10 DAYS, 9 NIGHTS – NORTHERN & CENTRAL SERENGETI, OLDUVAI GORGE, NGORONGORO CRATER & TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
DAY 1: FLY-IN TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK & A FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN NORTHERN SERENGETI
After breakfast, pick you up at the hotel, and transferred to Arusha Airport to catch the earliest flight at 7:00 am, and fly to Serengeti National Park, arriving at 10:00 am.
Upon your arrival at Kogatende Airstrip, picked up by your driver guide who will have your lunch boxes ready, you’ll then go for a full day game drive across the enormous Serengeti to follow the migration until evening.
Back to the camp in the late evening for hot dinner and spend the overnight at Mara Under Canvas Tented Camp (lunch & dinner included)
DAY 2: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN NORTHERN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a full day game drives across the famous Serengeti National Park with packed lunch boxes. It is in this park that more than six million hooves pound the legendary “endless plains.”
Every year, triggered by rains, more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson gazelle gather to undertake their long trek to new grazing lands. The rutting season is a frenzied three week bout of territorial conquest and mating, followed by a survival of the fittest as the 40km long column of animals plunges through crocodile infested waters on their annual exodus north. The species are replenished during the brief population explosion that produces more than 80,000 calves a day before the 1000km return pilgrimage begins. Return in the late evening and stay the night at Mara Under Canvas Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 3: HALF DAY GAME DRIVE IN NORTHERN SERENGETI & DEPART TO CENTRAL SERENGETI
After breakfast, depart for a half day game drive with packed lunch boxes in this northern part of the Serengeti to once again follow the migration late afternoon.
Thereafter, drive for about 2 – 3 hours to Central Serengeti while conducting an on-route game drive, arriving in the evening for dinner, spend the overnight at KubuKubu Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 4: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN CENTRAL SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for another full day game drive to the enormous Serengeti National Park with packed lunch boxes, but this day to the central area of the park where most of the other animals including the ‘Big 5’ are mostly found. You’ll have once again enjoy and experience the wildlife until evening.
After this great experience, back to the camp, hot dinner when you are ready and stay the overnight at KubuKubu Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 5: HOT AIR BALLOON SAFARI (Optional) & FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN CENTRAL SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Pick you up at 5:00 am to meet your Balloon pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon.
At dawn, you take off and rising as the sun rises and float whichever the direction the winds of the morning takes you. Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of your balloon; sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. The flight is for about one hour depending on conditions, and eventually you must land.
You’ll get back for breakfast, and receive your Serengeti Balloon Certificate, and later meet up with your driver ready to continue with the game drive.
Your driver guide will collect you in your 4WD photographic pop-up roof safari car and go for a full day game drive in this central part of the beautiful and enormous Serengeti with your packed lunch boxes. The game drive will last until sunset, where you you’ll head back to the camp to rest while waiting for your hot dinner, and later stay the overnight at KubuKubu Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 6: A VISIT TO THE OLDUVAI GORGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE & DEPART TO NGORONGORO CRATER
In the morning after breakfast, an on-route game drive at central Serengeti while driving to the “Olduvai Gorge Archaeological Site” (The Cradle of Mankind) – The site is significant in showing the increasing developmental and social complexities in the earliest humans (it holds the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors).
Later after the experience at Olduvai Gorge, depart to Ngorongoro Crater arriving in the evening, hot dinner when you are ready and stay the overnight at the crater rim at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 7: DESCEND TO NGORONGORO CARTER FOR A GAME DRIVE
After an early breakfast, descend to the Ngorongoro Crater (a 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms caldera is a breathtaking experience – The 8th natural wonder of the world). The crater is a virtual Noah’s Ark, inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa including the rare black rhino. The large bull elephants that reside here have extremely large tusks, due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses. They are the most incredible elephants you’ll ever see in your life.
‘Ngorongoro Crater’ is the largest collapsed volcanic crater in the world and fourteen kilometres of isolated natural beauty. The Crater is surrounded by a ring of extinct volcanoes and the floor, dotted with watering holes, shelters some 30,000 animals.
Back in the afternoon to the lodge for your hot lunch – rest until evening while having a great view of the crater from the rim, later get your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 8: DEPART TO TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK FOR A FULL DAY GAME DRIVE
After breakfast, drive for 3 hours to Tarangire National Park with packed lunch boxes. On arrival, go for a full day game drive across the enormous beautiful Tarangire to experience the wildlife until sunset. Among other species, Tarangire National Park is said to have the highest concentration of elephants than any other park in the country.
Back in the late evening for your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 9: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, go for a full day game drive across the enormous and beautiful Tarangire National Park to once again experience the wildlife until evening.
The animals come by thousands from as far north as the shores of Lake Natron to the bank of this river, significantly swelling the resident population with wildebeest, zebra, eland, elephant, hartebeest, buffalo, and fringe-eared oryx. During the dry season, the Tarangire pools are full of thirsty migrants, and the elephants begin to dig for underground streams in the dry riverbed. Tarangire National Park is said to have the highest recorded number of breeding bird species for any habitat in the world.
Back in the evening for hot dinner, and stay the overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 10: MAASAI BOMA TOUR & DEPART TO ARUSHA
After breakfast at the lodge, go for a ‘Maasai Boma Visit’ – an authentic glimpse into the distinctive Maasai culture. Preservation of their proud traditions has set the Maasai apart from other indigenous groups in Tanzania, and embodies a side of Africa with which few outsiders can contact. Maasai expeditions will offer you as a visitor, a memorable opportunity to interactively experience the Maasai way of life including their dress code, occupation, dancing and singing and visit their bomas (traditional family dwelling).
Later, after the visit – depart back to Arusha (a 2 – 3 hours drive) with your packed lunch boxes, arriving in the afternoon, and transfer you to a hotel/catch your flight back home (breakfast & lunch included)
