Itinerary

DAY 1 - ARUSHA

Arrive at Arusha, where you will be met by a Safari Ventures Guide. Transfer to the Serena Mountain View Lodge to rest and relax for the rest of the day. Overnight at Serena Mountain View Lodge [B].

DAY 2 - ARUSHA – LAKE MANYARA

Morning at leisure to prepare for your safari. After checkout, you will be picked up from your hotel where you will join your fellow safari goers. You depart Arusha and pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. At the town of Makayuni you turn northwest and continue the journey up through a scenic escarpment that brings you to your lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with stunning views over the distant Lake Manyara. Overnight at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge [B,L,D].

DAY 3 - LAKE MANYARA--- SERENGETI

After breakfast you will depart for a game drive in Lake Manyara. Leaving Lake Manyara behind, the journey continues northwest across the stunning hilly countryside of the highlands which is filled with wheat and coffee plantations, and then into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From here lie the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you will start spotting game well before you get into the park. Overnight at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge [B,L,D]

DAY 4 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park. Overnight at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge [B,L,D]

DAY 5 - SERENGETI- NGORONGORO CRATER & HIGHLANDS

After breakfast you will depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area with game viewing enroute across the vast Serengeti Plains. You will stop at Olduvai Gorge en route. The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Oldupai by the Masai. The Gorge is about 50km long and in some places around 90m deep and is found between the Crater and the Serengeti. It was first discovered by a German entomologist named Professor Kattwinkel, who instigated an expedition just before the First World War. Later, the exploration was continued by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, who in 1959 found humanoid remains of Zinjanthropus, later renamed Australapithicus Boisei, an early form of man. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge’s earliest inhabitants.  After a picnic lunch you continue to your lodge, set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge [B,L,D].

DAY 6 - NGORONGORO CRATER

A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart to explore what is commonly referred to as the

World’s largest wildlife zoo. After breakfast, you’ll descend through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the World’s largest intact volcanic caldera and is also one of the World’s seven natural wonders. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It’s an awesome wildlife experience.  You return to the lodge for lunch followed by an afternoon excursion of a Masaai Village and come back to the lodge in the late afternoon. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge [B,L,D].

DAY 7 - NGORONGORO CRATER- TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, you will depart Ngorongoro Crater and head southeast towards Lake Manyara, Mtowa Mbu village and Tarangire beyond. Through the highlands and the Karatu district, you’ll view the scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations here before journeying down the spectacular escarpment where you turn south on to the main Arusha – Dodoma road and into the park. As soon you arrive, you will marvel at the beauty of this pristine wilderness.  After lunch and perhaps a swim, the remainder of the afternoon will be spent on a game drive. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge [B,L,D].

DAY 8 - DEPART

After breakfast you will return back to Arusha and dropped off at the airport in time for your return flight back. The journey will pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations [B]

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