Day 1 Airport Transfer & Rest Day in Arusha
A Wildmapstravel representative will meet you at Kilimanjaro Airport and drive you to your lodge in Arusha where you’ll spend one night. This afternoon you can explore the bustling city center. Arusha is a fascinating city where you’ll find modern office buildings, 5-star hotels, and upmarket coffee shops, alongside busy markets selling fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat.
Within the city center, you’ll see women wearing brightly colored dresses either walking along the streets carrying huge baskets on their heads or sitting on the side of the roads selling huge avocados or cooking corn on the cob on a fire. You will also see Maasai men walking around in their traditional shukas.
- Day 2 On Safari in Tarangire National Park
- Your guide will meet you after breakfast and drive you to Tarangire National Park (journey time approximately three to four hours). Tarangire is a seasonal park and the long dry season (June -October) is the best time to visit as during these months the park offers incredible wildlife viewing opportunities. You can expect to see all the big African games, including large herds of elephants congregating along the riverbanks and waterholes. The concentration of the game is exceptional and you’ll see large populations of zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo, eland, impala, and warthog as they go in search of water. Lions and spotted hyenas follow the wildlife accordingly, making for brilliant game viewing around the rivers and waterholes. Lions and leopards can be found throughout Tarangire, however, cheetahs are mostly found in the open areas of the south. The park is also known for its ancient baobab trees and its prolific birdlife .*Optional accommodation upgrade at an extra cost.
- Main Destination: Tarangire National Park
- Day 3 On Safari in Lake Manyara National Park
- After breakfast, you will be driven to Lake Manyara National Park located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley. The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara, which covers 230 square km, attracts pink flamingos and other birdlife. You’ll also see resident hippo pods at the lake.
The park is known for its tree-climbing lions, and you may be lucky enough to spot leopards and hyenas. You can also expect to see large herds of elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and impalas. There’s also a huge primate population including the common monkey, vervet monkey, and baboon. You’ll leave Lake Manyara just before sunset and head to your lodge in Karatu for dinner. *Optional accommodation upgrade at an extra cost.
- Main Destination: Lake Manyara National Park
The Ngorongoro Crater is a unique natural phenomenon and it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s undoubtedly one of the most breathtaking wildlife safari sites in the world with a backdrop of the 600m/1968ft high crater wall, and it offers incredible wildlife viewing opportunities.
A visit to the Ngorongoro Crater is an experience of a lifetime! You can expect to see an abundance of wildlife, including buffalo, warthog, wildebeest, zebra, hippo, and elephant. There’s also a huge population of predators - lion, hyena, jackal, cheetah and leopard. The resident population of black rhinos is a real treat, as they’re very difficult to spot elsewhere in Tanzania. Before sunset, you will check in to a beautiful camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater offering phenomenal views.
- Main Destination: Ngorongoro Crater
- Day 5-6 On Safari in Serengeti National Park
- After breakfast, you’ll leave Ngorongoro and drive to the Serengeti, Tanzania’s most famous national park, where you'll spend the following two nights. Serengeti offers some of the best wildlife viewings in Africa and is home to the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth - the Great Migration. Every year, over 2.5 million wildebeests migrate from the Serengeti National Park to the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. If you're visiting at the right time, you’ll see herds of wildebeest and zebra stretching to the horizon.
On the second day, you’ll have the opportunity for a morning and afternoon game drive on the vast plains of the Serengeti where you’ll spot an abundance of African wildlife. This spectacular national park offers amazing wildlife viewing opportunities and you’ll likely see zebra, impala, Grant's gazelle, wildebeest, buffalo, rhino, and elephant. You'll also see lions, cheetahs, and leopards.*Optional accommodation upgrade at an extra cost.
- Main Destination: Serengeti National Park
- Day 7 Fly to Zanzibar & Transfer to the Beach
- After breakfast this morning, you are driven to the airstrip where you will say farewell to your guide and board your light aircraft flight to Zanzibar. You will be met on arrival in Zanzibar and driven to your accommodation where you will stay for the next four nights. We will offer a range of accommodation options on the island and we will ensure that we match you to the most suitable accommodation for your requirements and sense of style – whether that is a rustic beach lodge or a luxurious 5-star resort.
- With its beautiful sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters, and colorful coral reefs, Zanzibar is the perfect destination for post-safari relaxation. Should you wish to be active, there are plenty of excursions that you can join, including visits to historic Stone Town, Jozani Forest, Prison Island, spice plantations, and cultural tours to local villages.
There’s also a wide choice of adventure activities that you can participate in, including mountain biking, hiking, bird watching, windsurfing, kite surfing, sea kayaking, and sailing. Also, the island has fantastic coral reefs which are perfect for diving and snorkeling – and you may even be lucky enough to see dolphins, green turtles, and, at certain times of the year, whale sharks.
- Main Destination: Zanzibar Island (Tanzania Beaches)
- Day 11 International Inbound Flight
- Sadly your ‘Northern Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar’ adventure has come to an end. After breakfast at your accommodation, you’ll be driven back to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) for your international flight home.
- Main Destination: Zanzibar Island (Tanzania Beaches)
- Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)