5-Day Lodge Safari from Zanzibar

Overview

Tour highlights

• Lodge and high-standard camp nights throughout
• Night on the crater rim before an early descent
• Full day in the central Serengeti
• Maasai village visit in the highlands
• Pre-trip briefing at your Zanzibar hotel
• Return flights Zanzibar–Arusha included

1. Day 1 Zanzibar to Arusha, Afternoon Among the Baobabs Stay Lodge in the Lake Manyara and Karatu areaMeals Lunch, Dinner

   After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Zanzibar’s airport for the one-hour flight to Arusha. Your guide meets you there, with time for a stop in town if you need anything, then drives across the Maasai steppe to Tarangire National Park. Spend the afternoon exploring the park’s baobab-studded hills and the Tarangire River, which draws elephant, buffalo, zebra and giraffe in large numbers in the dry season. Toward sunset, climb the Rift Valley escarpment to your lodge.

2. Day 2 Over the Crater Highlands to Seronera Stay Lodge or high-standard camp in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Drive through the farmland around Karatu and up to the Ngorongoro rim, pausing at the viewpoint over the crater. On the far side of the highlands, visit a Maasai village, where you can step inside a family home, ask questions and watch the jumping dance. Continue down to the Serengeti gate and on to Seronera, the central area where a permanent river attracts wildlife all year. Picnic among the kopjes, then game drive until it is time for your lodge.

3. Day 3 Sunrise to Sunset on the Serengeti Plains Stay Lodge or high-standard camp in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave early with breakfast and lunch packed, so you can be out when cats are still moving in the cool of dawn. You may find lionesses on a hunt or hyenas returning from the night. Later, your guide heads toward wherever the wildebeest and zebra herds are grazing at that time of year, or to the river and kopjes if the herds are elsewhere. Return to the lodge near sunset, with time to sit by the fire before dinner.

4. Day 4 Morning in the Park, Sunset on the Crater Rim Stay Lodge or high-standard camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend the morning on one more Serengeti game drive, with a picnic lunch out in the park. In the afternoon, drive back east toward the Ngorongoro highlands, watching for wildlife on the way. Arrive at your accommodation on the crater rim in time to watch the light fade over the caldera, some 600 meters below. Nights at this altitude are cool, so have a warm layer ready for the evening.

5. Day 5 Early Descent to the Crater Floor, Flight to Zanzibar Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   Set off around 6:30 a.m. to be among the first vehicles on the crater floor. Look for black rhino, lion, hyena and the elusive leopard, along with buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and elephant. Visit Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake where flamingos and hippos can be seen. After a picnic lunch, leave the crater and drive to Arusha for the one-hour flight back to Zanzibar. If you would prefer a night in Arusha instead, we can arrange it at extra cost.

Questions about this safari