Overview
This is our Big safaris 9 days safari and just right for you if you want to experience everything that Tanzania has to offer. We’ll take you on a journey of sights and sounds and colours: a journey where you’ll witness a landscape of diversity and nature at its finest. From the golden plains of the Serengeti to the lush exclusivity of Tarangire; from the russets of Lake Natron to the pink shimmer of flamingo on Soda Lake at the Ngorongoro Crater, you’ll travel across a glorious patchwork of habitats framed eternally by deep blue skies, golden horizons and the indigo of star-filled nights. And all this, of course, with the opportunity to watch some of the most spectacular animals on the planet, including the Big Five. Adventures don’t come any bigger than this.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha to Arusha National Park
Your safaris will start at Moshi, a cheerful, bustling town filled with coffee houses and a lively buzz. You’ll set off to the Arusha National Park, the setting for the jewel-like Lake Momella, which you’ll glimpse through the bronze bush where the Ngurduto Crater buffalo, waterbuck, giraffe, warthogs, zebra and gazelle reside throughout the year. You’ll set out on foot, too, for a stroll that will offer you the sensation of feeling Africa’s vibrant pulse through the soles of your shoes and you’ll experience the bush in infinite detail
Day 2: Arusha National Park to Tarangire National Park to Mto wa Mbu
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After a tasty breakfast you’ll head off to the lovely, quiet Tarangire National Park. It’s a huge park, with a diverse concentration of wildlife especially between July and October when the Tarangire River is in full flood. If you love elephants, then this is the park for you. You’ll never forget your first sitting of the majestic African elephant, the largest land mammal in the world; and at Tarangire, herds of these beautiful, intelligent creatures wander at leisure, looking after their young. But you’ll also see a dizzying variety of wildlife including lions, giraffe, warthogs, ostrich, impala, cheetah, mongoose, buffalo, and baboons. The birdlife is magnificent, too, and you’ll catch the flash of a red-and-yellow barbet, or gaze on the slow circling of the tawny eagle. After a picnic lunch you’ll drive to Mto wa Mbu and reach in the late afternoon. You’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the African evening while enjoying a tasty dinner
Day 3: Mto wa Mbu to Lake Natron:
After a yummy breakfast, you’ll depart for Lake Natron, which is famous for its salinity and the unique consequences of this. The microorganisms that prefer an alkaline environment cause the lake’s russet tone, and you’ll see salt-crust rafts scattered in the shallows. Over half the world’s lesser flamingoes are born in the lake, and you are likely to see clouds of shimmering pink as the flamingoes settle and stalk on the still waters. You’ll explore a curious terrain of salt marshes and freshwater wetlands with its unique flora, leading to sparkling waterfalls
Day 4: Lake Natron to Serengeti National Park:
After breakfast you’ll say goodbye to Lake Natron and hello to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. But first you’ll travel through the bustling towns of Loliondo and Wasso through Klein’s Gate at the northeast entrance to the park. This road trip takes in an array of sites: towns and villages, savannah and forest, and you’ll be able to spot animals like antelope, wildebeest and zebra. You’ll arrive at the Serengeti where you can stretch your legs then fill up with a delicious dinner in time for a good night’s sleep, ready for your full day’s adventures tomorrow.
Day 5: Serengeti National Park
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After a nourishing breakfast, you’ll continue into the vast plains of the magnificent Serengeti, home to a diverse array of hundreds of species of animal and bird. Each moment of today’s adventure will stimulate your senses; your eyes alert for each new sitting, your ears feasting on the calls, screeches and buzz of life – or the still, dead silence of the hot noonday. The Serengeti is world famous for its diversity – you’ll likely see lions, leopard, elephant, cheetahs and water buffalo - and all within a few feet of your jeep.
Day 6:Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater
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You’ll be up and about after breakfast for another drive through the sights and sounds of the Serengeti: the golden grasslands dotted with acacia, the endless blue of the skies and the ever-changing sites: over here you might see a rare tree-climbing lion – not as graceful as the leopard who is a lithe, natural climber – and towards the horizon a mixed herd of zebra and wildebeest grazing gently. After lunch you’ll set off for your next adventure, which is an exploration of the unique Ngorongoro Crater, and we’ll spend overnight here, which is on the very rim of the Crater itself.
Day 7:Ngorongoro Crater to Lake Eyasi
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You’ll be up early in a world etched in the pink and apricot rays of an African dawn because early mornings are the best time to spot the animals – especially the Big Five. But don’t worry; you’ll have a filling, healthy breakfast before you set off! The volcanic landscape is rich and fertile and attracts thousands of grazing animals – and their predators. The high walls of the crater form a protective shelter for many animals and prevent migration, so the diversity is dizzying and you’ll spot zebra, wildebeest and cackling hyenas, amongst others.
Day 8:Lake Eyasi to Mto wa Mbu:
Lake Eyasi is a special place; it’s the home of one of the world’s last tribe of hunter- gatherers. The Hadzabe bush people grow no food, raise no livestock, and live without rules or calendars. They live a hunter-gatherer existence that is little changed in 10,000 years. You’ll be able to watch the Hadzabe traditional methods of survival, including how they hunt; and you can be sure nothing is hunted that is not used in its entirety.
Day 9:Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha
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Another early start – fuelled by a decent breakfast – to spot the wildlife as they are starting their day. Lake Manyara National Park nestles at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, and is a patchwork of diverse landscapes: the shrubby expanse of the golden savannah, the narrow shores teeming with wildlife and the still waters of Lake Manyara itself. This park is famous for elephant and for its tribes of baboons, who swoop and call to each other and never seem to stop for breath..
