Fascinating Tanzania

After a short briefing and once your luggage is stowed in the vehicle, you set off on your 5-day Tanzania safari towards Tarangire National Park.

Mighty baobabs (monkey-bread trees), bush savannah and seasonal swamps shape the landscape of this protected area.

The park covers approx. 2,600 km², roughly the area of Luxembourg, and is considered one of the best places in East Africa to observe elephants up close. The reason is not only the enormous population of an estimated 2,500 animals, but also the fact that the elephants are hardly bothered by vehicles.

The park also offers habitat for Maasai giraffes, various gazelle and antelope species, buffalo, lions, leopards, baboons and several hundred bird species.

Until late afternoon you go on extensive game drives within the park and then stay overnight at Lake Burunge Baobab Tented Lodge.

After breakfast you continue into the highlands. Via Karatu you drive into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and pass the volcanic crater of the same name.

After crossing the crater highlands, the wide plains of the southern Serengeti soon come into view. On the drive to your accommodation, the origin of the name Serengeti (Siringitu in Maasai), meaning “the endless plain”, is impressively revealed.

The grass savannahs of the southern Serengeti stretch to the horizon and are interrupted only by so-called kopjes (bizarre rock formations).

These are the ideal hunting grounds for cheetahs and other big cats. In the afternoon you reach today’s destination, Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp inside the park.

The whole of today is available for game drives in the Serengeti. The areas visited depend on the most rewarding viewing spots at the time.

Depending on the season, you can also observe the great migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebras – a highlight of your 5-day Tanzania safari.

Usually these herds move during the short rainy season in October and November from Kenya’s Masai Mara through the northern Serengeti to the plains in the south.

After the long rainy season in April, May and June, the herds slowly move back through the western and north-western Serengeti.

Due to fluctuations in rainfall, however, this schedule can shift and the animals may be in other areas.

Your guide knows where the animals are and will take you to the best viewing spots. Night at the same accommodation as the day before.

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Important: Please note that between early January and mid-March two nights are spent at Ndutu Kati Kati Tented Camp.

At this time, the wildebeest and zebra herds are usually in the southern Serengeti or in an adjoining area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Staying overnight in the Ndutu area significantly increases your chances of experiencing the great animal migration.

You have breakfast at daybreak and then drive back to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. With a little luck, you may spot predators on the hunt on the way so early in the morning.

Around midday you stop at a picnic site. As soon as you reach the crater rim, a unique view of the crater floor opens up. Afterwards you drive down into the crater on an adventurous track.

The interior of the world’s largest caldera fascinates with an incredible wealth of wildlife. In the grass plains and acacia woodland you will find almost every representative of the East African savannah landscape. It is not uncommon to observe the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – within a few hours.

After an extensive game drive you leave the crater highlands and drive to Karatu, where you stay at one of three beautifully situated Tanganyika Wilderness Adventure lodges (Ngorongoro Farm House, Farm House Valley or Tloma Lodge).

After a leisurely breakfast you drive back to Arusha, which you will reach around midday. Your 5-day Tanzania safari is over.

Depending on your onward programme, you will be taken directly to the airport (Kilimanjaro or Arusha) or to your hotel in Arusha.