Tanzania - medium budget, maximum game viewing

Arusha, your arrival

When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International your driver guide will meet you to start your safari. You'll have a quick safari briefing before a late dinner at your hotel. Overnight at Arusha Coffee Lodge, with dinner and breakfast included.

The "Great-North" road to Tarangire National Park

You'll drive to Tarangire National Park for your first two days on safari. The Great North Road that takes you to Tarangire is about 90 minutes from Arusha. You'll stop for a warm lunch at Tarangire Safari Lodge before continuing south along the Tarangire River during the afternoon. Overnight at Kirurumu Tarangire Camp, with your meals included.

Elephant and so much more

This is your first full day on safari so get out early to explore the river system all the way to Siale swamp, where you'll find elephant herds, birds and some cats. Overnight at Kirurumu Tarangire Camp, with your meals included.

Lake Manyara and onwards to the Crater

You'll drive towards the Great Rift Valley’s Gregory Rift to visit Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions. There's wonderful rain forest vegetation and good primate species, pelicans and flamingo. Enjoy lunch at Kirurumu Manyara Camp and an afternoon drive at Lake Manyara before driving up the escarpment in the late afternoon and up the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Overnight on the Crater rim at Kirurumu Ngorongoro Crater Camp, with meals included.

Full day on the Crater floor, start early

You'll spend a full day on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater (caldera), exploring and trying to find the endangered black rhino as well as lion and cheetah. Overnight again at Kirurumu Ngorongoro Crater, with your meals included. 

The colourful Masai and the southern Serengeti

The Great Migration should be just north-west of Ngorongoro Crater and you'll drop down onto the southern Serengeti/Ndutu plains. With a packed lunch, you'll spend the whole day driving and looking for herds and some predator interaction. It's hard to take in the vast numbers of wildebeest dotting the green plains of the southern Serengeti. Overnight at Kirurumu Ndutu Camp, with your meals included.

Lake Ndutu, cheetah and the great migration

Spend your first full day on the plains with the herds. You'll also go looking for some predator interaction. It's easy to find cats with the migration present – the wildebeest, zebra and gazelles occupy so much space that if you see an open circle you know that there must be a predator at its centre. This is the ideal time to follow cheetah or lion to see what they're up to during the calving season. Overnight at Kirurumu Ndutu Camp, with your meals included.

Lake Masek and Matiti Hill

On your last day on the plains, you'll venture further west towards Matiti Hill to look for more migratory plains game and striped hyena. If needed, you can enter into the Serengeti side of the plains because our park fees include the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. Overnight at Kirurumu Ndutu Camp, with your camp fire and meals included.

The big cats and the central Serengeti

Your safari in the south-western Serengeti ends at Moru. The top end of the migration might be here towards the end of March and it's a wonderful area – with or without the migration. If you're lucky you might bump into rhino, but good lion and leopard sightings are likely all year round at Moru. Overnight at one of our favourite camps, Dunia, with your meals and drinks included. 

Your best chance so see leopard

On your last full day on safari you'll look for leopard if you haven't seen this elusive cat yet. Driving north from Moru towards the Seronera Valley, we'll look for one of three leopards we know are in the area. Fundi, Mawe and our favourite, Hatari, can be found along the tree line that runs with the Seronera river system just west of the airstrip. Overnight at Dunia Camp with your meals and drinks included. 

Fly Home

Your safari ends with a last morning game drive to Seronera airstrip, from where you'll fly back to Arusha. Enjoy aerial views of Ngorongoro Crater and Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Masai holy mountain. We'll transfer you to Kilimanjaro International for your connecting flight home.