9 Days Tanzania Active Walking Safari

Day 2 - Arusha - Lake Manyara National Park

You will check out and depart from the hotel after a late breakfast and drive to the township of Mto wa Mbu located within the Great Rift Valley area. That drive will take just under 90 minutes hence you will reach the area late that morning. ‘The people are the country’, Tanzania has 130 different tribes representing all the African ethnic groups and Mto wa Mbu is one of the few areas the country where all the local tribes and cultures are clearly visible. On foot you will be immersed into the local culture of the village through a banana plantation tour and before visiting a local farming family. After tasting various fresh banana products as well as enjoying a delicious local lunch prepared especially for you, a visit to the colourful market will follow. Later that afternoon you will enter the Lake Manyara National Park for a half day game drive. This is a beautiful little reserve surrounding a Rift Valley’s alkaline lake and has a lot of breath-taking views. The landscape is a mixture of dense forest, small open plains and lush waterside grasses, a feast for herbivores such as buffalo, a very scenic home to hippos, elephants, flamingos, plains game and the famous tree-climbing lions that reside here. Late that afternoon you will head up to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to overnight. Facing the always magnificent sunsets to the west, and located at the highest point on Ngorongoro crater’s entire rim, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge stands well over half a kilometre above the crater floor and offers unparalleled views across this enormous caldera. The lodge being located within the conservation area will give you a chance to enjoy the wonderful nature at the comfort of your lodge.

Booked on Full Board (B, L, D)

Day 3 - Ngorongoro Crater

Depart from the lodge carrying packed breakfast and lunch and head down to the crater floor to be among the first people there. Here you will visit one of nature's true wonders - its collapsed volcanic crater is 12 miles in diameter and 2,000 feet deep. The fertile soil and lake attract a huge range of wildlife, and your tour there will seek to uncover them amongst the floor's forests, grasses and plains. You will have a full day game drive and a picnic breakfast and later lunch on one of the designated picnic sites. Here you have great chances of seeing the ‘Big 5’ including the endangered Black Rhino. Spend the morning and the afternoon in the crater floor enjoying the wildlife viewing and then depart in the early evening heading back to the exquisite Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge to overnight. You will spend the evening at leisure enjoying the amazing views and the lovely setting the lodge enjoys.

Booked on Full Board (B, L, D)

Day 4 - Ngorongoro Crater - Empakai Crater

You will check out and drive within the Ngorongoro Conservation as you head to another crater within the reserve. On arrival at Empakai crater there is the option to descend into the crater. This is around 40 minutes down and depending on season can be quite slippery during the rainy months but certainly a great hike with stunning views. Flamingoes are often seen flying into the crater or feeding in the lake at the base. You will overnight at a set up Empakai Camp located on the crater’s rim A hot shower is available before dinner.

Booked on Full Board basis (B,L,D)

Day 5 - Leonotis Camp, Rift Valley Scarp

Dawn rises and our lofty position affords a great sunrise. As we take breakfast our camp crew break camp and depart to send the camp ahead with donkeys. We then set off hiking with Maasai guides following a route that takes us through picturesque Maasai villages and rolling hills. Lunch can be taken on route as a picnic or if guests are very fit a late lunch can be had in camp. In the late afternoon a hike up to a nearby viewpoint is highly recommended and a great place for sundowners. Dinner and overnight at Leonotis Camp

Booked on Full Board basis (B,L,D)

Day 6 - Lake Natron

The final section of hiking has two options of a shorter hike or a longer more strenuous option right along the rift wall. The views are spectacular with the active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai dominating the foreground. This volcano affects almost everything from hydrology to lifestyle, as will become apparent. Once down on the rift valley floor we are picked up and transfer to Lake Natron Camp, Ngare Sero and here have the chance to jump in the natural pools to cool down. Sundowners are served at any number of beautiful points close to camp. Dinner and overnight at Lake Natron Camp

Booked on Full Board basis (B,L,D)

Day 7 - Lake Natron - Serengeti National Park

After a very early breakfast, continue your journey into the heart of Tanzania by heading back to Mto wa Mbu and then west towards the Serengeti Plains. You will re-enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as you head to the Serengeti. After you reach the central part of the Serengeti, you will spend some time in the 'Kopjes' areas searching for the resident big cats that are frequently seen here before heading on to ‘Serengeti Serena Lodge’ to overnight. Set high on the saddle of a tree-clad ridge, commanding panoramic views across the Serengeti, this lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. You will need a proper roof over your head, a more comfortable bed and a nice warm shower today after several days of roughing it.

Booked on Full Board basis (B,L,D)

Day 8 - Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, enjoy another full day game drive exploring other parts of the central area of this wonderful park enjoying its flora and fauna. This will be another spectacular day with picnic lunch held out in the wild again. Seronera area is a year round destination for wonderful game viewing and a home to literally hundreds of thousands of hoofed animals. The Serengeti eco-system is the oldest on the planet. It boasts a diversity of plants and animals that is unavailable anywhere else on the globe. The Great Migration is the largest overland migration in the world. The animals travel a total of 800 kilometres or more during each cycle whereby approximately over a million Wildebeest and thousands of Zebras and Gazelles form one super herd. You will have an option to depart from the lodge very early this morning for a Hot Air Balloon flight over the magnificent Serengeti and you will then enjoy the Champagne breakfast out in the wild on landing. This option could be booked and paid for directly at the lodge.

Booked on Full Board basis (B,L,D)

Day 9 - Serengeti Np - Arusha

After breakfast, you will check out and taking some packed lunches one more time, you will have a road transfer to the nearby Seronera Airstrip for a morning scheduled flight back to Arusha Airport to be there by noon. This will be a very scenic way of seeing almost all the beautiful areas you had visited in this trip from above and it will also make you avoid going back to Arusha using the same long, bumpy and dusty route you used to reach Serengeti. Once back in Arusha you will either proceed with your pre-organized next stage of your trip or you will be transferred back to Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for your flight out.