Tanzania Safari (5N / 6D)

Lake Manyara National Park Early morning game drive before breakfast to experience Tarangire as it comes to life. After breakfast continue game viewing as you enter beautiful Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing
lions and soda lake full of hippo and tinted pink with huge flocks of flamingoes. As we approach the park, the Rift Valley Escarpment looms on the horizon – forming a spectacular backdrop to the lake. In the park’s varied environments of groundwater forest, acacia woodland, and grassy flatland you can easily observe at close range giraffe, zebra, buffalo, large troops of baboons, monkeys, and more. Manyara also boasts a profusion of more than 380 bird species. As the sun sets, ascend the Rift Valley to your overnight accommodations.
Tloma is a small, exclusive lodge consisting of 20 cottages situated within the Ngorongoro Highlands Area and serving delicious safari meals. Its brilliant positioning on the raised shoulder of a valley offers breathtaking views over a coffee plantation and onto the eastern wall of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater. The lodge boasts a swimming pool set amongst lush tropical gardens and optional activities that include guided walks through the trails of the Conservation Area to local waterfalls, an escorted cultural walk in which you are introduced to the Wairak culture and traditions, or a half or full body massage (additional fees may apply).

Lake Ndutu Serengeti
Stretch your legs with a guided two hour light morning hike through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area  forest – teeming with bird life and unique flora – to a majestic waterfall and elephant caves (so-called because the deep recesses in the valley wall are created by elephants digging up the earth to ingest the vitamin-rich soil). After lunch at the lodge depart for Lake Ndutu and a game drive deep into the southern plains of the legendary Serengeti. The Serengeti is arguably the most famous wildlife area in the world. It’s pure numbers are staggering: about 4 million animals reside within its ecosystem, including a million and a half wildebeest, a quarter million zebra, a half million gazelle, and tens of thousands of the their predators (lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, crocodile, etc.). The Serengeti is also the site of one of the most magnificent events of the natural world – the migration of more than a million wildebeest in a cyclical
process that occurs in different stages and areas throughout the year. In addition, the vast area offers breathtaking scenery unto itself: Scattered throughout the southeastern short grass plains are kopjes, geologic wonders comprised of exposed gneiss and granite shaped by the wind and temperature fluctuations.
From late December through March the migration is concentrated around Lake Ndutu, within the short grass plains of the Serengeti ecosystem, but located within the boundaries of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As calving begins the herds of wildebeest and other ungulates are immense, and predator activity is intense with this concentration of prey. At other times of year the resident animals of the southern Serengeti – elephant, giraffe, impala, every kind of cat, and a profusion of birds – converge around Ndutu’s waterholes and marshes. Accommodations are at the Ndutu Safari Lodge, situated beside the soda lake and set in a beautiful acacia woodland. Ndutu consists of a main lodge with a full bar and dining room and detached modern stone cottages. The lodge offers a superb base from which to explore the range of habitats that lies within easy reach, including swamps, woodlands, soda lakes, and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains.

Your guide, a trained expert in East African wildlife and ecology, will explore with you the vast Ndutu area in search of the best game-viewing opportunities, dependent on the daily migration patterns. You maytake a pre-daw n game drive and another drive at dusk – the times of the day at which the animals are most active – with a rest at camp for lunch. Or, take a full day drive with a picnic lunch to explore a greater range of the southern Serengeti ecosystem.

Olduvai Gorge
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Continue your exploration of the Lake Ndutu area in the morning. After lunch we return eastward, rising up from the dry plains of the Serengeti to the cooler and verdant Ngorongoro Highlands. Stop along the way to tour Olduvai Gorge, the site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s archeological discoveries of early human ancestors dating back 1.8 million years. The site consists of a small but comprehensive museum on the rim of the gorge and the opportunity to descend into the gorge to visit some of the dig sites. Also visit a nearby Maasai homestead, where you will meet these regal tribesmen known for their beaded jewelry, dramatic dancing, and steadfastness to their indigenous culture. Perched on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge commands magnificent views over the crater floor and a spectacular front row seat of the African sunset. Each of the 90 double bedrooms is very spacious with two queen sized beds, a separate dressing area, and a glass-fronted verandah. The lodge includes a swimming pool, extensive gift shop, and a stunning restaurant with a high roof and large glass windows with views to the crater.

Arusha
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Today we descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, often referred to as “Africa’s Eden.” Ngorongoro was an active volcano that collapsed, leaving a caldera 10 miles in diameter; the views from the crater rim are breathtaking and wildlife abounds inside. We descend 2,500 feet into the crater to explore this paradise of abundant and diverse wildlife. Here you can observe the rare and elusive black rhino and admire the old bull elephants who come there to “retire” and enjoy the sweet swamp grasses; prides of lion are easily spotted throughout. A trip into Ngorongoro Crater is an experience not to be missed. Day game drive and picnic lunch in the crater. In the afternoon return to Arusha Town, the bustling commercial capital of northern Tanzania, where you may shop for curios and artwork. Enjoy a relaxing dinner at one of the fine lodges on the verdant outskirts of Arusha prior to transfer to the Kilimanjaro International Airport and your flight home.