8-Day Luxury Honeymoon: Tarangire to Serengeti

Overview

Tour highlights

• Private vehicle and guide for the whole safari
• Two nights among Tarangire’s baobabs and elephants
• Picnic lunch above Lake Manyara
• Breakfast on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Two nights on the Serengeti’s central plains
• Flight out to Kilimanjaro or on to Zanzibar

1. Day 1 Kilimanjaro Airport to a Garden Hotel in Arusha Stay Luxury hotel in ArushaMeals Dinner

   A driver meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the drive of roughly an hour to Arusha. On a clear day, look out for Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru along the way. If you land early, there is time to watch birds in the hotel garden, join a coffee-tasting tour on a nearby estate, browse a local market or just lie by the pool. Dinner is at the hotel, and the safari begins in the morning.

2. Day 2 Southwest Through Farm Country to Tarangire Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in TarangireMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After an unhurried breakfast, meet the guide who will drive you for the rest of the trip. The road runs southwest through small farms and Maasai grazing land, and Tarangire’s gate is about two to two and a half hours from Arusha. From there you game-drive to your camp. Watch for elephants, giraffes and zebras among the baobabs, and settle in for the first of two nights in the park.

3. Day 3 Baobabs, Elephants and the Tarangire River Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in TarangireMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   A full day in Tarangire, with your own vehicle and nobody else’s timetable. In the dry months the Tarangire River draws animals from far around, and elephant families come down to drink and dig in the sand. Lions, buffalo, impala and many kinds of birds are common too. Your guide may suggest a drive out at dawn, a rest at camp in the heat of the day, and a second drive as the sun goes down.

4. Day 4 Flamingo Shores and Forest at Lake Manyara Stay Luxury lodge between Lake Manyara and KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave early and game-drive north through Tarangire to the gate, then head west toward Lake Manyara National Park. The park is a narrow strip between a steep rift wall and an alkaline lake, with groundwater forest near the entrance. Over a picnic lunch looking across the water, look for flamingos, buffalo, zebras and elephants; Manyara’s lions are known for resting in trees, though sightings are never certain. In the afternoon, drive on to your lodge.

5. Day 5 A Day on the Ngorongoro Crater Floor Stay Luxury lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Set off early to be among the first vehicles down the crater wall, when the floor is quiet and the animals are busy. Take coffee and breakfast in the crater, then spend the day exploring its grassland, swamps and soda lake. Lunch can be beside a hippo pool. The crater is home to lions, elephants, buffalo and one of Tanzania’s few populations of black rhino. Late in the day, drive back up to your lodge on the rim.

6. Day 6 Over the Highlands onto the Endless Plains Stay Luxury lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After breakfast, your guide drives you across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and down onto the short-grass plains of the Serengeti. Gazelles, zebras and wildebeest are often seen along the way, and the views open up as you descend. You reach your lodge in the central Serengeti in time for lunch overlooking the grassland. Rest for a few hours, then head out for a first afternoon drive in this famous park.

7. Day 7 Kopjes, Rivers and Big Cats Around Seronera Stay Luxury lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend your last full day exploring the central Serengeti, where rivers lined with trees and rocky outcrops called kopjes break up the plains. Lions often use the kopjes as lookouts, and leopards rest in the branches along the water. Take a picnic so you can stay out through the day, or come back to the lodge for lunch. In the evening, raise a glass to the end of your safari together.

8. Day 8 Fly Out from a Serengeti Airstrip Meals Breakfast

   After breakfast, your guide takes you to the nearest airstrip for a scheduled light-aircraft flight. Depending on your plans, the plane takes you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home, or to Zanzibar for a beach stay. These flights often stop at other airstrips to drop off and collect passengers, so expect to land around midday. Pack in a soft bag, as small planes have limited space.

Questions about this safari