8-Days Best of Tanzania Wildlife Encounter Safari Tour
Tour Overview
Eight days of discovering Tanzania’s spectacular landscapes, beautiful sceneries, and wildlife treasures on this extraordinary safari tour. First, you will witness the legendary elephant herds in the Tarangire National Park; its wildlife is undoubtedly unique, especially during the drive seasons when animals concentrate along the Tarangire river as the only water source. Move up to the notorious Serengeti National Park, home of the big cats and the Great Migration. Sightseeing into the Serengeti’s endless plains in the central Serengeti, particularly the Seronera Valley, offers outstanding game viewing unmatched worldwide. The park is prominent for many animals, including Wildebeest, Zebra, pride of lions, cheetahs, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, and fascinating birdlife. You will end the tour by visiting the fascinating Ngorongoro Crater, often a world wonder; the crater floor is home to thousands of wildlife, including the rare black rhinos.
Tour Summary
- This tour starts and ends in Arusha,
- You'll visit Tarangire, Serengeti National Parks and Ngorongoro Crater.
- Activities: Game drives
- Game drives: Pop-roof 4×4 vehicle
Tour Features
- Private tour - Exclusively organised for you and won't be shared with others.
- Can start any day - If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
- Can be customised - You can request changes to this tour.
- Suitable for solo travellers - Solo travellers can book this private tour.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our professional and personal driver guide. You will be transferred to your hotel in Arusha for overnight relaxation and preparation in keenness of the coming safari adventure. Arusha is the pounding heart of the wild – the last port of civilisation before heading out into dense jungles and rich savannah plains. It is located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the east branch of the Great Rift Valley. The town’s temperate and calm climate is exciting. It is close to the infamous Tanzania National Park, which lures visitors to explore the fantastic Maasai culture and unique flora and fauna. Today you can relax in Arusha, enjoy a quick briefing about your upcoming safari, recover from your journey, and soak up the vibrant atmosphere of Africa.
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, at 7 am, you will be picked up from the hotel by your safari guide and depart to Tarangire National Park for a full-day game drive. During midday, you will have a stop for a picnic lunch; the picnic area is fascinating, boasting an observatory with amazing views of the Tarangire river and wildlife; sometimes, there’s a good chance of seeing a hunt while having your picnic. Continue with a game viewing until sunset, then drive back to your accommodation for dinner and overnight. Tarangire is richly beautiful and has a diverse ecosystem, boasting one of the largest concentrations of elephants in East Africa. The park is almost 3000 sq km in size and is best known for its vast numbers of elephants and baobab trees. The park’s name comes from the Tarangire River, which crosses through the park. The park is remarkable during the dry season (June - November) as wildlife concentrations rival the Serengeti National Park. This is because enormous populations of elephants and other animals are drawn to the Tarangire River as their only water source.
Day 3: Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, your adventure continues exploring the game-rich areas of the famed Tarangire National Park. The park is a richly beautiful home to the largest concentrations of elephants, buffalo, lion, wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle, while Gerenuk and fringe-eared Oryx are ‘local specialities. Additionally, the park is noted for its splendid baobab trees, rolling savannah, and acacia woodland. You will enjoy a picnic lunch, then continue with an afternoon game watching. Late in the evening, drive to your accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Tarangire to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, your unforgettable expedition continues heading to the notorious Serengeti National Park, home of the big cats and Great Migration, driving through diverse landscapes such as the Rift Valley, stunning slopes, the beautiful high-lying farmland of Karatu and spectacular views of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will have multiple stops to enjoy the beautiful scenery, including stopping at the great Ngorongoro Crater rim. You will enjoy a picnic lunch, then an afternoon game watching in Central Serengeti, and later in the evening, drive to your accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight. Serengeti National Park has 14,763 sq. km, and more than 4 million large mammals live in total wilderness freedom. The park is unquestionably one of the best-known wildlife national parks globally. It is renowned for its annual wildebeest migration of 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras, and antelopes. As for the big cats and large predators, it's the place to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas, with many television scenes like the famous River Crossings filmed in this park.
Day 5: On Safari Serengeti National Park
Waking up in the Serengeti is something astonishing. Africa's sights, sounds, and smells are all around us, and a full day of exploration in the world's most famous national park is ahead. You will enjoy full days in the Serengeti National Park. We are entirely flexible with your preferences, and these days will be prearranged according to your desires. Your guide will discuss the best timings on every safari day, including the game drives and the wake-up time. For instance, on this day, you could do a morning game drive, return for lunch and relaxation and finish with an afternoon game drive. Alternatively, you could do a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch. The Central Serengeti offers superb game viewing all year round due to its richness of resident animals. Specifically, the Seronera River Valley in Central Serengeti is a ‘must see’ on every safari, notwithstanding the specific month of travel. Game watching in Central Serengeti is at its best during the dry season (June - November), as animals are more concentrated in the immediate area due to the lack of water on the plains. Resident animals include impalas, buffaloes, hippos, warthogs, topis, hartebeests, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, zebras, lions, and leopards.
Day 6: On Safari - Central Serengeti
After breakfast in the lodge, depart for a full-day game drive in Serengeti National Park, the home of the big five and wildebeest migration. You will have a picnic lunch, and more game viewing in the afternoon after the African sunset and drive back to your accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, you will enjoy a morning game drive and return for brunch. After lunch, it’s time to drive eastwards to visit another spectacular setting for Tanzania’s wildlife, the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Upon arrival late in the afternoon, settle for dinner and overnight. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a pioneering experiment where people (the Maasai), livestock, and wildlife co-exist and share the same protected habitat. The stunning spectacle of the Ngorongoro Crater, its steep walls falling some 610 meters to the floor, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a safari tour in Tanzania. The crater floor is home to thousands of everyday animals, including the rare black rhinos, zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, hippos, elands, elephants, and a large predator population of lions, hyenas, and jackals. It's also famous for its giant elephants globally and has massive tusks.
Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater to Kilimanjaro International Airport
Today there will be plenty of time to enjoy another actual show - Ngorongoro Crater is often referred to as a wonder of the world. After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro crater floor for a game drive, exploring Africa's Garden of Eden. The crater is the grasslands, forests, and freshwater lake that inspire the migration of animals and makes for the perfect chance to catch a glimpse of Africa's notorious Big Five (buffalo, elephants, leopards, black-maned lions, and the rare black rhinoceros). After some exploring, enjoy a lunch picnic in the crater’s heart before we take in some more sights and drive up the steep road out of the crater, heading to Arusha or the airport for drop-off.
Inclusions:
- Pick up and drop off at Arusha/Kilimanjaro International Airport
- English-speaking driver-guide
- Park fees
- All activities as specified in the itinerary
- Evacuation insurance (AMREF - Flying Doctors)
- All accommodation - (Unless listed as upgrade)
- All transportation - (Unless labelled as optional)
- 4x4 Customized safari vehicle
- All meals
- Water in the car
- Taxes
Exclusions:
- International flights - (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips - (Highly recommended)
- Personal items - (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government-imposed increase of taxes and park fees
- Meals not specified
- Hot air balloon safari US$ 599 per person
- Drinks and beverages
- Laundry services
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