Trip Overview
Enjoy this Serengeti and fabled Ngorongoro Crater Safari Soles tour on this 10-day private lodge safari. The highlight of this adventurous safari is the off-the-beaten-track drive to Lake Natron along the Rift Valley Escarpment wall. The soda lake, Lake Natron, lies below the active volcano “Ol Doinyo Lengai”, translated from Maasai means “Mountain of God”. The lake with its hyper-alkaline water is one of East Africa’s primary nursing grounds for more than 2.5 million lesser flamingos.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park
We will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to Tulia Spa & Boutique. A city sightseeing tour comes as part of the excursion for Day 1. The city excursion will involve visiting the local markets, the Maasai Market, cultural heritage, and the Arusha City Museum.
Day 2: Arusha to Lake Manyara
Pick up at 7:00 AM from your hotel and depart for Lake Manyara National Park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. As you enter the national park, lush forests of Acacia and Mahogany trees begin to set the mood for what is waiting ahead. The game drive will go on till evening with a small break for picnic lunch. During the game drive watch out for buffaloes, giraffes, impalas, baboons and the blue monkeys. Another spectacle of Lake Manyara National park is the tree climbing lions, however spotting them is a game of luck. In the right season, you can see the shoreline turning pink with millions of flamingos flocking there. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you.
Day 3: Lake Natron
Your day will begin after breakfast by about 8:00 AM. We depart with packed lunch boxes towards Lake Natron. Located about 3.5 hours drive away from Mto Wa Mbu/Manyara, Lake Natron is a surreal destination and unique natural spectacle. Its waters are highly alkaline and are unusually shallow, averaging just one meter in depth. After checking into your lodge and a short break, put your walking shoes on as a Maasai tribesman takes you on a walk around the shores of Lake Natron on the lookout for birds, especially the lesser flamingos. Lake Natron is the most important and regular breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa hosting up to 2 million of them during the breeding season. The majority of egg-laying and hatching takes place from September to January. After the hike, you will head back to your camp/lodge for a well deserved dinner and rest.
Day 4: Lake Natron to Central Serengeti
Your day starts early. Around 6:00 AM, accompanied by a Maasai guide, enjoy some light hiking to the nearby Ngare Sero waterfalls and relax in the cool spray of water cascading down the rocks of this scenic ravine. Make sure to bring your shoes! We return to accommodation by 8:30 AM and, after finishing up a good breakfast, will head out towards the Serengeti National Park. This road trip takes you through a variety of sites: towns and villages, savannah and forest, and you’ll be able to spot animals like antelope, wildebeest, and zebra. We enter the Serengeti in the afternoon. The Serengeti is arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. You will have an afternoon game drive in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. A picnic lunch will be served during the day-long game drive itself. The eventful day comes to an end with dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.
Day 5-7: Central Serengeti
ou can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full day game drives around 9:00 AM with packed lunch and return back to lodge late afternoon around 6:00 PM. Or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today. The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti – known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. During the off season of the migration, one must really look out for the many lion pride that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion pride provide an excellent game viewing experience all year round. Along with a picnic lunch during the full day game drive, the day will come to a close by around 5PM. The long day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.
Day 8: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro
After breakfast around 6:30 AM, you will depart with a packed lunch from the camp and have a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park till lunch time. There are several game drive circuits in Central Serengeti and depending on what you have already seen on your safari and your interests, your guide will take you to game drives at one or more of these circuits. You are very likely to see a good number of big cats, especially lions, along with a diverse array of other wildlife. In the afternoon depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Depending on your choice of accommodation, you will be either staying inside Ngorongoro conservation area or exiting from Ngorongoro and staying at a lodge in Karatu. The day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.
Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater Tour (5 hours) to Lake Eyasi
On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descent at around 6:30 AM into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq kms with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, Hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater. We will drive to our accommodation at Lake Eyasi and relax for the day.
You can also consider a quick visit to the shores of Lake Eyasi in the late afternoon/evening and explore it on a short trek where you can often see a large number of flamingoes and other birds.
Day 10: Lake Eyasi to Arusha
Around 05:30 am, after a light breakfast, you will depart from the lodge and visit the Hadzabe Bushmen. They are the last remaining hunter gatherers of East Africa who are continuing their way of life with very little changes since 10s of thousands of years. You will participate in their early morning activities including bush trek, hunting, and making a campfire. Other activities that might be done during the day are interacting with the Hadza, participating in their honey gathering, baobab fruit foraging, and experiencing their daily life.
Later in the day, you will drive back to the village to meet the Datoga people, another indigenous tribe found in the area. Datogas are skilled farmers and livestock keepers. Some of them are also craftsmen living independently for over decades forging knives, arrowheads, and jewelry for the greater Datoga tribe and for the Bushmen.
Later on, you will return to your lodge for a hot lunch before driving further to Arusha to reach by around 5:00 PM.
Trip-Highlights
Trip Duration
10 Days, 9 Nights
Tour Start
On Any Date
Physical Rating
Easy
Accommodation
Budget/Luxury/Mid-Range
Detailed Breakdown
Safari Cost Includes
- All park fees, entrance fees, and Government Taxes;
- Pick-up at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO);
- Comfortable Land Cruiser 4x4s with pop-up roof;
- Experienced English-speaking safari guide;
- 24/7 phone support;
- All accommodations under your program;
- Three meals per day on safari;
- Bottled water and soft drinks throughout the tour;
Safari Cost Excludes
- Air tickets;
- Visa fee;
- Tips for your safari guide.
- Lunch and dinner in hotel (only before and after safari);
Inquiry Space
DISCLAIMER
Please note that all trip prices are based on our own company costs, fees, and supplier prices in effect at the time of booking. We reserve the right to alter trip prices should inflation, the cost of fuel, labor, materials, or exchange rates change. If the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) raises park fees, or any hotel, lodge, camp, or any other service provider raises their rates, we reserve the right to require additional payment from the client.
