5-Day Luxury Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

Overview

Tour highlights

• Two nights in a luxury tented lodge in the Serengeti
• Big cat country on the central Serengeti plains
• A night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim
• Early descent to the crater floor
• Maasai village visit with a beadwork lesson
• Local drinks included; runs for a solo traveler

1. Day 1 Arrival and a Refined First Night in Arusha Stay Luxury hotel in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to your hotel in Arusha. Depending on when you land, spend the rest of the day at your own pace: rest after the flight, take a walk around town, try a few local dishes or sit down with your guide to talk through the days ahead. Arusha lies at the foot of Mount Meru and is the gateway to the northern parks, so it makes a comfortable base for adjusting to the time zone.

2. Day 2 Across the Highlands to the Serengeti Stay Luxury tented lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave after breakfast for the longest drive of the trip. The road passes farmland around Karatu, climbs through the forested highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and then drops onto the short-grass plains that lead into Serengeti National Park. Once inside the park, the drive becomes a game drive, so keep your camera close. You reach the central Serengeti in the afternoon and check in to your tented lodge, which puts you in the middle of the park for tomorrow.

3. Day 3 A Whole Day on the Central Plains Stay Luxury tented lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   With a full day to spend, your guide plans the route around what is happening on the plains. The Seronera River valley is known for lions and leopards resting in the trees along its banks, while granite kopjes give cheetahs and lion prides a lookout. Hippo pools, giraffes, buffalo, elephants, topi and gazelles fill in the rest of the day. In some months the migrating herds pass through the central plains as well; at other times the resident wildlife keeps you busy.

4. Day 4 Serengeti Morning, Late Drive to the Crater Rim Stay Upscale lodge or tented camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Head out after breakfast for a last half-day game drive, then stop for a picnic lunch in the park before turning east. The road leaves the plains at Naabi Hill and climbs back into the cooler highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You reach the crater rim late in the afternoon, in time to watch the light fade over the caldera from your lodge or camp. Evenings up here are chilly, so keep a warm layer within reach.

5. Day 5 Crater Floor at First Light and a Maasai Village Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   Because you slept on the rim, you can descend early and reach the crater floor ahead of most other vehicles, when lions, hyenas and grazing herds are at their most active. The caldera holds buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippos and a small population of black rhino, and flamingos often gather on its soda lake. Later, visit a Maasai village, meet an elder and try your hand at the beaded jewelry the community is known for, then drive back to Arusha or the airport.

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