Upon arrival you’ll have a meet and greet by our safari expert then drive to Arusha, which takes about 45-60 minutes. At the office have a safari briefing and then proceed to your lodge/hotel for dinner and overnight.

After a leisurely breakfast, you will be picked from your hotel at 8:00 am, and drive to Tarangire National Park. Spend a full day exploring the park, with its backdrop of the spectacular, rust-hued Great Rift Valley. Tarangire is home to a stunning concentration of animals with herds of elephants, impalas and zebras, all of which traverse the sprawling plains. In the afternoon proceed to your accommodation for a dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, you will be picked up for the drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Spend six hours exploring Lake Manyara National Park, home to elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, warthog, dik dik, klipspringer and much more. Leopards live within the forests and escarpment, lions are widely known for their tree climbing ability, and huge herds of baboons can be seen.

Head to the Ngorongoro Conservation area to spend a full day game viewing and with luck witness the calves. Calving usually takes place between January, February and March of each year. In January the herds begin making their way to the south of the Serengeti after the rains start falling ready to calve. Within a two to three week time period, over half a million wildebeest are born with as many as 8,000 wildebeest being born on the same day! The herds spend the majority of these three months in the Ndutu and Ngorongoro Conservation areas, although not within the crater itself.

Many years ago, volcanoes in the area would erupt and the volcanic ashes that were left behind led to soil rich in nutrients meaning that the grass that grows here is perfect for young wildebeest to munch on and build up their strength in the first few weeks of their lives. The zebra and gazelle that join the thousands of wildebeest on their journey eat the grass shoots that are less appetizing to the baby wildebeest, leaving behind only the most nutrient-rich grass shoots that are freshly sprouted and soft enough for young wildebeest mouths to pull from the earth. These grasses are also said to help aid the wildebeest mothers in lactating and making sure their milk is full of the goodness needed to raise strong and healthy babies.

Ndutu Area (Ngorongoro) Highlights

• The famous Great Migration settles on the plains from about November to March/April
• Calving season on the plains is from December through to May
• In the dry season (June to November) resident animals gather at waterholes – elephant, giraffe, big cats
• All six cat species reside here year-round (leopard, lion, cheetah, caracal, serval, African wildcat)
• Prolific birdlife
• Olduvai Gorge – a fascinating archaeological site
• Lakes Ndutu and Masek, soda lakes

Today we head to the world-famous Serengeti National Park, home to a huge variety of animals and birds. Enjoy game viewing throughout the day. In the evening, we will arrive at the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Full day game viewing in the Serengeti National Park, in search of the big five as well as zebra, wildebeest, various species of gazelles and antelopes, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, hippopotamus, crocodiles, and some primate species such as vervet monkeys and olive baboons. It is also an endemic bird area, with a total of 505 species being documented so far.

Have an early wake up with a cup of coffee then enjoy a morning game drive around the Serengeti area. Around midday drive from Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater with game viewing on the way. Overnight on the crater rim.

After breakfast, collect your lunch box and start descending down into the crater. Set out on a full-day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater to explore the panoramic, short-grass prairies along the crater floor, home to rare black rhinos as well as lions, hyenas and gazelles. See colorfully garbed Maasai herdsmen who call this stunning landscape home. Nearly eight miles across, this was once an active volcano that sunk in on itself and is now a rich ecosystem with immense biodiversity and wildlife, Mid-afternoon enjoy your picnic lunch box at the hippo pool followed by a late afternoon drive back to Arusha.