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Day 1 Arusha - Serengeti National ParkTransfer to the Arusha Airport early afternoon to catch the scheduled flight from Arusha to the Serengeti. Upon arrival you will be met at the airstrip by a driver-guide and spend the remainder of the day on a game drive en route to the lodge. In the local vernacular, Serengeti means ‘the endless plains that go up to the sky’. And they do just that. It is therefore easy to understand why this is the most popular and spectacular of all game parks in East Africa.
Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa LodgeBasis: Full Board
Day 2 Serengeti National Park
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti National Park. very year, after the south’s short November rains, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, topi and hartebeest gather in their thousands on the Serengeti’s southern plains and the Ngorongoro Highlands. This yearly phenomenon also affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of other species, who rely on the migratory herds for their survival.
Day 3 Serengeti National Park
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti National Park.
Day 4 Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast you depart for Ngorongoro Crater, viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains and stopping off at Olduvai Gorge en route. The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Olduvai by the Maasai. The Gorge is about 50km long and in some places around 90m deep and is found between the Crater and the Serengeti. It was first discovered by a German entomologist named Professor Kattwinkel, who instigated an expedition just before the First World War. Later, the exploration was continued by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, who in 1959 found humanoid remains of Zinjanthropus, later renamed Australopithecus Boisei, an early form of man. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge’s earliest inhabitants. After a picnic lunch, you’ll continue to the Crater. Afternoon enjoy a nature walk or visit to the maasai village
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Basis: Full Board
Day 5 Ngorongoro CraterA highlight awaits you this morning as you depart by 4x4 to explore what is commonly referred to as the World’s largest wildlife zoo. After breakfast, you’ll descend through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater for a game drive with a picnic lunch. 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. Return to the lodge by afternoon.
Day 6 Ngorongoro Crater - Lake ManyaraAfter breakfast, you leave the Crater and drive through the highlands to Lake Manyara, stopping off at Mto wa Mbu village en route for a great cultural lunch. From whichever direction you approach Manyara, the first view is spectacular. From the east, the Rift Valley wall rises several hundred metres to form an impressive backdrop to the lake. From the west, if one is perched at the top of the escarpment, the park lies far below, with a long green strip of water that glistens in the sunlight. Continue into Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive ending late afternoon at your lodge.
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Basis: Full Board
Day 7 Lake Manyara - Tarangire
From your lodge on the wall of the Rift Valley you will head east, down the fascinating escarpment towards the village of Makuyuni. From here, you’ll join the main Arusha – Dodoma road and head south west, with the gates to Tarangire being only a short distance away. From the gate, you continue the journey to Sopa lodge for lunch, viewing game en route. Deriving its name from the Tarangire River which winds its way through the park, Tarangire is a complex mixture of grasslands, flood plains and Scenic River, as well as thousands of baobab trees. After lunch and a little time to relax the afternoon will be spent on a game drive that ends at the lodge as the sun sets.
Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa LodgeBasis: Full Board
Day 8 TarangireEarly morning walk followed by a full day in the park with picnic lunch.
Day 9 Tarangire – Arusha
Following breakfast you’ll depart for Arusha with a gentle game drive to the border of the park. From here, the journey will pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. Upon arrival into Arusha, you’ll be transferred into town for your onward travel arrangements.
