The classic northern circuit: tree-climbing lions of Manyara, the endless plains of the Serengeti and a descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, the Garden of Eden.
7 days · 6 nights
Day 1
Arusha
Met on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport by our representative outside immigration and customs, then transfer to the hotel at the foot of Mt Meru.
Day 2
Arusha to Lake Manyara
Safari briefing and an introduction to your driver-guide. Lunch with the Rift Valley wall as a backdrop, then a game drive in the park: hippo in the Simba River, elephant in the forest and a resident herd of Cape buffalo. About 400 bird species, and with luck, tree-climbing lions.
Day 3
Lake Manyara to the Serengeti
A 4½–5 hour drive to arrive in the Serengeti for lunch, then an afternoon game drive.
Day 4
Serengeti National Park
A full day in the wilderness looking for the big five, with picnic lunches. In the local vernacular, Serengeti means “the endless plains that go up to the sky”. Granite outcrops dominate the plains, and life centres on the migration of several million hooves. An early-morning balloon safari is the highlight for many.
Day 5
Serengeti to Ngorongoro
A drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a stop at the prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge. The rest of the afternoon is yours.
Day 6
Ngorongoro Crater
A descent into the crater with picnic lunch, up to six hours on the crater floor. A 260 km² natural amphitheatre of grassland, swamp, lake, river, woodland and forest, sustaining elephant, buffalo, lion, hippo, wildebeest, gazelle, leopard, black rhino and hyena.
Day 7
Back to Arusha
Lunch in Arusha, a last bit of shopping, and your transfer to the airport for your international flight, or on to Zanzibar.
Ready when you are