Northern Tanzania Wildlife Safari

Pick-up from Moshi and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park. We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge and head into the park for an afternoon game drive. This national park is one of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park) at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. Its varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Lake Manyara's unique tree-climbing lions, and large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake.

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 — with its endless plains rolling into the distance. We head to the central Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti's species. We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive.

Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). After breakfast we do a game-viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, good for possible lion, Thomson's gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre near Seronera Lodge is well worth a visit, with wildlife displays, a gift shop and a picnic area. We enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch in the shade of giant acacia trees. In the afternoon we follow the Kopjes Circuit, anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes — weathered granite outcrops that make miniature ecosystems, particularly good for spotting lions lying in wait for animals coming to drink.

After breakfast at the lodge we depart to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping over at Olduvai Gorge, with a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here that anthropologists Drs. Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of "Nutcracker Man" and "Handy Man", both significant links in the chain of human evolution.

After early breakfast we descend over 600 metres into the crater for a half-day safari tour. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, including wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and giant African elephants, plus a dense population of predators including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard. We visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, where flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually be seen. After lunch we transfer back to Arusha, ending our African safari adventure at your hotel. This itinerary is subject to change without prior notice according to local conditions and park rules.