8-Day Essence of Tanzania Safari – Luxury Experience

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport where your safari guide will warmly welcome you. From here, you’ll transfer to your elegant hotel in Arusha. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure take a deep breath, unwind, and prepare for your incredible adventure ahead.

Note: Arusha, a city in Tanzania, East Africa, is located at the base of volcanic Mt. Meru. It is a gateway to various safari destinations as well as to Africa's highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m), situated some 100 kilometers north-east.

After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, a place where massive baobab trees rise above sweeping grasslands. Spend the day exploring this wildlife-rich area, known for its large elephant herds and excellent birdlife. As the sun sets, head to your luxury lodge for a beautifully prepared dinner and a peaceful overnight stay.

This morning, drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Discover lush forests, sparkling lake shores, and open savannah in this compact but diverse park. Keep an eye out for tree-climbing lions, pink flamingos, and impressive elephant families. After lunch, continue your game drive until evening, then head to your hilltop lodge for dinner and relaxation.

Note: Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.

After breakfast, journey toward the world-famous Serengeti. Enroute, stop at the historic Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important archaeological sites on Earth. Continue into central Serengeti and enjoy your first afternoon game drive on the open plains. The day ends with dinner and sunset views from your stunning lodge.

Note: Serengeti National Park is well known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Bive", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters. The Serengeti is believed to hold the largest population of lions in Africa, due to the abundance of prey. More than 3,000 lions live in this ecosystem. The african leopard, a reclusive predator, is commonly seen in the Seronera region, but is present throughout the park with a population of around 1,000.

Spend a full day exploring the legendary Serengeti. These vast plains offer some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on the continent. Lions bask in the sun, leopards rest in acacia trees, and cheetahs gracefully roam across open grasslands. As evening approaches, enjoy a relaxing sundowner before returning to your lodge for dinner.

Note: The Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Masai Mara Game Reserve across the border in Kenya, protect the greatest and most varied collection of terrestrial wildlife on earth. It is one of the last great migratory systems still intact. The Serengeti is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania's protected areas, which altogether make up some 14% of the country's land area, a conservation record that few other countries can match.

After breakfast, enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti before starting your journey toward Ngorongoro. Along the way, you’ll visit a local Maasai village for a cultural experience. In the evening, check in at your crater-edge accommodation. Enjoy a warm dinner and breathtaking views from one of Tanzania’s most remarkable geological wonders.

Today, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater—often known as Africa’s Garden of Eden. The crater floor offers unmatched wildlife density, including lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos, and a wide variety of bird species. After lunch, begin your drive to Lake Eyasi, where you will check into your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Note: The jewel in Ngorongoro's crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest unflooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of hippo, flamingo and other water birds can usually been seen here.

Start your day with a cultural visit to the Hadzabe hunter-gatherer community. Experience their morning hunting routines and learn about their ancient survival techniques. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then drive back to Arusha with a stop for lunch along the way. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight—bringing your safari adventure to a close.

Note: Small groups of Hadzabe bushmen live around Lake Eyasi. Their language resembles the click languages of other bushmen further south in the Kalahari. Their small population was seriously threatened, in particular during the period when Julius Nyerere tried to introduce his Ujuma policy.