Welcome to Tanzania! Upon arrival at Arusha’s Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be greeted and escorted to your lakeside lodge, a serene escape in Tanzania’s bustling city.
Overnight: Arusha Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, we drive to Lake Manyara National Park, viewing games en-route to our lodge and arriving in time for lunch. After getting settled in, set out for an afternoon game drive and hope to see the park’s famous tree-climbing lions. A wealth of birdlife and large game roam the park and its lake, with the cliffs of the Great Rift Valley forming a stunning backdrop to it all. The lodge is perched high above the lake with magnificent views from your room and the grounds. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge.
The beautiful Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of this national park; the rest consists of steep mountainside, swamps, dense woodlands, open grassy areas, and hot springs. One of the many alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley, it was formed three million years ago and is quite shallow – perfect for the 350 species of birds including pelicans, ibises, storks, Egyptian geese, and flamingoes. Baboons and black monkeys can be heard chattering in the woodlands near the park’s entrance and a multitude of the large game can be found traversing the low, grassy areas near the lake’s shore.
Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
We set out after an early breakfast amongst the splendor of an African sunrise for a full day of game viewing. Negotiating the roads and tracks down from the lodge, you are transported into a world of a timeless natural wonder; one where the sights, sounds, and pageantry of life continue on just as they have for thousands of years. As the day progresses, your driver’s deep knowledge of the land becomes apparent as he leads you to one spot of outstanding beauty after the next, allowing you to observe the wildlife quietly and at your leisure.
As the animals take refuge from the hot mid-day sun, we find a secluded spot to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch before pressing on. You arrive back at the lodge at dusk, pleasantly tired after an exhilarating day. After a well-deserved hot shower, you head to the main lodge for dinner. Take your after-dinner drink on your verandah if you wish, watching the wildlife grazing nearby. The atmosphere is remarkably peaceful as night falls, leaving you with dreams of this diverse and wonderful country.
Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Venture deeper into the wilds of the Serengeti’s western corridor. After a full day of game drives, retire to your luxurious tented camp perched high on a ridge above the plains where you’ll enjoy stunning vistas with your dinner.
Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
A morning game drive in the park is followed by a visit to Olduvai Gorge, the Cradle of Mankind, complete with a lunchtime lecture on the history of the famous excavations nearby. Arrive at Ngorongoro Crater in time to relax before dinner, taking in the grand view of the crater floor below.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
A morning game drive in the park is followed by a visit to Olduvai Gorge, the Cradle of Mankind, complete with a lunchtime lecture on the history of the famous excavations nearby. Arrive at Ngorongoro Crater in time to relax before dinner, taking in the grand view of the crater floor below.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today, descend nearly 2,000 feet into the world’s largest unbroken crater for a full day of game drives. This wildlife paradise boasts one of the densest concentrations of animals anywhere in Africa and is a haven for many species, including the endangered black rhino.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Open vistas are dotted with ancient baobab trees and populated with large families of elephants in this beautiful park situated alongside the winding Tarangire River. Herds of zebra, wildebeest, eland, and gazelle graze alongside towering termite mounds and are hunted by the park’s lions, cheetah, and other predators. Enjoy a refreshing swim at the lodge after your afternoon game drive.
Overnight: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Return to Arusha for lunch and your midday flight south to Selous Game Reserve, the largest reserve in Africa. Isolated from human settlement, difficult to reach by land, and without permanent structures of any kind, it is truly Africa in its natural state.
Overnight: Selous Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Revel in three extraordinary days of game drives and boat safaris in this isolated paradise. Crocodiles bask, hippos wallow, buffalo drink, and lions stalk their prey along the banks of the Rufiji River. Broad channels and sandy banks give way to boulders and swifter currents in the dramatic Stiegler’s Gorge where families of baboons inhabit the trees and vines clinging to steep cliffs.
Overnight: Selous Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Take a fond last look at the beautiful wilds of Selous from your flight to Dar es Salaam and your connecting flight back home.
