Ngorongoro Crater safari – 9 Day Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti January – March 2025

TOUR DEPARTS: January – March 2025
PRICE PER PERSON SHARING: USD $7995
PRICE FOR SINGLE ROOM: USD $9735

*Itinerary can be customized*

What’s Included:

• All transport in a 4×4 safari land cruiser with a pop up roof
• Arrival & Departure airport transfers complimentary to all our clients
• Transportation as per itinerary
• Accommodation per itinerary
• One double deluxe room or Single deluxe room
• Meals as per itinerary Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
• Services of English-speaking drivers/guides
• National park & game reserve entrance fees as per itinerary
• Recommended Mineral Water while on safari

Things Excluded:

• Visa and related costs
• Personal Taxes Drinks
• Tips, laundry, telephone calls and other items of a personal nature
• International flights
• Optional excursions and activities not listed in the itinerary

Arusha –

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport your driver/guide will meet you there with a warm welcome. Then transfer to the luxury Gran Melia Arusha hotel where you can relax after your long flight and get ready for our Ngorongoro Crater safari the next day.

Gran Melia Arusha has stunning views of Mount Meru, a rooftop bar and three restaurants. You may even like to go for a walk amongst the coffee plantation, get a workout in the gym, relax by the beautiful pool or get some treatment at the day spa.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation:  Gran Melia Arusha
• Meal Plan: Meals at your own expense

Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, drive to Tarangire Tree Top for lunch. This quirky tree-house accommodation is definitely one of the most unique lodges in Africa. The open-fronted guest rooms are suspended above the ground, built into age-old baobab trees. This prime position provides stunning views across a private game reserve and water hole where all kinds of wildlife can be spotted taking a drink.

After checking in and having lunch, depart for an afternoon game drive in Tarangire National Park. This park has a large concentration of elephants (often seen bathing in the Tarangire river). You can also expect to see lions, wildebeests, gazelle, zebras, giraffes, impalas and many birds, including Kori bustards and guinea fowl. Tarangire is also one of best spots to see leopards in Tanzania.

Return to Treetop lodge around 6:30pm for dinner and drinks. You’ll also have the opportunity to experience songs and dances performed by local Masai men and even a lantern-lit dinner in a traditional boma.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Treetop Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Tarangire National Park

Today take two game drives in Tarangire National Park, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner all provided at Tarangire Tree Top. Our aim is to explore the diverse range of wildlife that inhabits the park, including predators, herbivores, and over 550 bird species. Keep a sharp eye out for honey badgers and African wild dogs, which have a high population in the park but are rarely seen during daylight hours. Another fascinating creature you might spot is the dik-dik, Africa’s smallest antelope, standing at just 40cm tall.

As for the scenery, you will have the opportunity to witness the breathtaking Silale swamp and wetlands, which play a vital role in providing a lifeline for the local wildlife during the dry season. The park is also home to numerous baobab trees, which are known as the ‘Tree of Life’. These giant trees can store hundreds of litres of water in their trunks and are a defining feature of Tarangire National Park’s landscape, setting it apart from other parks in the country.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Treetop Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Ngorongoro Crater 

After breakfast drive to the Ngorongoro crater and check into the brand-new Melia Ngorongoro Lodge. A stunning 5-star luxury accommodation on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater with stunning crater views. However, along the way take a short game drive through Tarangire National Park and stop at the Tanzanite Museum. Here we will learn about how tanzanite is mined in Tanzania and made into jewelry. You may even wish to buy some souvenirs or stunning tanzanite jewelry.

Arrive in the early afternoon and have some time to relax and enjoy the stunning views from the rim overlooking the crater floor. 

Spend the afternoon relaxing in stunning accommodation before tomorrow’s Ngorongoro Crater Safari.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Melia Ngorongoro Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Ngorongoro Crater 

Today after a delicious buffet breakfast depart for a full day Ngorongoro Crater safari with a packed picnic lunch on the crater floor. 

You will descend 600 meters down to the Ngorongoro Crater floor, which is home to extremely large populations of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, but also high numbers of lion and hyena. 

Other animals found in the Ngorongoro crater include white rhino, leopard, hippopotamus, eland, elephant, cape buffalo, warthog, flamingos, ostrich, jackals and much more. 

Around midday take a picnic lunch by the lake which has amazing bird life, you can also see hippos in the distance of the lake. Later we return to our lodge around 4:00 PM

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Melia Ngorongoro Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Serengeti National Park

After breakfast check out of Melia Ngorongoro Lodge and pass through the scenic great rift valley on the drive to the Serengeti. This area is known as the Ngorongoro Conservation area which is one of the few remaining places where the Masai tribes live amongst wild animals. On this scenic drive you can expect to see lots of Masai villages, Masia people herding their sheep, goats and cattle, along with wild zebras and giraffes. 

Along the way we recommend stopping at a Masai Village tour where you will have the opportunity to be shown the way the Masai people live their lives.

Around midday, arrive at the Serengeti gate before commencing on a game drive towards your next three nights accommodation at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge. An unfenced luxurious tented camp in the heart of the Serengeti.

After lunch take a game drive enroute to Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge. As the Serengeti is the number 1 safari destination for seeing big cats, the chances of seeing lions and even cheetah along the way are extremely high. 

Read our blog – Why a Serengeti Safari should be on everyone’s bucket list

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Serengeti National Park

Known affectionately as ‘big cat country, the central region of the Serengeti is the park’s most visited region. The Central Serengeti boasts the most accommodation options and the best opportunity to see big cats such as lions, cheetahs, and the always elusive leopard in the wild.

The presence of these predators in no way dissuades herbivores from calling the region home, and visitors can expect to see everything from diminutive impala to towering elephants and giraffes as they drive amidst the kopjes and acacia trees.

On these days we either take two game drives which take place after breakfast between 8:00am – 12:00pm and late afternoon from 3:30pm – 6:30pm or a full day game drive from 8:00am – 4:00pm. Safari times can be planned with your driver to suit your needs.

Read our blog – Why a Serengeti safari should be on everyone’s bucket list

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Accommodation: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Departure 

After breakfast take one last short game drive before a short late morning flight from Serengeti to Kilimanjaro for your flight home. Depending on your next destinations flight times you may wish to stay an extra night in Arusha or Kilimanjaro. Also, I highly recommend adding a few nights in Zanzibar onto the end of your tour. Please ask me for quotes.