8 Days Walking Safari – Tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrival – Arusha

Arrive at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be picked up from the airport by a Summit Climb representative and conveyed to your accommodation in Moshi/Arusha where you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come, restore and enjoy your first taste of Africa. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.

• Meals Plan: Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Arusha City
• Budget Hotel: Arusha Green Mountain| Venus Premier Hotel| Outpost Lodge| Mc-Elly’s Hotel
• Mid-range: Ilboru Safari Lodge| Arusha Planet Lodge| Pazuri Inn| Masailand Safari Lodge
• Luxury: River Tree Lodge | Mount Meru Hotel| Four Point by Sheraton Arusha| The African Tulip Luxury Boutique Hotel
• Luxury Plus: Grand Melia Lodge| Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa| Arusha Coffee Lodge| Kili Villa

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National park.

• Distance & Drive time: Arusha to Tarangire takes about 2.5 to 3 hours (106 km/65mi)- Tarangire to Karatu takes about 1.5hour (95km/59mi)

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.    

• Meals plan: Lunch & Dinner included

 Accommodation

• Location: Karatu
• Budget Camping outside the Park: Haven nature Safari Camp and Lodge| Fanaka Safaris Campsite & Lodges| Migombani Camp
• Mid-range: Marera Valley Lodge| Eileen’s Tree Lodge| Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge| Karatu Simba Lodge| Ngorongoro Farm House |
• Luxury: Ngorongoro Coffee lodge | Kitela Lodge| The Retreat At Ngorongoro| Gibbs Farm| Rhotia Valley
• Luxury Plus: The Manor at Ngorongoro| Oldeani Mountain Lodge| Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

Day 3: 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 grey 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!

• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Lake Natron
• Budget Camping: Worldview Campsite
• Mid-range: Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge|
• Luxury: Africa Safari Lake Natron

Day 4: Lake Natron /Karatu

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

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 colour 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 colour will remind you that this is still an active volcano. After lunch, you will return to Karatu where you will spend the night.    

• Meals plan: Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Karatu
• Budget Camping outside the Park: Haven nature Safari Camp and Lodge| Fanaka Safaris Campsite & Lodges| Migombani Camp
• Mid-range: Marera Valley Lodge| Eileen’s Tree Lodge| Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge| Karatu Simba Lodge| Ngorongoro Farm House |
• Luxury: Ngorongoro Coffee lodge | Kitela Lodge| The Retreat At Ngorongoro| Gibbs Farm| Rhotia Valley
• Luxury Plus: The Manor at Ngorongoro| Oldeani Mountain Lodge| Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

Day 5: 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. A bizarre rock formation called kopjes dots 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.

• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Central Serengeti (Seronera Area)
• Budget Camping: Seronera Public Campsites
• Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage luxury Tented Camps | Embalakai Camp Serengeti | Serengeti Kuhama tented Lodge| Mbugani Migration Camp| Acacia Central Camp
• Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge| Serengeti Serena lodge| Lemala Ewanjani Tented Camps| Lemala Nanyukie| Serengeti Sametu Camp| Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp
• Luxury Plus: Four Season Lodge| Ole Serai Luxury Camp| Serengeti Lake Magadi Lodge

Day 6: 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 lions rules 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.

• Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Central Serengeti (Seronera Area)
• Budget Camping: Seronera Public Campsites
• Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage luxury Tented Camps | Embalakai Camp Serengeti | Serengeti Kuhama tented Lodge| Mbugani Migration Camp| Acacia Central Camp
• Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge| Serengeti Serena lodge| Lemala Ewanjani Tented Camps| Lemala Nanyukie| Serengeti Sametu Camp| Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp
• Luxury Plus: Four Season Lodge| Ole Serai Luxury Camp| Serengeti Lake Magadi Lodge

Day 7: 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 lodge located on the ridge of the Ngorongoro rim.

Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

• Location: Ngorongoro NCAA
• Budget Camping: Simba A Public Campsite
• Mid-range: Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge| Angata tented Lodge|
• Luxury: Sopa Ngorongoro| Serena Ngorongoro| Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp
• Luxury Plus: Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection

Day 8: 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.

Departure Instructions

Please note that the Walking Safari-Tarangire, Ngorongoro Highland &Lake Natron Tour-  7 Days ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.00 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.00 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day

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