This traditional wildlife safari to Grumeti River in the western corridor of the Serengeti takes advantage of the great migration when the area is bursting with wildlife, including nomadic predators from other drier parts of the Serengeti visiting this popular area to ensure their own survival.
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we will be waiting to meet you once you have cleared customs and transfer to your accomodation, where you will enjoy a wonderful dinner and a superb night’s rest and relaxation. This is your chance to really soak up the atmosphere and recharge the batteries for what lies ahead.
Dinner & overnight at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge OR Similar
After breakfast at the lodge, you will meet your guide for a short briefing then drive south of Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park. You have the option to visit the culturally-diverse village of Mto wa Mbu set on the banks of the river of the same name, for first-hand look at tribal life in the African bush.
We then check into Lake Manyara National Park where a picnic lunch is served at the Msasa picnic site, offering fabulous view of the lake. This is followed by afternoon wildlife viewing in the park, with its diverse flora and fauna, including some 350 bird species. The park also provides sanctuary to a variety of animals like the gazelle, impala, buffalo, wildebeest, hyena, baboon, giraffe, hippo and the famous tree-climbing lions. Late afternoon we head off to the Ngorongoro highlands.
Dinner & overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge OR Similar
After an early breakfast, we take our picnic lunch aboard the vehicles and descend into the crater to explore this distinctive eco-system. Enjoy abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of this conservation area. These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view black rhino, which tend to spend their time on the crater floor.
Another big draw is the dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, and the small cats like the rare caracal, as well as the African wild cat which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. After a picnic lunch, another wildlife viewing drive will take you to visit the hippo pool near the Mandusi Swamp, Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner which is one of the main features of the crater, the lerai forest as well as other parts of the crater.
Meals & overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge OR Similar
After breakfast, visit the oldupai Gorge en route to the Eastern plain of Serengeti. Olduvai is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. Known as the cradle of mankind, the gorge stretches for nearly 50 km from Ndutu to the Olbalbal depressions. The Leakey’s are the Archeologists responsible for most of the excavations and discoveries at Olduvai Gorge.
They unearthed about 60 different hominid remains dating back from 2 million years ago to 17,000 years ago. The remains of about 7,000 extinct animal species have also been unearthed and molds of some of these artifacts can be seen in the small on-site museum. Continue drive to Serengeti with game viewing en-route and arrive at your Camp for lunch where you will spend your next two days exploring the vast Serengeti and its endless plains.
+The drive through the central Serengeti in the golden light of dawn looking for special wildlife interactions where, you will explore different areas of the central Serengeti. Areas that will be visited are the Retima Hippo pool, maasai and Sametu Kopjes and plains as well as Moru and Simba Kopjes.
The Seronera River valley is home to a great diversity of wildlife due to its unique ecological niches as a transition zone where two distinctly different habitats, the plain and the woodlands merge and various species of wildlife from both habitats can coexist.
Meals & overnight at Sametu Tented Camp OR Similar
After as leisurely breakfast at the camp, enjoy a scenic drive to the western corridor of the Serengeti and the famous Grumeti River.
At this time of year the region is bursting with wildlife thanks to the great migration, and many visiting predators from other drier part of the Serengeti stealthily make their way into to the area to ensure their own survival.
There is a very good chance you will see the great migration of wildebeest crossing the Grumeti River. The herds must outsmart the crocodiles and fast flowing water before facing predators waiting on the other side and it is simply an amazing spectacle.
Dinner & overnight at Lahia Tented Lodge OR Similar
Early breakfast at the camp and then leave the camp for Grumeti Airstrip with wildlife drive en-route. Bush flight from Grumeti to Arusha. Stop at cultural heritage site for lunch and optional shopping, and then drive to Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge for a day room. You will have an early dinner at the lodge before driving to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight back home.
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we will be waiting to meet you once you have cleared customs and transfer to your accommodation, where you will enjoy wonderful food and a superb night’s rest and relaxation. This is your chance to really soak up the atmosphere and recharge the batteries for what lies ahead…
Meals & overnight at Ngarasero Mountain Lodge (or equivalent)
After breakfast, and a briefing from your naturalist guide, your luggage will be loaded to your safari vehicle, before we drive south through Arusha to prehistoric-looking Tarangire National Park, the third largest national park in Tanzania. Arriving at your safari lodge in time for lunch will be followed by an afternoon of wildlife viewing amongst the majestic baobab trees and umbrella-thorn acacias, visiting the Silalei Swamp and Tarangire River which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa.
This park is spectacular during the dry season when large numbers of animals congregate along this river which provides the only permanent water in the area. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra, and over 300 species of birds.
Meals & overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge (or equivalent)
After breakfast, you will visit a local Maasai village for an in-depth cultural experience. The Maasai tribe is one of the few tribes which still embrace, and are proud of, their traditions. Then a short drive to Mto wa Mbu village for an in-depth look at tribal life in Africa where more than 100 different Tanzanian tribes make their homes.
Your tour will include a visit to a local market, local school as well as the banana and rice plantations. You will have lunch with a local family and sample delicious African food. The afternoon drive explore tribal life in the African bush, where more than 100 different Tanzanian tribes make their homes in the Ngorongoro highland.
Meals & overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (or equivalent)
Today you will have an early start, at around 05:55 am for an amazing journey as you descend to the crater floor to explore this distinctive eco-system, enjoying abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the crater. You will enjoy your boxed breakfast at one of the picnic sites on the crater floor, as will as you lunch later in the day.
These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view Black Rhino. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles; its magical setting and abundant wildlife never fail to enthrall visitors. Another big draw to this picturesque caldera is its dense population of predators, which include lion, hyena, jackal, and if lucky, the small cats like the rare caracal and serval as well as the African wild cat. You will also visit the hippo pool, the Lerai Forest, as well as other parts of the crater.
Late in the afternoon, you will drive to Ndutu forest and the southern plain of Serengeti. You will spend your next three nights exploring the southern Serengeti plains and the Ndutu forest and you can anticipate exploring Lake Masek, Lake Ndutu, the hidden valley, kusini valley and the kakesio plains during your game drives. Cheetah density is high in this area as there are many Thomson’s gazelles. Many lion prides can be found in this area and occasionally, the wild dogs.
Meals & overnight at Lake Masek Tented Lodge (or equivalent)
After an early breakfast we drive to the Central East plain of Serengeti via the Gol Kopjes. This area linking the Southern plain of Serengeti and Central Serengeti is a fragile habitat consisting of ethereal kopjes and short grass plains. Driving through the Gol Kopjes is always a breathtaking experience with a vision of vast open plains and amazing wildlife.
This is gazelle country and where there are gazelles there are always cheetahs. Continue wildlife viewing through the Gol Kopjes and late in the afternoon we drive to Sametu Tented Camp where you will spend your next two nights, enjoying wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities galore including the big cats.
Meals and accomodation at Sametu Tented Camp (or equivalent)
Today after breakfast, drive to the Northern Serengeti with wildlife viewing en route. You will visit the Lobo valley and kopjes as well as the Bologonja area before getting to Kogatende (the northern part of Serengeti) home of the Mara River. The Northern Serengeti is home to a huge number of resident animals including: lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, eland and, occasionally black rhino.
This is also a wonderful time of year to witness one of three significant events that happens during the Great Migration – the annual river crossings. Your days will be a combination of looking for good river crossings and other wildlife interactions along the Mara River, Wogakuria kopjes, and the Lamai triangle (a triangular area just north of the Mara River). The Northern Serengeti and the entire Mara River area are truly awe-inspiring and will surely be one of the highlights of your safari.
Meals & accommodation at Mara River Tented Camp (or equivalent)
Today you will have an early breakfast at the camp and then leave for Kogatende Airstrip enjoying game viewing enroute. A bush plane will fly you to Arusha. Once back in Arusha you will stop at the Cultural Heritage Center for lunch and optional shopping. You will then be driven to Ngarasero Mountain Lodge (or equivalent) for a day room where you can rest and clean up before an early dinner. After dinner you will be driven to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight home.
