Day 1 - Arrive in Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, and after clear customs and immigration, meet your driver and transfer to Kahawa House, your home for the night.

Kahawa House, located in Arusha, just 6 kilometers southwest of Arusha town offers an ideal stop for guests before or after a safari.  28 simple yet elegantly furnished rooms sit in four two-storey buildings. The main building has a large terrace, lounge area, and restaurant with views of the swimming pool. Savour delicious meals prepared with organic vegetables as well as a selection of kahawa (coffee) grown across the country. 

Overnight: Kahawa House

Day 2 - Ngorongoro

 After breakfast, check out and fly to the Manyara airstrip. Upon arrival, you will be met by our driver guide and transferred to Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp. You have time to settle in and have lunch before going on an afternoon game drive.

Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp, in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation area, is nestled into an Acacia forest near the crater rim with easy access to the floor for game drives.

The small camp comprises just 10 classic safari tents, all with en suite bathrooms with an indoor shower, kingsize beds, and everything that makes a Sanctuary tented camp an authentic safari experience. A small sitting area in front of each tent provides the ideal setting where early morning coffee and biscuits can be enjoyed before starting the day of incredible game viewing.

The three large main tents provide a dining area where scrumptious meals are served, a lounge area perfect for afternoon relaxation, and a lounge bar where pre-dinner drinks are served. All of the main areas include breathtaking views of the spectacular surrounding scenery and large trees surrounding this intimate camp.

At sundown, you can sit around a campfire, nicknamed "bush television" by guides here, and indulge in recounting the adventures of the day over a drink.

Overnight: Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 3 - Ngorongoro Crater 

Spend a full day in the Ngorongoro Crater - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and often referred to as the Garden of Eden. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the floor of the crater and keep an eye out for rhinos which are difficult to spot elsewhere in Tanzania.

Your game drive today will be like no other as you visit one of the most dramatic safari destinations in Africa, the Ngorongoro Crater. Descend to the crater floor in search of the big 5 with the backdrop of the forest-covered crater walls surrounding you, creating a stunning canvas for all your wildlife photographs. Travel through the Lerai Forest looking for leopard and onto the plains where the wildebeest and zebra graze whilst cheetah and lion lay and watch. Old elephants pass your vehicle whilst further afield rhinos wander in search of grazing and hippos hide in the pools. A picnic lunch is provided so you can maximize your day in the crater.

This deep, volcanic crater and the largest unbroken caldera in the world; about 20 kilometres across, 600 meters deep, and 300 sq kilometres in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder. Within the crater rim large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater's ridge, tall Maasai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries.

Overnight: Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 4 - Empakai Crater 

After breakfast, embark on a game drive on your way to the Empakai Crater. On arrival, set out on a 40-minute walk to the crater, a wonderful walk with stunning views. Flamingoes are often seen flying into the crater or feeding in the lake at the base. Empakai Camp consists of dome tents kitted out with comfortable mattresses on the floor and warm quilts to protect you
from the cold night. As you sit around the campfire going through the day’s events the crew will make you a delicious
dinner over the open fires under the stars. 

Overnight: Empakai Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 5 - Rift Valley Escarpment

Dawn rises and our lofty position affords a great sunrise. As you take breakfast, the camp crew will break camp and depart to send the camp ahead with donkeys. You then set off hiking with Maasai guides following a route that takes us through picturesque Maasai villages and rolling hills. Lunch can be taken on route as a picnic or if guests are very fit a late lunch can be had in camp. In the late afternoon, a hike up to a nearby viewpoint is highly recommended and a great place for sundowners! 

Overnight: Leonotis Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Lake Natron

The final section of hiking has two options a shorter hike or a longer more strenuous option right along the rift wall. The views are spectacular with the active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai dominating the foreground. This volcano affects almost everything from hydrology to lifestyle, as will become apparent. Once down on the rift valley floor, you are picked and transferred to Lake Natron Camp, Ngare Sero, and here have the chance to jump in the natural pools to cool down. Sundowners are served at any number of beautiful points close to camp.

Overnight: Lake Natron Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 - Lake Natron

Lake Natron has a number of activities that are very easily combined with dawn walks and sundowners and in the middle of the day, there is the nearby Ngare Sero gorge that you can walk to options of long hikes to the source or shorter hikes to waterfalls. The staff are on hand to make your stay as adventurous or relaxing as you wish.

Overnight: Lake Natron Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 8 - Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, bid your walking guides goodbye and drive to the Serengeti National Park. Arrive at Taasa Lodge in time for lunch. Check-in and enjoy a siesta before embarking on an afternoon game drive.

Taasa Lodge is a thoughtfully designed and tastefully decorated property ideally situated for the Northern Serengeti. The lodge offers excellent game viewing throughout the year with resident wildlife that does not migrate with the wildebeest and zebras. Enjoy stunning views of the Lobo Valley from your luxurious tents. The en-suite bathrooms are complete with a stone shower and double vanity basins. Indulge in tasty meals at the main lodge, al fresco under the stars, or outside your tent. Spend the day exploring the bush on morning and afternoon game drives, hot air balloon rides, or walks in the bush. 

Overnight: Taasa Lodge

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 9 & 10 - Serengeti National Park

You have two full days to explore the Serengeti National Park on morning and afternoon game drives - look out for the elusive leopard which likes to hide in the tall yellow fever trees on the plains.

Every year, triggered by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake the long trek to new grazing lands. The migration of the herbivores roughly defines the boundaries of Serengeti National Park, which is the central zone of the Serengeti ecosystem, an area that also takes in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the east, the Grumeti to the west and the Maswa Game Reserve in the south.

The Serengeti is not only famous for the great Wildebeest Migration but also for the vast number of species that reside in the park year-round. The concentration of predators in the Serengeti is high with large prides of lion, numerous hyena clans, and regular sightings of both cheetah and leopard. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and antelope can be found feeding on the rich plains as well as some of the lesser known and hard-to-spot species such as aardwolf, mongoose, caracal, servals, and hyrax.

Overnight: Taasa Lodge

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 11 - Depart

Today, you will fly back to Arusha where you have a day room near the international airport to freshen up before your evening flight home.

Meal Plan: B