This tour takes you to the most famous national parks in Tanzania. You will be able to see Africa's Big 5 animals. Ngorongoro Crater offers perfect views during a game drive. In Tarangire, you will see the famous baobab trees and big herds of elephants. Lake Manyara National Park is famous for its tree-climbing lions and thousands of flamingos that inhabit the lakeshore. This tour will give you a great understanding of Tanzanian national parks in a short time.

Trip plan: Day 1: Arusha or nearby places to Tarangire National Park

You will be picked up from your hotel in Arusha or nearby places early in the morning at agreed time and drive for 120 km to Tarangire National Park (2,850 sq. km) where you will start your first game drive. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem. The swamps, tinged green year-round, are the focus of 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. After lunch, you will continue with afternoon game viewing in the park. The park is home to lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, python, zebra, oryx, impala, and more. On drier ground, you will find the kori bustard (the heaviest flying bird), the stocking-thighed ostrich (the world’s largest bird), and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys. More ardent bird lovers must keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colorful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling.

Dinner and overnight at the campsite.

Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater

Wake up early for breakfast, and then drive to the Ngorongoro Crater at 07:00 am where you will descend to the crater floor (19.2 km diameter, 610 m deep, 304 sq. km) for game drives. All of the Big Five (rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant), as well as many more mammals, live in this wonderful caldera. Birds include flamingos on Soda Lake, geese, storks, vultures, etc. You will break for lunch at the Ngoitoktok Springs picnic site. The Ngorongoro Crater is often called "Africa’s Eden" and the "8th Natural Wonder of the World". A massive extinct volcano, its towering tree-lined walls drop thousands of feet to a “Noah’s Ark” of animals on the verdant floor below. This breathtaking oasis provides a haven for both predator and prey to live among grasslands, fresh springs, and the large soda lake. Nowhere else can such a diversity in wildlife be experienced in such a short period. After the game drive in the afternoon, you will return to Panorama campsite for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Lake Manyara and return to Arusha

After breakfast you will drive to Lake Manyara National Park. This small park is a paradise for serious and amateur bird lovers, as this small park is home to over 400 species of birds, including flamingos, pelicans, storks, and cormorants. Many mammals, such as bushbuck, waterbuck, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, monkey, lion, and leopard can be seen roaming the forest and the acacia-dotted plains of the park. You will have an unhindered view of the surroundings as the safari vehicle’s roof can open to allow you the best angle for photography. After an extensive game drive in the park, you will leave the park in the afternoon and be back in Arusha or the place you are staying around 6pm.

Inclusions: Pick up and drop off at the place you stay, breakfast 3x, lunch 3x, dinner 2x, jeep, professional driver/guide, jeep, bottled water in the vehicle, all national parks fees and taxes, accommodation at campsite 2 nights.

Ngorongoro Crater Gallery