On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) which caters for domestic flights, you will be met by our representative who will drive you to your accommodation in Arusha. Your overnight stay will be at Kahawa House where the rhythm of nature pounds to the beat of an African drum, and where life is all about a revival of the senses.

Early breakfast will be served at the hotel. We will then depart to Tarangire National Park. The park is named after the Tarangire River which runs through it. This ‘river of warthogs’ is the only source of water for wildlife in the region during the dry season. In some places, the vegetation is quite dense, including elephant grass, acacia woodlands and lush groundwater forest. The park is well known for its elephant families, which can often be seen congregating by the river. You may also see giraffe, bushbuck and hartebeest. These animals are closely followed by a range of predators, including lions and leopards. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet! After lunch and an extensive game drive, we will head for dinner and our overnight stay at Kitela Lodge.

Early in the morning after breakfast, we will depart to Ngorongoro Crater. When you first see Ngorongoro Crater, it looks like a forgotten world. You will have an opportunity to spot the endangered black rhino and large families of lions. The Crater was created when a large volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself two to three million years ago. It is famous for both its geological delights and for being a natural reserve that is home to some of the densest large mammal populations in the whole of African. The drive down into the Crater is an adventure in itself and when you reach the Crater floor, you’ll quickly find yourself amongst large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and more than 500 bird species. The Crater provides you with the best chance of seeing the endangered black rhino, which can sometimes be spotted in the open grass. After a packed lunch, drive to the Serengeti National Park. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at Kubukubu Luxury Tented Lodge.

We will once more enjoy an early breakfast and set off on our game viewing drive at about 6:30 am. You’ll have 6 to 7 hours exploring this incredible park. The Serengeti is the habitat for an abundance of wildlife, such as impala, buffalo, crocodile and hippo, but is more well-known for its great migrating herds of zebras (two hundred and fifty thousand), wildebeests (one and a half million!) and antelopes (half a million). The animals’ trek is determined by the rainfall and varies from year to year. We may also see the predators, such as leopard, cheetah, and lion plying their rough trade. At roughly 2:00 pm, we’ll drive back to Karatu, arriving at our carefully selected mid-range partner lodge for dinner in an excellently appointed restaurant. There will be a pool for relaxation if desired, a digestif by the fire below the endless African sky perhaps, and our capacious quarters awaiting us for a night of ease and dreams of wild cats! Our overnight stay will be at Kitela Lodge.

Early breakfast will be served at the Lodge. We’ll then take a short drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Manyara, a relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha, is named for the shallow salt lake that occupies a good seventy per cent of the park’s lands. Flooding and drying seasonally, this soda lake is home to thousands of flamingos and over 500 other bird species. On our exploration of the park, we will see monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo and elephants. With some luck, we may see lions lounging on trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. We will return to Arusha after a packed lunch. Our adventure coming to its inevitable close. You’ll be arriving in time for your flight back home or a flight to Zanzibar.