Day 1
√ flight to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
√ transfer Kilimanjaro - Arusha (airport - lodge)
√ overnight stay: Moivaro Coffee Plantation Lodge, Arusha
Moivaro Coffee Lodge is located on a 16-hectare coffee plantation just outside Arusha. The small resort is set in a tropical garden, has a swimming pool, bar and panoramic views of Mount Meru. You can use room service and Wi-Fi is free in public areas. The on-site restaurant serves a mix of delicious African and continental dishes.
Day 2
√ transfer Arusha - Tarangire National Park
√ overnight stay: Tarangire Simba Lodge
You will have the morning to relax and adept to your surroundings. Lunch is on your own arrangement before the guide will pick you up at 2pm. In a 4x4 safari vehicle you’ll be heading south from Arusha towards Tarangire. You pass through many typical African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. In the late afternoon you will arrive at Tarangire National Park. While watching the wildlife you continue the journey to your tented camp. Just before sunset you arrive at Tarangire Simba Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3
√ Tarangire National Park
√ half day or full day game drive with packed lunch
√ overnight stay: Tarangire Simba Lodge
Today you have to get up really early for your first game drive. Don’t worry. Even if you are not a real morning person, you will not regret getting up early on safari. It’s the best time for game viewing. In the summer months, this can be as early as 5 am, or around 6 am in the cooler winter months.
Deriving its name from the Tarangire River which winds its way through the park, Tarangire National Park offers a unique mixture of grasslands, flood plains and a scenic river, as well as thousands of ancient baobab trees.
You can choose either to do a full day game drive and enjoy a packed lunch in the wild, or do a half day game drive. If you choose to be in the bush only in the morning, you have lunch in the lodge, go into the pool and rest a bit.
Day 4
√ transfer Tarangire National Park – Lake Manyara
√ picnic lunch at Lake Manyara
√ transfer Lake Manyara – Karatu
√ cultural walk in Karatu or Mto Wambu
√ overnight stay: Ngorongoro Farm House
After a leisurely breakfast at Tarangire Simba Lodge, you drive to Lake Manyara where you will stop for a picnic lunch. The journey continues to Karatu. In Karatu or the village of Mto Wambu you can do a guided cultural walk. After that you go to Ngorongoro Farm House, where you will arrive in the late afternoon. After enjoying a lovely dinner, you can watch the amazing night sky next to a campfire. Finally it’s off to sleep beneath your mosquito net, in anticipation of waking to a bright new dawn and all the sights, sounds, smells and sensations you can look forward to.
Day 5
√ game drive Ngorongoro Crater
√ overnight stay: Ngorongoro Farm House
A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart to explore what is commonly referred to as the world’s largest natural wildlife zoo. After breakfast, you descend by car through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and is also one of the world’s seven natural wonders. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct habitats, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It’s an awesome wildlife experience. A picnic lunch is provided for the full day crater tour experience. You will return to the lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
Day 6
√ transfer Karatu – Serengeti National Park
√ game drive Serengeti
√ overnight stay: Serengeti Simba Lodge
After breakfast you depart from Karatu with a picnic lunch and you travel around the crater rim. En route you have an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge. This place is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world; it has proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. Once you enter Serengeti National Park, the game drive starts immediately. You’ll be arriving at Serengeti Simba Lodge in time for dinner and overnight.
Day 7/Day 8/Day 9
√ half day or full day game drive in Serengeti with a picnic lunch
√ overnight stay: Serengeti Simba Lodge
Those three days you have to get up very early for the game drives in Serengeti National Park. You want to leave this early because the animals follow the natural movements of the sun. You might be lucky enough to see some of the nocturnal animals returning from their night’s search for food, or lions covered in blood from a kill looking for a comfortable place to rest for the day. Most of the animals are more active in the early mornings, before the day heats up. Depending on the game viewing, the morning’s activity usually lasts about 3 – 4 hours. If you want to spend as much time as you can in the bush, a full day game drive with packed lunch is your best option.
Serengeti is one of the most famous National Parks in the world. It’s a unique park with varied landscapes and ecosystems and famous for the migration of thousands of wildebeests and zebras.
Day 10
√ transfer Serengeti – Lake Manyara
√ overnight stay: Rift Valley Photographic Lodge
After breakfast you will drive to Rift Valley Photographic Lodge for lunch. This is the time to relax and read a book, look up information about the wildlife you have seen, enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool, or simply enjoy the alternating silence and sounds of the bush.
Another option for spending the afternoon is to take a guided walking safari in the area and learn about the Masai culture. Members of this tribe live in this area and you can watch them guarding their grazing cattle. Dinner and overnight stay are at Rift Valley Photographic Lodge.
Day 11
√ game drive Lake Manyara National Park
√ overnight stay: Rift Valley Photographic Lodge
Today you have an early rise again for a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. This park is famous for its tree climbing lions, hippos and baboons. The lake and its environs is also home to herbivores such as impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes.
The heat of the day, which is roughly between 11 am and 3 pm, is not the best time for game viewing. During the hot months, the animals will be lying low and seeking shade to shelter from the burning sun. Having said that, no two days or two game drives are ever the same. Sometimes the most spectacular sightings can be seen midday... In the late afternoon, animals are once again on the move. Predators are out looking for their supper. Anything can happen and it often does…
After the game drive you return to your tented camp for dinner. If you’re not completely worn out by then, you can relax near a campfire. It’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking African night sky.
Day 12
√ transfer Lake Manyara – Arusha
√ overnight stay: Moivaro Coffee Plantation Lodge
On this day you’ll be slowly heading back to Arusha. After breakfast you leave with a packed lunch. On the way you can stop at small shops along the road or in Arusha town, to buy some presents to bring home. You’ll be arriving in time at Moivaro Coffee Plantation to take a refreshing dive in the pool before dinner. After that you’ll be ready for a good night’s sleep.
Day 13
√ transfer Arusha - Kilimanjaro Airport
√ flight back home
Sadly this will be the last day of your incredible safari. Depending on the departure time of your flight, you can choose to unwind next to the pool or optional go to town. You will be picked up at the lodge in time and brought to Kilimanjaro airport.
