Tanzania Big Five Safari

This safari takes you through the highlights of renowned parks of northern Tanzania. The tour starts at Tarangire, famous for its dense wildlife population then to Ngorongoro crater, which supports a year-round resident population of mammals. A visit to Serengeti follows a big game haven that hosts over 3 million large mammals. Finally, we head to Lake Manyara National Park, an ornithologist’s paradise known for the elusive tree-climbing lions.

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha.

You will be picked up from the Kilimanjaro airport and taken to your hotel at Melia for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Planet Lodge Arusha

Meals Planned: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 2: Tarangire National Park.

After breakfast, we depart for Tarangire National Park and arrive in time for lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, we will have a game drive where you can see giant baobab trees, a rolling savannah, and acacia parkland. This park is famous for its dense wildlife population, which is most spectacular in the dry season between June and September. It is during this period that thousands of animals- wildebeest, zebra, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, and onyx migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River in search of water while the predators such as lions, and leopards follow close by.

Accommodation: Farm of Dream Lodge

Meals Planned: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 3: Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

We depart for the Ngorongoro conservation area, which sits at the rim of the Ngorongoro crater. An afternoon tour of the crater follows. The game drive begins with a 600m descent to the crater floor, a magnificent natural amphitheater. Covering 260 sq. km, the crater is an attraction in its own right and is one of the wonders of the natural world. The crater supports a year-round resident population of a variety of wildlife and you can easily spot lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and other species of plain animals.

Accommodation: Farm of Dream Lodge

Meals Planned: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 4-5: Serengeti National Park.

We proceed to Serengeti National Park passing via Olduvai gorge. This is the prehistoric site where Dr. Louis Leakey discovered the remains of homo habilis, which is regarded as mankind’s first path of human evolution. An afternoon game drive at Serengeti follows home to more than 35 species of plain animals such as zebra, wildebeest, eland, and giraffe, among many others. The park is the staging zone for one the most spectacular events in the world- the annual migration of wildebeest. This commences around June when over 1 million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle head for the Masai mara in Kenya in search of greener pastures. They are followed closely by the predators of the savanna- lion, cheetah, wild dog, jackal, hyena, and vultures. The Serengeti also has over 500 species of birds.

Accommodation: 2nights at Into Wild Camp Serengeti

Meals Planned: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 6: Serengeti National Park - Karatu.

After breakfast, we will have a morning game drive in Serengeti. Then In the afternoon, we will depart to Karatu and check in at the Farm of Dream Lodge where we will have dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Farm of Dream Lodge

Meals Planned: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park - Arusha.

A morning game drive at Lake Manyara National Park. The park covers 330 sq. km, 70% of which is occupied by the lake. The varied ecosystem consists of groundwater forests, acacia woodland, and open grassland along the lake shore and sustains a wealth of wildlife, including the big five -lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo. The park is famous for the elusive tree-climbing lions that inhabit the woodland between the lake and the Rift Valley. We head back to the lodge for lunch and return to Arusha afterward.

Accommodation: None/On Request

Meals Planned: Breakfast & Lunch.