| Exploring four of the
country’s most stimulating parks, guests
will have increased opportunities of spotting
the Big-5 and a huge variety of other species,
no matter the season. These three safaris
follow similar routes, but accommodation
varies slightly in style, cost and location.
From any of these lodges, you should be able
to relax with binoculars and a refreshing
drink to view an incredible landscape that
lies beyond.
Day 1:
Arusha - Lake
Manyara National Park
Depart Arusha after lunch , and drive across
the Masai Steppe to the Great Rift Valley ,
and up the escarpment to your hotel perched on
the rim and overlooking the park below. From
which ever direction you approach Lake Manyara,
you get a spectacular view. Approaching from
the east the Great Rift Valley wall forms an
impressive backdrop to the Lake. From the
west, with a pause at the top of the
escarpment, the park lies below, a green strip
beside a glistening lake. Lake Manyara
National Park covers an area of 330 square
kilometers, of which about two thirds is the
lake itself, and the rest is forest , acacia
woodland and some grasslands by the lake
shore.
The wildlife can be migratory between Lake
Manyara and Tarangire National Park across the
lake, but you should see elephant, hippo, Cape
buffalo, giraffe, several species of primate
and antelope, and prolific birdlife. Dinner
and overnight at the Lake Manyara Serena
Lodge.
Day 2: Lake Manyara
National Park- Serengeti National Park
After breakfast there is a game drive in the
park . There are normally plenty of hippo
around, and you may be lucky enough to see the
elusive tree climbing lions for which this
park is famous.
After lunch continue to the Serengeti National
Park. This is one of the most popular and
spectacular game areas in East Africa,
covering an area of 14,765 square kilometers,
teaming with game. A particular feature of the
Serengeti is the annual migration of the
wildebeest and zebra herds. Each year, after
the traditional "short " rains in November the
migration starts when the herds amass in their
thousands on the plains below the Ngorongoro
highlands.
During February they move north and west
following the rains and the new grasslands,
and they start to move into the Masai Mara in
July. In October they move back to Tanzania
.This annual phenomenon involves more than 1.5
million animals, including the lion and other
predators who follow the herds for easy
pickings. The whole process affects the lives
of thousands of other species who rely on the
passage of the migration for their survival,
even the insects, not to mention the trees and
plants which rely on the droppings for their
fertilization. Dinner and overnight at the
Serengeti Sopa Lodge.
Day 3: Serengeti
National Park
Morning and afternoon game drives. Dinner and
overnight at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge.
Day 4: Serengeti
National Park- Ngorongoro Crater
Leave after breakfast and drive back across
the Serengeti Plains viewing game all the time
and arrive at Ol Duvai Gorge. The Gorge is
about 50 kilometers long and in some places 90
meters deep. Commonly heralded as the " Cradle
of Mankind" it was made famous by the
discovery in 1959 of the remains of early man.
Your stop includes a visit to the small museum
overlooking the Gorge. After a picnic lunch
you continue on to your lodge on the
Ngorongoro Crater rim for dinner and
overnight. " It is impossible to give a fair
description of the size and beauty of the
Crater, for there is nothing with which one
can compare it.
It is one of the Wonders of the World." This
is how the Crater is described by Bernard
Grzimek in his classic "Serengeti Shall Not
Die". The area is given over to Wildlife
Conservation and comprises 8300 square
kilometers of which the Crater is 260 square
kilometers, and consists of grasslands,
swamps, forests, rivers, and even an arid area
of shifting dunes.
The Crater supports a year round resident
population of varied wildlife, and as the game
is concentrated into a relatively small area
you are likely to see lion, elephant, hyena,
jackal. cheetah, the very rare Black rhino
,primates and many more.
The area is also home to the proud and
colorful Masai tribe. Dinner and overnight at
the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.
Day 5: Ngorongoro
Crater
After an early breakfast you descend into the
Crater in a 4 x 4 vehicle for a half day of
game viewing with lunch back at the lodge.
Dinner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa
Lodge.
Day 6: Ngorongoro
Crater - Tarangire National Park
Morning drive to Tarangire arriving for lunch
and an afternoon game drive. South from Lake
Manyara this delightful park covers an area of
2,600 square kilometers. It is the numerous
wide bodied Baobab trees that first attract
your eye. The gently rolling countryside is
dotted with these majestic trees sometimes
dwarfing the wildlife that feeds beneath them.
The park is at its best during the traditional
dry seasons of June to October and December to
March when many of the migratory animals come
to the Tarangire River for water.
Wildebeest, Oryx, zebra, elephant are amongst
the most prolific of the animals. Dinner and
overnight at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
Day 7: Tarangire
National Park- Arusha
Leave after breakfast and drive back to Arusha
arriving late morning. |
