7-Day Tanzania Safari with Materuni Waterfalls

Overview

Tour highlights

• Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara
• Two nights in the Serengeti, focused on predators
• A full game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Waterfall walk through Chagga coffee and banana farms
• Coffee tour and banana beer tasting in Materuni
• Mid-range lodges, meals and local drinks included

1. Day 1 Landing in Arusha and Trip Briefing Stay Mid-range lodge in ArushaMeals Dinner

   Your guide meets you at the airport and drives you to a mid-range lodge in Arusha, the starting point for safaris in the north. Once you have settled in, sit down together for a briefing on the week ahead: the route, the vehicle, what to pack for game drives and how the days run. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight.

2. Day 2 Baobabs and Elephants in Tarangire Stay Mid-range lodge in KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Set off after breakfast for Tarangire National Park, about two to two and a half hours away. The park is known for its huge baobab trees and its elephant families, and you may also see zebras, wildebeest, giraffes and lions. Birders will want binoculars, as hundreds of species have been recorded here. After an afternoon of game viewing, drive up to the cooler highland town of Karatu for the night.

3. Day 3 Over the Highlands to the Serengeti Stay Mid-range lodge or tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Today you cross the Ngorongoro Highlands and descend to the wide grasslands of Serengeti National Park. Depending on the season, wildebeest and zebra may be grazing in large numbers somewhere in the park, and your guide will steer toward the best wildlife that week. Game viewing starts as soon as you pass the gate and continues until you reach your accommodation in the late afternoon.

4. Day 4 A Day Following the Serengeti’s Predators Stay Mid-range lodge or tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend the whole day on game drives with the big hunters as your focus. Lions often rest on rocky kopjes or in the shade of acacias, cheetahs scan the open plains from termite mounds, and leopards drape themselves along branches by the rivers. Watching how they hunt, feed and rest takes patience, so your guide plans the day around the cooler morning and late-afternoon hours.

5. Day 5 Inside the Ngorongoro Crater Stay Mid-range lodge in KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave the Serengeti after an early breakfast and drive to the Ngorongoro Crater for a descent to its floor. The crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most reliable places to see lion, elephant and buffalo in a single day, with black rhino present in small numbers. Lunch is a picnic near Lake Magadi, the soda lake on the floor. Afterward, drive to Karatu for the night.

6. Day 6 Lake Manyara Shoreline and Back to Arusha Stay Mid-range lodge in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Drop down the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. The track runs between groundwater forest and the lakeshore, where you may find elephants, baboons, buffalo and water birds. Lions here are known for sometimes climbing into trees, so keep looking up. After lunch, your safari ends and you return to Arusha for a final night.

7. Day 7 Materuni Village, Coffee and the Airport Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   Drive east to Materuni, a Chagga village on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. A local guide leads you through coffee and banana farms to the waterfall, where you can swim in the cool pool if you like. Back in the village, follow coffee from bean to cup, grind some yourself, sip banana beer and share a traditional lunch. On a clear afternoon, a viewpoint shows Kilimanjaro before your transfer to the airport.

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