5 Day Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari

Day 1: Lake Manyara National Park

Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Jambo, welcome to Tanzania! You will be greeted at your accommodation by one of the Faraona guides who will run you though a safety talk and the day’s itinerary. You will enjoy a panoramic morning drive to Lake Manyara National Park. On the way we will be stopping at Mto Wa Mbu village, where you will have the opportunity to wander around the village and purchase souvenirs. After enjoying a packed lunch we will enter Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon of game driving. Lake Manyara is an amazingly diverse park that is well known for its tree-climbing lions, elephants and 3 species of primates including vervet monkey, blue monkey and baboon. The park boasts one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Africa and is home to the largest baboon troop ever documented. The park is home to an amazing variety of birds and animals, especially considering its relatively small size. The uniquely lush green jungle habitat of Lake Manyara is nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley, and it’s large lake shimmers like a mirage in the distance. Dinner and overnight stay at Jambo Campsite.

Day 2: Serengeti National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We will depart early in the morning and drive through the small town of Karatu towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Enjoy the beautiful panoramic views as we drive around the Ngorongoro Crater rim while game viewing towards the endless plains of the Serengeti. En-route we visit a Maasai Boma(village) where you will get a chance to see the Maasai performing their traditional dances. You may even get a chance to join in! We also stop at the tomb of the world famous conservationists Bernard and Michael Grzimek. We will then proceed towards the world famous Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is unequalled for its beauty and scientific value and has come to symbolize the classic African Safari. With more than 2 million wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson’s gazelle, and 250,000 zebra, it has the largest concentration of plains game animals in Africa. Enjoy a game drive en-route to your accommodation at Seronera Campsite.

Day 3: Serengeti National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You will rise early to enjoy an early morning game drive in the Serengeti. At sunrise you may encounter animals grazing in the beautiful light of sunrise and predators may still be busy hunting before retiring to rest for the day. Sunrise on the Serengeti is not to be missed and extraordinary photographic opportunities will abound at this magical time of day. You have the option to return to the campsite for a hot lunch or to opt for a packed lunch which can be enjoyed at one of the various picnic sites found in the Serengeti. After lunch you will continue on a game drive. Around the time of dusk be on the lookout for lion. Cheetah can also be spotted on the plains in the early morning and late afternoon when temperatures are not too high. They rely on daylight and speed to catch their prey. Hippo pods can be seen in the bigger pools and rivers while crocodiles can be seen sunning themselves on the riverbanks. Dinner and overnight stay at Seronera Campsite.

Day 4: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Rise early to enjoy an early morning game drive in the Serengeti, returning to camp mid morning to enjoy breakfast. After breakfast, enjoy a game drive en-route to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will have the option to visit Olduvai Gorge, the site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s famous discoveries of man’s ancient ancestors Zinjanthropus Bosei. We will strike the camp at Simba Campsite on the Ngorongoro Crater rim.

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today we descend into the world famous Ngorongoro Crater, ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. The rich pasture and permanent water of the Crater floor supports a resident population of some 20,000 to 25,000 large mammals. Since most of the Crater floor is grassland the predominant grazing animals are gnu, zebra, gazelle, buffalo, eland and kongoni. Within the crater rim expect to see large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn. the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. We ascend the crater in the early afternoon and make our way back to Arusha, where your safari ends. You may wish to add one of our optional activities as your next destination. Maybe a gorilla trek or you may just like to spend a couple of days relaxing on the white sandy beaches of Zanzibar.