Tanzania Experience

With beautiful Lake Manyara as our first destination, world-renowned Serengeti sandwiched in between and the awe-inspiring Ngorongoro Conservation Area with its incomparable crater as our finale, this five-day safari around Tanzania’s beautiful Northern Circuit will provide a superb introduction and insight into the incredible landscapes and wildlife of our country.

Tour Summary

• 5 Days, 4 Nights

• Day 1 – Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro International Airport – Arusha

• Day 2 – Arusha – Lake Manyara

• Day 3 – Lake Manyara – Serengeti

• Day 4 – Serengeti – Ngorongoro

• Day 5 – Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport

Day 1 – Arrival Day

Welcome to Tanzania

Whatever your arrival time at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Easy Travel driver-guide will be waiting for you with a warm welcoming smile. Kick back and relax in your comfortable vehicle as he takes you to your hotel in Arusha, Tanzania’s self-styled ‘safari capital.’ On your one-hour journey to the hotel, you will get a brief impression of this large, bustling, commercial city. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.

Accommodation
You can leave all the hustle and bustle of Arusha city behind you to find this relaxing hotel close to Lake Duluti.

The Arusha Serena Hotel is actually in the middle of a traditional coffee estate, surrounded by lush and well-kept gardens, making this a great home-from-home in which to stay at the beginning or end of any Tanzanian adventure. The accommodation units here are spacious, self-contained and well-appointed, ensuring that you have a peaceful visit.An excellent restaurant and welcoming bar provide refreshments during your stay and a dedicated hotel team will tend to your every need.

Meal PlanDinner at your hotel.

Day 2 – Arusha – Lake Manyara

Tour Briefing

Unless your arrival time yesterday allowed time for your safari briefing, then this will take place after breakfast. We will provide you with all the essential information, before we set off to our first safari destination, the wonderful Lake Manyara National Park, where we will enjoy lunch, take an afternoon game drive and spend the night. Journey: (morning) Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park

Our two-hour (130km) journey takes us westwards from Arusha. Along the route, your eyes will be opened to all the colours and character of Tanzania: perhaps some Maasai herdsmen driving their flocks of goats to new pastures. You’ll get to know your driver-guide, amazed at his depth of knowledge as he effortlessly answers all your questions.

Day’s Highlight
Your game drive in wonderful Lake Manyara, with the Rift Valley escarpment and the lake itself as the wonderful, natural backdrops.

Safari (Game Drive) in Lake Manyara National Park
After our lunch, we jump in our vehicle to cover the highlights of this park. Set against the rugged Rift Valley escarpment, and characterised by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquillity as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park ‘home’. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell!

Accommodation
With the varied landscapes of Lake Manyara National Park all around and the imposing Great Rift escarpment as a backdrop, the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge could hardly ask for a better setting. An elevated location ensures great views over the incomparable countryside and the soda lake which gives the park its name.In this charming place, accommodation units are in two-storey ‘rondavels’ which respect the traditions and natural environment. Inside, you will find spacious rooms with bright, Tanzanian decoration – just the thing to bring a smile to your face after a hard day’s safari. And of course there’s a pool, a super place in which to cool off. A friendly team will look after you during your stay…and the cuisine is a real highlight, too.
Meal Plan
Breakfast will be provided by Arusha Serena Hotel. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided for you to take out on safari. Your evening meal will be a full, cooked dinner at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.

Day 3 – Lake Manyara - Serengeti

Journey: (morning) Lake Manyara National Park to Serengeti National Park (afternoon)
With Serengeti as our destination, we leave Lake Manyara behind and set out to the northwest on our 4-hour journey (205km). On the way, you can quiz your driver-guide about all aspects of Tanzanian culture, traditions, tribes and of course wildlife. Treat him as an ‘encyclopedia on legs’ – he will rarely disappoint with his answers! In no time, you too will feel like an expert, even before you reach the awesome Serengeti plains. On arrival, we take lunch before embarking on our afternoon game-drive.

Day’s Highlight
Serengeti is a National Park which will offer you a whole variety of wildlife surprises over the two days, but perhaps today’s highlight – certainly for first-time visitors – will simply be the Serengeti terrain itself. The sheer vastness, as the plains roll away in front of you into eternity, will leave you with a sense of awe.

Safari in Serengeti National Park
At last! Serengeti, the incomparable wonder of Tanzania, will be the stage for the natural animal theatrics which will undoubtedly be performed during your visit. Your afternoon game drive here combines the known with the unknown, the certainty that you will be amazed with the uncertainty of exactly what you will see and when. Changing light, a changing cast of animal actors, ensuring that at every turn there is a new experience. Snap off some memorable photos, but don’t forget to simply take a deep breath and enjoy nature in its real-time, raw beauty.

AccommodationSerengeti Serena Lodge
sits on top of a ridge, a privileged location lined with Tanzania’s famous acacia trees. The elevated location gives visitors wonderful views down over the plains, great for when the wildlife passes by. Guests can also enjoy the scenery from the cool of the lodge’s infinity pool, while the renowned dining-room takes inspiration from traditional Tanzanian architecture. A timbered terrace adorns the lodge’s safari bar.Each well-equipped accommodation is in individual ‘rondavel’ styled buildings, giving guests privacy in comfort as well as the chance to enjoy the wildlife from the balcony.Meal PlanBreakfast is served at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by your Manyara Accommodation for you to take out on safari. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by Serengeti Serena Lodge.

Day 4 – Serengeti – Ngorongoro

Journey: (morning) Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Conservation Area (afternoon)
After a morning game drive and lunch, this afternoon we will head south-east towards Ngorongoro, a distance of 145km which will take us around 3 ½-hours.

Day’s Highlight
Today, we will get our first sight of the spectacular, incomparable Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and the heart of the Conservation Area of the same name. But before that, we have another morning game drive in amazing Serengeti, marveling at its animal inhabitants. Another day of adventure, another day to enjoy the wildlife.

Safari in Serengeti National Park
With its informative visitor centre, the Seronera area of Central Serengeti is the national park’s most popular area. And it is very popular with the wildlife, too. The Seronera river enjoys year-round waterflow, so there is always something of interest to observe. Several game drives can be undertaken here and might reveal lions in sizeable prides, hippo or herds of elephants – whose populations in the park have risen in recent times. Depending on other attractions, we may choose to call in at the Serengeti Visitor Centre, where there is an excellent explanation of the park’s eco-system and a chance to understand the history of conservation in this area. In particular, you will find out about the work of Bernhard Grzimek and the Frankfurt Zoological Society who had the foresighted vision of preserving the Serengeti’s eco-system. Even at the center, you may well find wildlife: populations of hyrax and mongoose, as well as many small bird species.After lunch, we head south-east towards Ngorongoro. If it has not already struck you with its vastness, Serengeti’s ‘endless plains’ will make a deep impression on you as we take the long, straight road which passes Simba Kopjes (famous from ‘The Lion King’) to reach Naabi Hill Gate, close to the divide between Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Here you can gather information at the gate’s visitor center, clamber up the hill for superb views back over the plains, or look out for a colorful agama lizard among the rocks.

AccommodationNgorongoro Serena Lodge
enjoys a truly special location, perched high up on the crater rim. The incredible views down and across the famous crater will surely stay with you forever.Despite offering all the modern amenities you would expect from a high-class safari lodge, the buildings here blend beautifully into the surroundings as if they have been here for as long as the crater itself. Spacious rooms all benefit from views down into the animal-filled crater from their verandas and are decorated with tasteful African touches.Enjoy great international cuisine in the dining-room, or a ‘sundowner’ drink while marvelling at the natural wonder that defines Ngorongoro.

Meal PlanBreakfast is enjoyed at the Serengeti Serena Lodge. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the lodge for you to take out on safari. Your dinner will be a delicious meal at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.

Day 5 – Ngorongoro – Kilimanjaro International Airport

Journey: (morning) Ngorongoro Crater to Kilimanjaro International Airport (afternoon)
After our morning visit to the incomparable crater – see below – and then lunch, we will have a 5-hour journey, covering the 250km back to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Day’s Highlight
Like nothing else on Earth, the stunning crater of Ngorongoro is a unique home for many, many species of Tanzania’s wildlife. With some luck, you may even see a black rhino here.

Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
From our safari camp, we set off after breakfast, a 6am departure to reach the rim and then descend into the vast crater itself. At one side there’s the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colourful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor.

Meal plan
Breakfast is served at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the Lodge for you to take out on safari and enjoyed after your morning game-drive, before we return you to the airport for your flight home. As today is your departure day, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

Tanzania Experience – 5 Days safari ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.30 hours.
Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.40 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.

Post Tour Extension
After your exhilarating time on safari, you may want to extend your Tanzanian holiday with time on Zanzibar’s wonderful beaches.