Itinerary in brief:
- 3 nights Moshi
- 1 night Lake Manyara
- 2 nights Serengeti
- 1 night Ngorongoro Crater
- 1 night Tangarire
Day 1: Arrive Moshi
When you land in Kilimanjaro International Airport you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel in Moshi where you’ll check in for 3 nights.
Day 2: Uru Coffee Tour – Kahawa Shamba Project
After breakfast, you’ll drive to Uru, a small village situated 1700 metres high up on the slopes of the mountain from which you’ll have fantastic views down onto the plateau. You’ll have a 3 hour tour of the coffee co-operative in the area, learning about how it is grown, harvested and roasted before meeting the farmers who produce some of the finest coffee in Africa on the inhabited slopes of Kilimanjaro. After a delicious lunch, head back to Moshi and spend the evening at leisure, relaxing under the shadow of the highest mountain in Africa.
Day 3: Kilimanjaro National Park
After breakfast you’ll take a day hike through the national park, up to the first camp (Mandara Hut)for those who are climbing to the peak of Kilimanjaro on the Marangu route . Hike through the jungle and spot elephants and giraffes amongst the lush vegetation. After a tasty picnic lunch you’ll walk to Maundi Crater before descending back to the gate with stunning views of the plains beneath you.
Day 4: Lake Manyara National Park
This morning you’ll depart for Lake Manyara National Park where you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch and a game drive amongst the vast amounts of wildlife that inhabit the area. Tucked beneath the Rift Valley wall, Lake Manyara is famous for the clouds of pink flamingos that swarm above the lake, as well as the lions climbing the low trees around the edge of the water. It’s a great place to spot other birds – over 400 species live here from White Pelicans to Red-Billed Quelea. In the evening, check into your lodge for 2 nights and enjoy dinner before an early night, ready for a busy day tomorrow.
Day 5: Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to the Serengeti National Park, one of the most famous areas in the whole of Africa. Serengeti, meaning ‘endless plains’, is home to more than a million wildebeest , as well as zebra and Thompson’s gazelles, all of whom undertake their long trek from Kenya to Tanzania during the Great Migration. Watch giraffes as they wander along the river to nibble from the lush acacia trees, silhouetted against the famous African sunset. Check into your lodge for 2 nights in the midst of this stunning wilderness.
Day 6: Serengeti National Park
You’ll have a day to enjoy the stunning wildlife and landscapes of the Serengeti; taking long game drives through the park, between the towering termite mounds where aardvarks gobble up their prey at night and low-lying kopjes, where lions laze around as their cubs scamper up and down the rocks. There’s plenty of birdlife to admire as well, from tiny sunbirds to colourful storks and spoonbills.
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater
After an early morning game drive in the park, spotting wildlife through the misty morning haze, you’ll return for breakfast before embarking on your final game drive in the Serengeti. After lunch you’ll be driven to the Ngorongoro Crater, where Masaai pastoralists breed their cattle alongside the wild animals that inhabit this spectacular area of Tanzania before checking into your camp for one night.
Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater
Surrounded by the lush walls of the crater, thousands of animals make the grasslands their home, whilst many more pass through it during the Great Migration. You’ll spend 6 hours touring Ngorongoro, taking in the magnificent views of wildlife, including Tanzania’s remaining black rhino population. You could spot hippos lounging in the water whilst elephant cool off by splashing themselves as zebras snort at each other and cheetahs dangle from trees in the bright sunlight.
Day 9: Tarangire National Park
On your final day in Tanzania you’ll drive to Tarangire National Park, an often overlooked park close by to the Serengeti. Elephants are the main attraction here, with over 3000 of them playing in the water but you can spot lanky giraffes, strutting cheetahs and even the elusive leopards on a good day! In the dry season, hundreds of thirty antelope trek to the Tarangire River for a drink, bringing their predators along with them. In the afternoon you’ll be driven back to the airport ready for your onwards flight.
