12 Days Tour to Ngorongoro Crater

 Itinerary Summary

12 Days Tour eventually to Zanzibar beach to explore the most natural beauty of Tanzania. Spectacular game viewing is combined with hikes in Lake Eyasi and the Ol Moti Crater where you experience authentic cultural encounters amongest the Maasai, Datoga tribe, and nomadic Bushmen. Retire each night in comfortable, spacious mobile tents set in exclusive campsites with mattress beds, linens, and shared hot shower and toilet facilities.

This tour is supported by a full camp staff, professional English-speaking naturalist guides, and spacious, 4WD tour vehicles. A light aircraft flight from Serengeti-Arusha is included to minimize your driving time. Optional balloon safaris in the Serengeti and extensions to the spice island of Zanzibar are available.

Itinerary Details

Day: 1 : Arusha

On your arrival into the Kilimanjaro airport transfer to overnight at hotel or Lodge in Arusha.

Day: 2-3: Tarangire

Depart with your naturalist guide for Tarangire, Tanzania’s third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah and up to six thousand elephant. A bush walk and a cultural visit with the semi-nomadic tribes are also included. Overnight two nights at the Tarangire River Camp.

Day: 4: Great Rift Valley near Lake Manyara

Morning departure for Karatu, on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. Cross the floor of the Great Rift Valley near Lake Manyara. Shopping and bargaining for bolts of cloth, crafts, and local produce immerse you in a daily ritual of African life in Mto wa Mbu or Karatu. Group options include or a nature walk or game drives in Lake Manyara National Park. With luck we might spot the Manyara lions, well known for their tree climbing habits, lazily resting on the branches of an Acacia tree. Elephant, hippo, giraffe, buffalo and other animals are present in Manyara National Park. The bird life is also very impressive with flamingoes, pelicans, hornbills and plenty of forest species. Your Picnic lunch will be served near the park and overnight at the Ngorongoro Farm House Lodge.

Day 5 – Lake Eyasi

Early morning (5 A.M.) drive across the Rift Valley and up the escarpment to Lake EYASI where you to join a pre-dawn walk with Bushmen hunters or spend time participating in the morning routine of the settlement. Your local guide will interpret for you and discuss hunting techniques still used by the tribes. Bushmen who live in nomadic groups hunting with bow and arrow and gathering roots, tubers and wild fruits inhabit this dry and rugged landscape. Be prepared for an extraordinary cross-cultural experience as you join these nomadic Bushmen in their daily life. Return drive and overnight in a Private Mobile Camp at the Ngorongoro Crater Rim.

Day: 6-7: Ngorongoro Crater

Descend into the 100-square-mile 12 days Tour to Ngorongoro Crater to view game on the vast grasslands of the crater floor. Spectacular animal life can be found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Ngorongoro is one of the most impressive game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Local wildlife includes black maned lion, the highly endangered black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, jackal, and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. The bird life is also prolific with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake as well as other species of water and plains birds. Weather permitting, morning walk near the Empakai Crater on Day 7, this impressive caldera is especially suited to hiking along the animal trails, escorted by a ranger. The scenery of Empakai is beautiful, with islands of forest and a waterfall at the source of the Munge River. Monkeys and buffalo are frequently seen in the area. Afternoon visit to a Maasai village where herdsmen are often grazing their cattle around the crater rim Please bring warm clothing as you are camping at 7000 feet. Overnight two nights at a Private Mobile Camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Day: 8-11: Serengeti National Park

Morning drive to the Serengeti plains, stopping en route at the Olduvai Gorge where Mary Leakey discovered remains of Australopithecus Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Serengeti is perhaps the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. These vast, seemingly unending plains, are inhabited during the migration by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. The herds attract the attention of predators like lion, cheetah and hyena. Another interesting feature of the Serengeti is the massive granite kopjes, islands of rock standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik-dik. Exploration of the legendary park is mostly by vehicle. Walks will be offered in the Ikoma region outside the park from June – November and in the Southern sector of the park from December – May. Spend four nights at the Private Mobile Camp set in a wilderness areas near the migratory herds.

Day 12: Serengeti -Arusha- Or Extension to Zanzibar

Spectacular light aircraft flight over the plains of the Serengeti to Arusha. (Overland option available upon request). Overnight in the Oasis Lodge. Next day transfer to the airport or extention of your trip to Zanzibar

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