We’ll begin our day early and enjoy the morning light upon the green world all around us. There will be a safari breakfast to start, and soon we’re hopping into our 4 x 4 for the journey to the Serengeti. We’ll stop along the way for a scenic picnic and to enjoy the day. But in no time, we’ll come upon the endless plains of the famous Serengeti. There, we will enjoy an afternoon game drive through Tanzania’s greatest park. All Big Five are found here as well as hartebeest, topi, buffalo, and waterbuck. We’ll spend the first of two nights at your Serengeti lodge or tented camp.

Drive 215 km in 4 hours

We’ll fill the day with game drives to explore the immense space and unlimited wildlife in this park that is larger than the state of Connecticut! Besides lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos, all sorts of creatures fill these savannahs. Look for honey badger, mongoose, otter, wild dog, monkey, baboon, and unlimited wildebeest and zebra. Besides the sprawling grasslands, the park also features areas of forest and dense bush where we may find hippo and crocodile. This will be our second night at the park.

We’ll arise with the sun and birdsong to another beautiful day on the grassy plains of the Serengeti. After a hearty breakfast at your lodge or tented camp, we’ll hit the road, coming to one of the most unique anthropological sites on the planet, Oldupai Gorge. It was at this site that discoveries were made of early man’s habitat, including tools and other artefacts. We’ll continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, at the crest of the crater rim. From this vantage point, you’ll be able to look down upon the verdant 264 sq. km (101 sq. mi) caldera stretched out before you. Grasslands, swamps, and acacia woodland all appear as a colourful palette – another world waiting to be discovered. If you wish, you can take advantage of an optional visit to a local Maasai boma. Meet these indigenous herders in their village and learn first-hand about their centuries-old lifestyle and culture. We will spend the night at your Ngorongoro lodge or tented camp.

Drive 160 km in 3 hours

Let’s have a big breakfast to get ready for a day of non-stop safari action. Secure in our 4 x 4 Jeep, we’ll descend the 400m (1312 ft) crater walls down to the rich habitat supporting over 25,000 animals with the highest density of predators in Africa. We’ll travel through springs, forests, and grassland, spying wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, and the big cats that stalk them. The Ngorongoro is also home to the very endangered black rhino, where they continue to breed in the wild.

Here in this land of the lion and leopard, you may also find flamingos at the alkaline waters of Lake Magadi. We’ll pause our safari for a mid-day picnic lunch amongst all this abundance and then continue with an afternoon game drive, before ascending the steep crater walls toward evening. We’ll return to our accommodation for dinner and the evening.

Sunrise is a perfect time to appreciate this spectacular region and enjoy breakfast at your lodge or tented camp. Then it’s time for our final drive back to Arusha. Along the way, we’ll stop for lunch and consider all we’ve seen and encountered over the last 6 days. We will bring you to your hotel, residence, or the airport. You’ve experienced so much of Tanzania’s wonderful parks and wildlife over the last week, and perhaps view the many gifts of our natural world with new eyes. We hope you’ve had a memorable African safari.

Drive 460 km in 6-7 hours