Tarangire National Park lies about 120 kilometers south of Arusha and is one of Africa’s unknown gems. At 2,600km2, the park is hardly the biggest of the Tanzanian parks, but its open plains dotted with thousands of baobabs make for a truly incomparable landscape. The park is also easy to access and has some of the greatest concentrations of game in Tanzania (second only to the Ngorongoro Crater). Another attractive point is that there are not nearly as many tourists as other Tanzanian parks.

Game viewing in Tarangire is largely affected by the presence of water, and during the dry season many animals congregate at the Tarangire River, the park's only permanent source of water. Tarangire is also the best place in Tanzania to see large herds of elephant (up to 300 at a time) and buffalo. In fact, the game numbers overall are staggering: 30,000 zebra, 25,000 wildebeest, 5,000 buffalo, 3,000 elephant, 2,500 Maasai giraffe and over 1,000 fringe-eared Oryx (gemsbok). Predators include lion (prone to tree-climbing just like their Lake Manyara cousins), cheetah and leopard. The park is also known for its great avian diversity, in which it is surpassed only by Lake Manyara. Birders will want to look out for the endemic ashy starling, rufous-tailed weaver and black-collared lovebird.

Between the Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Victoria and Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya stretches one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges - the Serengeti. The name comes from the Maasai “siringet,” meaning “endless plains”. The Serengeti’s 14,763 km2 contains about three million large animals, most taking part in seasonal migrations, unparalleled in nature. Twice a year, triggered by the rains, 1.4 million wildebeest, 300,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle gather to undertake the long trek to new grazing lands. The migration of the herbivores roughly defines the boundaries of Serengeti National Park, which is the central zone of the Serengeti ecosystem, an area that also takes in Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Maswa Game Reserve in the west. Within this 25,900 km2 of varied landscape live thirty-five species of plains game and 500 bird species.

The endless plains of the Serengeti lie 330 km North West of Arusha.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers 8288 km2 and encompasses the volcanic area around the Ngorongoro Crater - including the still active volcano of Oldonyo Lengai and the famous Olduvai Gorge. Its centerpiece, the Ngorongoro Crater, is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and the first sight of it is breathtaking. The floor of the crater is only 100 sq miles but is home to around 30,000
animals with a high concentration of predators.
The crater supports up to 25,000 large mammals. Grazers dominate: zebra, wildebeest – accounting for almost half the animals - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and wart hog. Giraffe, for example, stay away because there is insufficient food at tree level; topi because they compete directly with wildebeest. An odd feature of the crater elephants is that they are almost exclusively bulls. Breeding herds - comprising large numbers of females and young with a few attendant older males - are probably unable to find sufficient quality food in the crater.
Ngorongoro has carnivores in quantity, drawn by the large herds of prey animals. It has the densest population of large predators, mainly lion - about 100 - and more than 400 spotted hyenas, living in eight clans of up to eighty individuals. Both lions and hyenas will scavenge from each other, depending on weight of numbers and of course, hunger. Most of the bird wildlife in Ngorongoro is seasonal. Also influencing the variety of bird species on display is the
ratio of soda water to fresh water – soda water has the largest expanse of water on the crater floor, Lake Magadi. The lake is alkaline due to deposits of volcanic ash thrown out by surrounding volcanoes.

Lake Manyara National Park is one of the smallest but most ecologically diverse game reserves in Tanzania. Entering the park the tall trees surround the ground forest. In many ways it resembles a tropical rainforest - with its verdant foliage and variety of bird life - the difference being these trees are supported by a water supply from underneath rather than by abundant rainfall.

Following the formation of the Rift Valley, streams cascaded down the rocky walls and, because there was no outlet, a lake was formed. It was at its largest about a quarter of a million years ago. The average area of the lake is around 390 km2 varying from year to year.The lake harbors abundant aquatic life ranging from pink flamingoes to elegant pelicans. The hippos are no doubt commandingly noticeable in the inlets of various rivers & rivulets feeding this lake with fresh water.
At the far southern end of the park, are some Hot water springs owing to the vulcanicity which the whole region went through, about a million years ago. Perfectly popular are the tree-climbing lions of this park – they are known to take this position especially during the dry season on the low-lying branches of the dominant umbrella acacias.

Depart from the European Airport to Kilimanjaro Airport where you will be met by our Africa representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight (dinner not included).

Enjoy an early breakfast before heading out into “the bush”. Your Africa representative will give you an in-depth safari briefing before you depart and start your African Adventure. You will depart the lodge at around 09.00 hrs and drive for around 2 hours to reach Mto wa Mbu, the local village that is the hub of the Lake Manyara Region. Let your driver know if you would like to visit a local market and he will gladly take you and show you the area’s specialty, bananas! On arrival at your lodge, you will be checked in to your room to admire the beautiful views across the National Park and the Great Rift Valley. After a leisurely lunch, you will depart for an afternoon game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. The game drive will take you through the different ecosystems the park has and if you are lucky you will spot the infamous tree climbing lions. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at the lodge you will depart for Serengeti National Park. Guests will have a picnic lunch in the Naabi Hill Area so that they can enjoy a long game drive en route in the seemingly endless plains. Arrive at your lodge in the Serengeti early in the evening where dinner will be waiting for you at your overnight stay.

The Serengeti will always have an unsuspected surprise in stall for you….be it when you are out to check on the migration of the wildebeest or zebra, or in search of
the big cats, or even the unnoticed dung beetles whose contribution to this sensitive ecosystem go unnoticed but are vital. All meals and overnight at your lodge in the Serengeti.

Before breakfast you will have a final game drive in the Serengeti and after checking out of your hotel you will sadly leave this wonderful area. You will have Picnic lunches en route to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. En route to your lodge at the Crater you will pay a visit to the Oldupai (sometimes pronounced Olduvai) Gorge – deemed as the cradle of humankind. Dinner and overnight at your lodge in Ngorongoro Crater

After an early breakfast you will descend into the caldera where you will spend half of the day viewing game on the crater floor. Besides the huge black-maned lions, keep your eyes peeled for Rhino and after a final crater tour you will ascend the crater at about lunch time, to have lunch at the lodge. The rest of the afternoon you have at leisure unless you wish to take any optional activity such as visit a Masai Village (cost not included). Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

After an early breakfast, you will depart from your lodge and drive down the escarpment, enjoying the magnificent scenery along the way. You will pass various villages en route to Tarangire National Park. You will have a game drive en route to your lodge for lunch enjoying the sights of the magnificent baobab tress. On arriving at your lodge you will be checked in. At round 15.00 hrs you will depart on an afternoon game drive to enjoy the beautiful scenery this park has to offer. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

After an early morning game drive, you will return to your lodge for breakfast.  On checking out you will return to Arusha for drop off in the town centre.  End of Services.

Set in beautifully landscaped gardens, in the heart of Arusha Town, with all the amenities and luxury for the discerning traveler, The Arusha Hotel has 86 rooms including 4 suites, 25 deluxe rooms and 57 standard rooms. Elegantly furnished with en-suite bathrooms equipped with bathroom amenities and tea and coffee making facilities. Each room is fitted with satellite television with a selection of channels, hair dryer and an electronic safe. Rooms also have direct dial phones, wireless internet and air-conditioning.

Rivertrees Country Inn is a beautiful lodge on the outskirts of Arusha and is located half way between the International Airport at Kilimanjaro and Arusha Town Centre. Overlooking Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, Rivertrees is a small family owned hotel with beautiful landscaped gardens and is the perfect way to start or end a safari.

Onsea House is set in a semi-rural location on a hillside around 7km to the east of Arusha. With just four rooms, the lodge is definitely more intimate than others in the area. It also claims to offer a much higher standard of food and more personalised and precise levels of service, which is Mto Wa Mbu escarpment, overlooking the vast expanse ofextremely suitable for the more discrete clientele. The restaurant has an excellent chef and boasts the best cuisine in Arusha

Kirurumu is a tented camp situated on top of the Rift Escarpment above Lake Manyara, with tented rooms and simple stone public areas, all nicely spaced out amongst the acacia trees. As well as being a base from which to visit Lake Manyara National Park, Kirurumu offers a number of other activities including guided walking, horse and camel riding..

Lake Manyara Serena is dramatically situated on top of the 1950's. In recent years it has become a little more chic, but the Great Rift Valley, the 66 rooms blend gracefully with the serene natural surroundings. The lodge is located only a few minutes from Lake Manyara National Park. For those who want some time out of their vehicles, the lodge supports a number of nature trails and will have resident naturalist to enhance the experience. Guests may also choose to relax at an observation post or by the pool.

Set in the heart of an ancient mahogany forest in the southern reaches of Lake Manyara National Park, this exclusive safari lodge has ten romantic Tree Houses cradled in the boughs of the trees, just a short distance from the lake shore. Crafted from local timber and makuti (palm fronds), each has a private verandah with beautiful forest views. The surrounding landscape boasts a wealth of habitats, from swamps and the tranquil lake to the mountain escarpment of the Great Rift Valley –scenery so stunning that it inspired Hemingway’s great novel "Green Hills of Africa".

Gibb’s Farm is located in the scenic farmlands of Karatu, close to the Ngorongoro Crater in Northern Tanzania. Gibbs Farm is an utterly exceptional example of an old style farmstay. It is in fact the original stop on the way up to Ngorongoro, having been opening its doors since the retains the same tin-roof home-cooking type of appeal.

At 2,286 meters above sea level, Ngorongoro Serena is nestled onto the rim of the Crater, all in stone and wood construction and overgrown with natural vegetation; the 75 rooms of the lodge become almost unseen among the natural surroundings. They are breathtaking views of the crater from all the rooms.

Distinguished by its unique combination of extravagant style and magnificent setting, this architecturally spectacular safari lodge relishes its phenomenal floor-to-ceiling views over one of the most fascinating volcanic calderas in the world. Renowned for its sumptuous colonial-style interiors, the lodge comprises three adjacent glamorous camps, all with Maasai-inspired suites perched on stilts on the rim of the Crater. North and South Camps have 12 suites each, whilst intimate Tree Camp has just six suites. All are discreetly tended by a personal butler.

Mbuzi Mawe is located around 20kms north of Seronera in Serengeti National Park, away from the main visitor traffic of the park. The camp lies in the epicenter of the Serengeti National Park within easy reach of the prime wildlife areas of Lobo, the Western Corridor of the Grumeti River, the southern grass plains of the Seronera Valley and the kopjes of Gol, Moru and Loliondo. This lodge cleverly built around ‘kopje’ (rock pile) offers 15 comfortable tents.

Serengeti Serena Lodge is located high on a hill offering magnificent views of the Serengeti Plains, the lodge is pure Africa. Rustic and natural, circular like an African village, its 66 rooms make up a series of rondavels. The simple style is enhanced with sophisticated detail in the form of traditional handicraft, such as wood carvings, beadwork and pottery designs. The lodge offers its own unique game trails devised in conjunction with park consultants to allow enjoyment of the Serengeti’s unequaled variety of game.

Located in a remote valley in the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park, just 30 miles east of Lake Victoria, this flamboyant and vibrant safari camp overlooks a tributary of the Grumeti River –one of the crossing points of the great annual wildebeest migration (usually during June and July). Grumeti has just ten spacious tented suites under thatch, all beautifully crafted in wood, stone and canvas. The river, alive with hippo and crocodiles, is lined with tall riverine trees, home to countless birds and colobus monkeys.