6 Days – Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Itinerary

Day 1 – Arusha to Lake Manyara

Pick up at 8:30 AM from your hotel in Arusha and depart for Lake Manyara National Park with a picnic lunch for a full-day game drive. As you enter the national park, lush forests of Acacia and Mahogany trees begin to set the mood for what is waiting ahead. The game drive will go on till evening with a small break for a picnic lunch. During the game, drive and watch out for buffaloes, giraffes, impalas, baboons and blue monkeys. Another spectacle of Lake Manyara National park is the tree-climbing lions, however, spotting them is a game of luck. In the right season, you can see the shoreline turning pink with millions of flamingos flocking there. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you.

Day 2 – Lake Manyara to Central Serengeti

After breakfast, we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park.

Day 3 & Day 4 – Central Serengeti

You can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full-day game drives around 9:00 AM with packed lunch and return back to the lodge late afternoon around 6:00 PM. Or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to the accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today. The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti – known as the Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. During the off-season of the migration, one must really look out for the many lion pride that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion pride provide an excellent game-viewing experience with all year round. Along with a picnic lunch during the full-day game drive, the day will come to a close by around 5 PM. The long day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 5 – Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro

After breakfast, you will have a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park. Later depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a picnic lunch. Ngorongoro Crater is the largest collapsed volcanic crater in the world and has fourteen kilometres of isolated natural beauty. Ngorongoro Crater is surrounded by a ring of extinct volcanoes and the floor, dotted with watering holes, shelters some 30,000 animals. The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 6 – Ngorongoro Crater Tour (5 hours) to Arusha

On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descent at around 6:30 AM into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq km with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, Hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4hr drive left to Arusha. You will be dropped off at your preferred location in Arusha by 6:00 PM in the evening. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you bid goodbye to your team.

Stay Locations

Day 1 – Karatu

Day 2 – Central Serengeti

Day 3 – Central Serengeti

Day 4 – Central Serengeti

Day 5 – Karatu or NCA