara National park

After a good nights's rest, finish your breakfast and get ready by around 8:30 AM. Depart to Lake Manyara National Park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. As you enter the national park, lush forests of Acacia and Mahogany trees begin to set the mood for what is waiting ahead. The game drive will go on till around 5:00 PM or so with a small break for picnic lunch. During the game drive watch out for buffaloes, giraffes, impalas, baboons and the blue monkeys. Another spectacle of Lake Manyara National park is the tree climbing lions, however spotting them is a game of luck. In the right season, you can see the shoreline turning pink with millions of flamingos flocking there. Post the game drive, you will head back to your lodge to reach before 6:00 PM where a delicious dinner awaits you.

Optional add-on tours this day: Canoeing at Lake Manyara for about 2.5 hours ($74 per person ), Night game drives ($114 per person).

Day 4 - Lake Manyara to Central Serengeti

After breakfast, we checkout from hotel around 9:00 AM and head towards Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After driving for about couple of hours, we Leave Ngorongoro highlands behind, and descend into dusty plains of Ngorongoro while passing next to Maasai villages. Around 1:00 PM, we reach the gate of the Serengeti National Park. After lunch, we check into park and head 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 attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti's species. We do an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park till around 5:30 PM. The eventful day comes to an end with dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Optional add-on tours this day: Maasai Village tour ($25 per person) or Olduvai gorge museum visit ($35 per person) in Ngorongoro on the way to Serengeti.

Day 5 - Central Serengeti

We depart around 8:00 AM after breakfast, with packed lunch boxes for full day game drives that last for about 8-9 hours in Central Serengeti. We return to camp around 5:30 PM. The long day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Optional add-on tours this day: Balloon Safari in the morning ($540 per person) or Walking safari for 3-4 hours ($45 per person sharing or $60 for solo client) in Central Serengeti.

Day 6 - Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro

After early breakfast, we depart at around 6:30 AM and will have game drives till around noon in Central Serengeti. Later depart for accommodation in Karatu, crossing Ngorongoro conservation area. The day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 7 - Ngorongoro crater tour to Arusha

After an early breakfast, descend to the crater floor for game drive(5 hours). You can expect to see lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, hyenas, Jackals, rhinos and many birds. The birds seen here include eagle, vulture, flamingos in the Crater Lake, storks, giant vulture,and many more. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater. With a 3.5 hr drive left to your accommodation in Arusha, the day will come to a close. Freshly made delicious dinner will be ready for you at your accommodation. All these days of the safari, will have you quite tired and a good rest is essential. You will also bid farewell to your safari guide and vehicle today as last leg of your tour will be done with a different vehicle (toyota alphard or similar) and driver.

Day 8 - Visit to Materuni falls, chagga tribe and coffee plantation tour and drop at Arusha or Kili airport

After breakfast, around 8:00 AM we start the 2 hour drive to Materuni which is located under the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, you will do a 35 minutes hike to the waterfalls. If weather is clear, we might get decent views of Mt Kilimanjaro this day. Make sure to wear good boots as the trail can be often muddy. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is a good place for a refreshing swim after the hike. 25-minute hike back from the waterfalls afterward you will join a local tribe with whom you will a enjoy delicious Swahili/Chagga lunch. After lunch, you will explore the coffee-making process and get to processes your own cup of coffee. Later you will be driven either back to the hotel in Arusha or to the airport. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, our tour comes to an end. Hotel in Arusha can be arranged at extra cost.

Meals

Day 1 - Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8 - Breakfast & Lunch

Transfer Times

Day 1 - Arusha to Arusha National Park takes about 1 to 1.5 hours (40 km)
Day 2 - Arusha to Tarangire takes about 2.5 to 3 hours (106 km)
Day 3 - Tarangire to Lake Manyara takes about 1.5 to 2 hours (88 km)
Day 4 - Lake Manyara to Central Serengeti takes about 4 to 4.5 hours (192 km)
Day 5 - No transfers
Day 6 - Central Serengeti to NCA takes about 3 to 3.5 hours (151 km)
Day 7 - NCA to Arusha takes about 4 to 4.5 hours (154 km)
Day 8 - Arusha to Materuni Falls takes about 2 hours (97 km)

Note: These are estimated drive times. Because of the traffic, location of the accommodations, and several other factors, actual drive times may vary. Driving distances are approximate and do not account for exact places.

SAFARI INCLUDE:

• Full board (breakfast, lunch & dinner) accommodation.
• All game drives viewing in a custom built 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser
• All park and entrance fees
• Transportation with 4×4 vehicles with viewing roofs
• Professional English-speaking driver/guide or other language as specified during the safari.
• Bottled water in safari vehicles
• Ngorongoro Crater car supplement fee if itinerary includes crater.
• Current Government taxes and levies
• 24-Hour support during the safari from our office in Bomangombe near to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

SAFARI NOT INCLUDE:

• Internal or International flights
• Transfers to and from the airport (Unless mentioned otherwise).
• Balloon excursion (US$600 pp)
• Entry visa to Tanzania.
• Travel and health insurance
• Gratuities to your guide, hotel staff, and porters
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour (Unless mentioned otherwise).
• Any other items of a personal nature, laundry, telephone and postage
  Item of personal Nature