7 Days Walking Safari – Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Lake Natron – Budget Camping

Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National park.

• Distance & Drive time: Arusha to Tarangire takes about 2.5 to 3 hours (106 km/65mi)- Tarangire to Lake Manyara takes about 1hour (69km/42mi)

Pick up at 7:00 AM from your hotel in Arusha and depart for Tarangire National park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. Tanzania’s third largest National park is known for its majestic baobab trees that dot the landscape, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, oryx, eland, giraffe, and zebra. After a full day in the park, we will drive to the camp/Lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you, and spend the night.

• Accommodation: Fanaka Campsite & Lodge
• Meals Plan: Lunch & Dinner Included
• Upgrade Your Accommodation: Twiga Campsite and Lodge

Day 2: Karatu to Lake Natron

• Distance & Drive time: Lake Manyara to Lake Natron takes about 3.5 to 4 hours (126 km/78mi)

Today we have a plan to the wild and remote Lake Natron, which is located at the foot of the only active volcano in Africa, Ol Doinyo Lengai, and is known to local Maasai as the Mountain of God. Around Lake Natron are the harshest and most amazing landscapes in Africa, which will take your breath away.

The fact is that this unique volcano is about 400,000 years old – active and erupting…. soda!) It has the “coldest” lava of all the volcanoes on Earth! Its carbonate composition adorns the gray slopes instead of snow and has created an amazing ecosystem in the lake at the foot.

After checking into the hotel, we will go to the track. Accompanying us on this beautiful walk will be a local guide of the Maasai tribe! Our way lies to the waterfalls of Engare-Sero. After passing through a shady gorge, we will come to a beautiful natural pool surrounded by sheer stone walls, washed by a cascade of spring water, where you will have the opportunity to swim.

In the evening, tired and happy, we will sit by the fire and exchange impressions under thousands of stars of the savannah!

• Accommodation: Lake Natron Public Campsite
• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included
• Upgrade Your Accommodation: Africa Safari Lake Natron

Day 3: Lake Natron /Karatu

• Distance & Drive time: Lake Natron to Lake Manyara takes about 3 to 3.5 hours (116 km/68mi)

Lake Natron is one of the most alkaline lakes in the world and home to millions of tiny crustaceans. The water in Natron is incredibly salty, alkaline – with an average pH of about 10-12, and the temperature sometimes reaches 40 ⁰ C (near the shore up to 60 ⁰ C); It would seem that such a liquid is completely unsuitable for life, but in the lake and on its shores there is an amazing ecosystem. It is based on cyanobacteria, which give red color to the water during the period of active reproduction. They feed on a few invertebrates, for example, the crustacean Artemia.

The lake is a haven for literally thousands of flamingos and it is one of the most important flamingo breeding grounds on earth. It is the landscape rather than the animals that is the attraction here and the area around the lake is dry, desolate, and hauntingly beautiful.

After breakfast, you will walk out across the baked mud to the shores of the great

Soda Lake. From here, you can look back at the memorizing view of Ol Doinyo- Lengai standing tall amongst the rolling hills and flat plains. Its ash-grey color will remind you that this is still an active volcano. After lunch, you will return to Lake Manyara where you will spend the night.

• Accommodation: Fanaka Campsite & Lodge
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
• Upgrade Your Accommodation: Twiga Campsite and Lodge

Day 4: Karatu to Serengeti National Park

• Distance & Drive Time: Karatu to Central Serengeti takes about 5.5 to 6 hours (175km/109mi)

After breakfast, you will travel via the cooler highlands towards the southern Serengeti and at midday, you will reach the plains of the Serengeti National park. This park is the largest in Tanzania and has a diversity of habitats and landscape-short grass plains, savannah, thick bush, swamps, and lakes. Bizarre rock formations called kopjes dot the grassy landscape where predators are often seen. the Serengeti is famous for the yearly migration when hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and Zebra trek to find fresh grass and water. you will overnight at a lodge/campsite located in central Serengeti in Seronera Area.

• Accommodation: Nyani Public Campsite
• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included
• Upgrade your Accommodation– Serengeti Heritage Luxury Tented camp

Day 5: Serengeti National Park.

• Distance & Drive Time: Full-day game viewing.

 After breakfast enters into the corners of plains Serengeti for a full day to explore the Serengeti with both morning and afternoon game drives. The Serengeti National Park is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania’s game parks and offers arguably the best game viewing in Africa. The setting is perfect –a sea of endless plains that stretches to the horizon, dotted with the occasional acacia tree and termite mound. This Savanna is home to huge herds of Wildebeest that every year make the mass migration North, through crocodile-infested rivers, in a frenzied mixture of mating and galloping that is driven by instinct. Pride of lion rule here, their hungry gaze sweeping the Savannah for a chance to attack the thousands of eland, impala, and gazelle. Solitary leopard stakes out their place in the high branches of the acacia tree and herds of elephants roam at will. This is the Africa that you have always dreamed about. You will overnight at the lodge/Campsite located in central Serengeti.

• Accommodation: Nyani Public Campsite
• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included
• Upgrade your Accommodation– Serengeti Heritage Luxury Tented camp

Day 6: Serengeti National park to Ngorongoro Crater.

• Distance & Drive time: Central Serengeti to NCA takes about 3 to 3.5 hours (153km/95mi)

After breakfast, morning game drives at Serengeti National Park. On your outward journey to the park gate, you will enjoy some more game viewing before you leave the Serengeti National park in the early afternoon to continue your journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for dinner and overnight. You will overnight at the Campsite located on the ridge of the Ngorongoro rim.

• Accommodation: Simba A public Campsite 
• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included
• Upgrade your Accommodation- Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha.

• Distance & Drive Time: NCA To Arusha takes about 3.5 to 4hours (158km/98mi)

On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descent at around 6:30 am into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260sq km/161sq mi) with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 6-hours game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, black rhino, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, and lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Ngoito Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascent to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4hrs drive left to where your safari will end. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you say goodbye to your safari crew.

• Meals plan Breakfast and lunch. As today is the end of the safari, please note that Accommodation and dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

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