7-Day Upscale Northern Safari & Olduvai Gorge

Overview

Tour highlights

• Two nights in the central Serengeti, Seronera area
• Stop at Olduvai Gorge, a famous early-human site
• A full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Tarangire’s elephants, baobabs and rare antelope
• Maasai village visit on the final morning
• Optional sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti

1. Day 1 Into the Rift Valley at Lake Manyara Stay Upscale lodge between Lake Manyara and KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave Arusha in the morning for Lake Manyara National Park, roughly two hours west at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment. A shallow soda lake covers much of the park, and the forest, grassland and shore between the cliffs and the water hold elephants, giraffes, baboons and buffalo. Lions here are sometimes seen resting in trees, and flamingos gather on the lake in some seasons. Overnight at a lodge in the hills nearby.

2. Day 2 Highlands and Farmland to Seronera Stay Upscale tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After breakfast, climb through the green farmland around Karatu and over the Ngorongoro Highlands, then descend onto the Serengeti’s open plains. Your destination is the central Seronera area, where the Seronera River keeps water in this part of the park for much of the year and draws a good cross-section of Serengeti wildlife. The first game drive begins as soon as you arrive.

3. Day 3 River Loop by Morning, Kopjes by Afternoon Stay Upscale tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   If you have booked the optional balloon flight, you lift off at dawn and drift quietly over the plains. Otherwise, set out after breakfast along the Seronera River circuit, looking for lions, cheetahs, topi, ostriches and Thomson’s gazelles. Picnic under large acacias, then spend the afternoon around the Maasai Kopjes, granite outcrops where rain pools and shade draw animals, and where lions often wait for prey coming to drink.

4. Day 4 Olduvai Gorge on the Way to the Crater Rim Stay Upscale lodge or tented camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Take a final half-day game drive in the Serengeti, then head back toward the highlands. On the way, stop at Olduvai Gorge, where Louis and Mary Leakey and their team uncovered fossils that changed the story of human evolution, among them the skull nicknamed “Nutcracker Man.” Continue up to the Ngorongoro Crater rim and arrive in time for sunset and a quiet evening.

5. Day 5 Dawn Descent and a Full Day in the Crater Stay Upscale lodge between Karatu and Lake ManyaraMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Head down into the crater at about six in the morning and stay for the whole day, with a picnic lunch on the floor. Permanent water and grazing support buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, eland, warthog, hippo and big elephant bulls, along with lions, hyenas, jackals and cheetahs. The crater is also one of the few places in Tanzania to see black rhino. In the late afternoon, climb out and drive to your lodge.

6. Day 6 Tarangire River and Baobab Country Stay Upscale tented lodge near Tarangire National ParkMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Drive east to Tarangire National Park, which follows the Tarangire River through acacia woodland and baobab-dotted hills. In the dry season, the river and the swamps in the south of the park pull in large numbers of animals, including some of the biggest elephant herds in northern Tanzania. Watch for greater kudu, fringe-eared oryx and the ashy starling. Picnic in the park, then continue game viewing through the afternoon.

7. Day 7 Maasai Village Morning and Return to Arusha Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   After breakfast at the lodge, visit a Maasai village to meet the families who live there, see their homes and learn how they raise their cattle in this dry country. There is time for questions and photos, with your guide helping to translate. Then make the drive of about two hours back to Arusha, or straight to the airport for your onward flight.

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