5/5.0

Journey Time: Approx. 1:30 Minutes

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, be welcomed by our dedicated safari guide(s) and transfer (private shuttle) to the hotel in Arusha City. Get checked in and spend the rest of this day at leisure. Dinner included at the lodge.

Arusha City: Situated on the lower slopes of Mount Meru and on eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha is close to the top attractions of Tanzania such as Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru in the Arusha National Park. It is an international diplomatic hub known for; hosting the African Union Court, capital of the East African Community, and also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, today Arusha hosts one of the headquarters of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Arusha is home to the National Natural History Museum, which contains three exhibits on early man, plants and animals of the region, and its history. The significant museum was recently an administrative outpost for the Germans (1900s), but converted to a public museum in 1987.

Overnight: Mount Meru Hotel – or similar

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast (Dinner arranged separately)

Journey Time: Approx. Approx. 2 Hours

Pick-up Time: 09:00AM. Breakfast at the Hotel and check-out: As scheduled, depart Arusha City for Tarangire National Park. Arrive for lunch and refreshment at the lodge.   

Next is a detailed Guided Safari with a Sundowner Experience – Head out for a guided game drive in Tarangire; enjoy sights of the park’s immense elephant herds and well as other animals and birds at sunset. Included is a sundowner at a scenic spot around the lodge; this comes with a cocktails, juices, coffees/teas and snacks, highlighted by great views of the savannah grasslands as the sun goes down the horizon. 

An African-style Barbeque Dinner will be served at the lodge: This comes with a lavish choice of grilled meats and accompaniments with special dietary requirements taken into consideration. A selection of wines and spirits as well as other beverages will be offered.

Tarangire National Park – Tanzania’s 6th largest National Park and covers a 2,600 sq.km conservation area. It lies between the meadows of the Masai Steppe (southeast) and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley (north and west). In the northern region of the park is River Tarangire, (life-line of the park) which is the park’s only source of hydration in the long dry season. Tarangire is popular for hosting the highest population of African elephants than any park in northern Tanzania – on a daily, over 300 elephants are seen along the Tarangire River in the dry season. Furthermore, the park is known for its massive ancient baobab trees, and excellent birding spots. Besides the elephants, at Tarangire expect sighting other animals such as impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, greater and lesser kudu as well as wildebeests and zebras; the predators common here are the leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetah and the occasional wild dogs; with over 545 bird species. 

Overnight: Maramboi Tented Lodge – or similar 

Meal Plan: Full Board (Drinks: water and soft drinks, local beers with house wine)

Journey Time: Approx. 3 Hours   

Pick-up Time: 05:30AM. Early before sunrise, checkout and transfer to the balloon launch site. Alternatively (Pickup at: 05:30AM), if not taking the balloon ride, included is a bush breakfast with a game drive on the way to Ngorongoro.

Optional Activity: Tarangire Balloon Safari with a Bush Breakfast – Arrive at the launch site by 06:00AM for briefing before starting off your balloon adventure; before take-off at 06:15, be offered an energizing coffee/tea cup. After briefing, embark and hit the skies at sunrise for a great opportunity to capture the wilderness golden hour (the sunrise). On your balloon adventure, traverse the Tarangire River, and admire the surrounding granitic rocks, dense swamps, as well as the deep river valleys; the stunning views of Tarangire’s millennial old baobab trees, together with a sheer population of the elephant herds, with  an opportunity to spot the leopard on the hunt, will make your balloon flight worthwhile. On landing head to the set venue for your Bush Breakfast; be served a delicious African-style breakfast in the heart or Tarangire National Park. Explore and taste freshly baked pastries, eggs/omelettes, exotic fruits, and numerous hot dishes awaits – This comes with teas/coffees, a glass of champagne and/or fresh juices.

Thereafter, enjoy a Game Drive en-route to Ngorongoro Conservation Area: On safari expect to spot animals such as Lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs, hartebeest, kudu, oryx, eland, gazelles, mongoose, pythons, and over 550 bird species including ostriches! Included is a stopover at River Tarangire with its elephant herds, baobab trees (photo opportunity).

Continue to Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Lunch will be served within the Crater floor (a live kitchen, a dedicated chef and waiters all onsite.)Enjoy a delicious luncheon, served under a canopy at one of the picnic areas in the Crater; surrounded by various game and the crater rim beyond!

After lunch explore the highlights of Ngorongoro:

Explore the stunning Ngorongoro Crater (Guided game drive); Ngorongoro is a renowned world’s largest and most scenic volcanic crater! Ngorongoro is an utterly unique biosphere that has remained virtually untouched since the dawn of time. Deep within the crater, enclosed by towering walls, some over 20,000 large mammals roam in the plains, lakes, and forests of this land that time forgot, dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos, lions, and birds of all kind. Visit the ancient Olduvai Gorge with Olduvai Museum; a pre-historic archaeological site where the ancient fossils (early man) were discovered hence the “Cradle of Mankind”. Get to learn about; the discovery works of Mary and Louis Leakey; then proceed to Olduvai Museum; which exhibits numerous fossils, stone tools of our hominid ancestors and skeletons of extinct animals excavated in the gorge. It was founded by Mary Leakey in 1970 and later to its present look in 2017.  

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (UNESCO World Heritage Site): Was once a part of the great Serengeti National Park, but later in 1959, the Ngorongoro was split from Serengeti into an independently protected area a with unique outstanding universal values and conservational status. At the top of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders; Ngorongoro was upgraded to a UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979, owing to its global biodiversity significance portrayed by the presence of endemic animal species, immense wildlife within and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles into the northern plains.

Thereafter, transfer to the lodge to refresh and enjoy your signature outdoor dinner.
Planned Experience: An African-style Gala Dinner – Set outdoors around the lodge; enjoy a sumptuous dinner, served along with authentic African cuisines. Be entertained by the indigenous Masai people as you enjoy the bright night.    

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge – or similar 

Meal Plan: Full Board

Journey Time: Approx. 04 Hours – to Kilimanjaro  

Pickup Time: 01:30PM. Breakfast at the lodge and check-out based on checkout time (luggage stored at the lodge reception).You may opt to visit the Masai Boma, or enjoy the morning at leisure with an early lunch at the lodge before departure.   

Optional Activity: Masai Cultural Village Visit – The Masai are a popular nomadic warrior tribe residing around Ngorongoro and other parts of Tanzania into Kenya; they still live largely untouched by modernity. The Masai live in “Manyattas”; low height huts, made out of mud/cow dung and wood, with a single entrance and minimal side windows; clustered to form a homestead “Masai Boma”, without modern facilities (power, piped water and more). Enjoy a cultural immersion on your visit to a Masai village; interact with the Masai and get to explore their unique culture and traditional lifestyle (customs and cultural entertainment).

Early lunch and refreshment at the lodge. After lunch depart Ngorongoro via Arusha City to Kilimanjaro Int. Airport for your onward flight.

Note: For late departures, dayrooms will be offered on request basis for an extra fee.