Northern Tanzania Safari - Covering Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Zanzibar Family Safari

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will transfer and meet your internal flight to the Manyara airstrip. From here, you are met by your private driver/guide and private 4x4 vehicle to start your fantastic safari. You head for the famed Ngorongoro Crater. En-route, with your picnic lunch, you enjoy a private overland drive to Lake Manyara National Park, through the wooded pathways that wind between the banks of the shallow Alkaline Soda Water Lake and the impressive rise of the Western stretches of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment. Lake Manyara is a compact game park with no fewer than 5 different vegetation zones including grassy floodplains, groundwater forest, acacia woodland and the rocky base of the escarpment. There are big troops of Olive Baboon, and Blue monkey, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, and zebra as well as a whole host of smaller animals and the potential excitement of spotting a legendary Lake Manyara tree-climbing lion amongst the branches of the sausage trees. Its birdlife is fantastic. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded including White Pelicans, Rose-pink Flamingo, Bee-eaters, and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills. Lake Manyara has streams of freshwater that flow through its porous volcanic rock and also have an ancient, crystalline rock that creates impressive waterfalls down the rift valley escarpment. By late afternoon you will experience the impressive rise of the Western stretches of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment before heading to your lodge for the next number of nights very close to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate.

(L, D)

We suggest that an early morning start is definitely the order of the day, as you head towards the Ngorongoro Crater and onto the Crater floor to experience this wildlife spectacular, with the world’s densest population if lions and spotted hyena. The crater is one of the few places in Tanzania where you can reliably see black rhino and many old tuskers, who come to spend their retirement peacefully feeding in the Gorigor swamp. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok Springs; where hippos wallow and Black Kites might nab your lunch! This afternoon you continue your explorations in search of the Big Five that roams the plains of this natural amphitheater before heading back to the lodge.

(B, L, D)

Today, you will head to the northern part of the Serengeti, the famed ‘Mara Triangle’ and the Mara River, an area that borders the Masaai Mara in Kenya. From Plantation Lodge, you are driven back to the Manyara airstrip where you catch your internal flight to Kogatende. Upon your arrival at Kogatende airstrip, you travel to the luxury of Olakira Camp enjoying a shared game drive along the way.

(B, L, D)

The majestic landscape of the northern Serengeti is one of the best kept secrets of Tanzania. Far from the tourist track, this area of open grasslands and riverine woodlands supports some of the densest grazer populations in East Africa. If you are lucky you may get to see the Big 5 (rhinos sometimes cross from Kenya’s Maasai Mara) and its home to lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, large herds of antelope and a host of other wildlife. The stunning Mara River, filled with hippos and crocodiles, cuts through this land and is hosts to one of the greatest spectacles nature has to offer: the dramatic wildebeest crossings of the Mara River. Between mid July and November, the Great Migration typically visits the area and crosses the Mara River back and forth in search of green grass. This area does offer a truly unique safari experience; undisturbed exploration of this majestic part of the Serengeti National Park. During the next couple of days, you will enjoy shared game drives and enjoy the wonderful landscapes and wildlife in the Serengeti National Park.

(B, L, D)

One last game drive this morning before catching an internal charter flight to Lake Manyara airstrip. Met upon arrival and make your way to the renowned Ngorongoro Crater. A truly breathtaking spectacle with some great game and an ideal location to relax for the afternoon enjoying its resident game including flamboyant flamingos, huge tusker elephants, rhinos and prides of lion. This evening you have a short transfer to your lodge for the evening where you have a chance to sit back, relax and reminisce over the adventures of the last week or so.

(B, L, D)

You have four full days at leisure to relax on the beach or to explore Zanzibar. Matemwe is a lovely intimate beach lodge, surrounded by some of the best beaches on the island. Fantastic diving and snorkeling can be enjoyed around the Mnemba atoll, right opposite Matemwe. The lodge also offers a host of other activities that include: guided reef & village walks, dhow boat trips, kayaking, cycling as well as a range of excursions such as exploring Jozani Forest or visiting Stone Town and its world-famous spice tours, and its narrow streets, shops and markets. Experience the colors, the sounds and the spices of the capital and visit the mosques, palaces, shops, and old historic houses. You can learn about its dark history as one of the slave-trading ports of East Africa.

(B, L, D)

Today you depart the comfort of Matemwe and make your way to the Zanzibar International Airport for your onward flight.