Off the Beaten Track Safari in Tanzania – 10 Days

Day 1 – Arrival in Tanzania

On arrival at the Kilimanjaro International airport you will obtain a visa at the immigration department in the airport a process that will take you a few minutes. As you emerge to the arrivals hall you will be met by our representative who will meet and assist you to a waiting car which will transfer you to a lodge around Arusha. On arrival at the lodge you will check in and have a few minutes talk with our safari manager who will brief you on your safari. Overnight at Planet Lodge or a similar lodge. Dinner included.

Day 2 – Arusha – Lake Manyara National Parks

At around 08.00 Am; your driver is waiting at your Hotel’s lounge and your luggage is parked in the 4×4 safari land cruiser ready to take off You will pass by Arusha town briefly for you to do brief shopping of a few personal effects that you may need as well as to change some money if you wish and off you leave the town past the Arusha Airport further across the Masai Steppe and across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park. The name Manyara is a Masai word for the acacia tortilis tree species which the nomadic Maasai people use to make hedges to protect their homesteads and livestock. The park is highlighted with lots of these trees and the tree climbing lions which are often spotted taking afternoon siesta on the branches. Other animals common in this park includes the impalas, giraffes buffaloes and impalas. Just at the entrance of this beautiful park is an underground water forest and a perfect habitat for the Blue monkeys, the baboons, bush bucks and the gigantic elephants sheltering in the sheds from the afternoon sun and devouring the green branches and twigs and herbs. The Hippo pools and at the Lake Manyara itself you will get the chance to observe the Hippos and the aquatic birds including the colorful Flamingos, pelicans, Egyptian geese, cormorants, and many more. You will take lunch at one of the picnic sites in the national park. In the late afternoon you will drive to the campsite. Overnight at Olmesera Camp. All meals included. (Prices differ.)

Day 3
Lake Natron & Ngaresero River Walk

After your breakfast at the Lodge you will be on your way to Lake Natron which is apparently the breeding site for the lesser and greater flamingos who migrate here every year from as far as Lake Nakuru, and Baringo in Kenya. On your way you will view Masai villages and after an hour you will be at Engaruka village where you will have brief stop to visit the Engaruka ruins. These are ruins of an ancient mysterious city with confiscated irrigation canals that are believed to be more than five hundred years old. You will be shown the canals and remnants of the buildings and graves. There after you will be on your way again to Lake Natron, with views of more Maasai villages and wildlife; arriving in time for lunch at your lodge. After a short rest and lunch at the lodge, you’ll go for a walk around the lake, where you can swim or take a boat ride depending on water levels. You will also have the opportunity to walk upstream to the Ngaresero River’s waterfalls. Monkeys and baboons are likely to be encountered along the way as you walk upstream. The waterfalls cascade into a cool refreshing pool where you can cool off from the hot sun (if desired) by swimming in this natural swimming pool that looks like an oasis in the middle of a desert. You can enjoy a sundowner at Lake Natron in the afternoon. Natron River Camp is where you’ll spend the night. All meals are included in the price.

Day 4 
Serengeti National Park’s Lake Natron

After breakfast, you can go for another walk around the lake if you want, and then depart for the Serengeti National Park. You’ll pass through the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, where wildebeest herds are said to cross in November and December on their way from Kenya’s Masai Mara. After completing the registration procedures at Klein’s Gate, you will go on a game drive through the Serengeti National Park’s vast plains (on your way to the lodge), where you will have the opportunity to see a variety of animals and birds. Zebras, buffaloes, baboons, topis, impalas, cheetahs, leopards, and the recently introduced Rhinos, which were the only member of the Big Five missing in this park, are among the animals that can be seen here. Thorntree Camp is where you’ll spend the night. All meals are included in the price.

Days 5 and 6
Serengeti National Park for a full day

A trip to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is a must-do for any safari enthusiast. Before heading back for breakfast, you head out to the Serengeti plains for a sunrise game drive, which usually provides the only opportunity to see the nocturnal species retiring and the diurnal species waking up to a new day. After breakfast, you will depart for a full day of Serengeti game drives. Depending on the season and time of year, you can witness the magnificent natural phenomenon of the ‘Great migration,’ in which over 1.5 million wildebeests, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras, brave crocodile-infested rivers and cross the Kenyan border into the Masai Mara in search of green pastures and water. Serengeti is a must-see for anyone visiting Tanzania because of the resident animals and birds that live there all year. You’ll return to the campsite for dinner and the night later in the afternoon. 02 x Thorntree Camp Overnight All meals are included in the price.

Day 7
Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti

After breakfast, proceed to the world’s largest unbroken Caldera, the Ngorongoro Crater, also known as the “Eden of Africa” and the “eighth wonder of the world.” After about an hour and a half of steady driving, you will arrive at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s Main Gate, where you will complete some registration procedures before continuing on to the Crater Rim, where you will make a brief stop at the View Point. Then it’s down to the crater floor for a full day of game viewing in search of the Big Five: Elephants, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, and Buffaloes, all of which can be seen in a single day with a little luck. You can expect to see zebras, topis, gazelles, hartebeests, warthogs, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, Serval cats, silver backed jackals, and many other species at close range on the Crater floor. Lake Makat, located in the heart of the Crater floor, is home to a plethora of aquatic birds, including colorful flamingos, Egyptian geese, cormorants, and grebes. After lunch at a designated picnic site near a hippo pool, game drives will continue until later in the afternoon, when you will return to the Crater Rim and check into your campsite for dinner and overnight. Stay at Country Lodge or Endoro Lodge for the night. All meals are included in the price.

Day 8
Eyasi – Ngorongoro

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and travel to the Lake Eyasi area for a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience. Eyasi is home to the Hadzabe people, a hunter-gatherer tribe who have defied the odds of westernization and continue to practice the ancient way of life of hunting animals and gathering fruits and tubers for food. The Hadzabes are a small ethnic group that has managed to live in harmony with the natural world. You will also have the opportunity to meet the Datoga people, a small tribe with a rich cultural heritage of their own. This cultural day is capped off with a wonderful sundowner at Lake Eyasi, where you can take a dip in the lake if you’re lucky enough to visit after the long rains. Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge is where you’ll spend the night.

Day 9
Tarangire National Park’s Lake Eyasi.

You will go on a traditional hunting session with the Bushmen very early in the morning, and then check out of the lodge after breakfast. After that, you’ll be on your way to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third largest national park. Following registration, you will go on a full day of game drives in this magnificent national park, which is known for its massive baobab trees and unusually large elephant herds. You can see zebras, giraffes, warthogs, leopards, cheetahs, and other animals such as zebras, giraffes, warthogs, leopards, and cheetahs in Tarangire. The Tarangire River, the park’s lifeblood, ensures a year-round supply of water, and the riverbeds take center stage when animals congregate to obtain this rare commodity, resulting in spectacular wildlife action as predators try to take advantage of the opportunity. You’ll drive to your campsite for dinner and the night later in the afternoon. Sangaiwe Tented Lodge is where you’ll spend the night.

Day 10
Arusha – Tarangire

Last-minute game drives in Tarangire or a nature walk along the park’s perimeter with the help of a Maasai warrior or armed ranger. After breakfast, check out of the lodge and return to Arusha by car. You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for departure depending on your flight schedule.