Ultimate Tanzania Safari: 10 Days in the Heart of Africa

• You will be picked up from the airport by Oreteti Safaris Ltd representative and transferred to your accommodation in Arusha where you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come. Serena Hotel Arusha is an oasis of calm and aesthetic pleasure.
  
• Set at the heart of a traditional coffee estate in the majestic environs of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, the exquisitely appointed Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa (formerly Lake Duluti Serena Hotel) offers heady views over verdant tropical forests, cool mountain walks, a wonderful array of wildlife, roaring fires and superlative cuisine.

In the morning, you will be collected from your lodging in Arusha by our personal safari guide. We set out for Tarangire National Park on a good tarmac road across gently rolling Maasai plains with scattered acacia trees. As we zip along, we pass many Maasai in their colorful dress walking on the roadside, riding bicycles, herding cattle, and driving donkey’s carts.

Tarangire National Park, well known for its large elephant herds, is also host to a multitude of other creatures. From the open roof of our state-of-the-art safari Jeep, we experience the seasonal swamps, savannah, and life-giving Tarangire River. We endeavor to encounter a multitude of creatures, from zebra to wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name a few. It is possible we will glimpse lions stalking prey or watch leopards, relaxing in the trees above.

You will drive to one of our carefully selected luxury partner lodges for dinner in a tasteful restaurant and a pool at hand to soothe us.

After breakfast, you will then the game drive on this epic safari, Lake Manyara National Park. This is a relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha. The park’s namesake is a shallow, Salt Lake. It covers a large area of the park, flooding and drying with the seasons, and is home to thousands of flamingos and over 500 other bird species. On your exploration of the park, you will see monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalos, elephants, and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes - not only open grassy plains but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab-dotted cliffs.

Early risers are rewarded with breathtaking views of the rising sun over the crater’s edge. After a hearty breakfast, you will drive down the adventurous track into the crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site formed millions of years ago, is 610 meters deep, and covers roughly 260 square kilometers. Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25,000, the crater offers the best game viewing of all the parks in Tanzania. In a matter of minutes, you will be able to see wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elephants, and some of the more than 500 bird species in the area. With a little bit of luck, you might catch a glimpse of the endangered black rhino through the grass.

After lunch, you will ascend the steep walls of the crater and head to the accommodation in Serengeti. Arrive at one of our carefully selected luxury partner lodges for dinner in the expansive and tasteful restaurant, with a pool at hand to soothe you and a most spacious room to harbor your ease and dreams of wild cats.

The Serengeti National Park is one of the largest national parks in Tanzania with diverse landscapes and habitats, such as grassy plains, swamps, lakes, savannahs, and mountains. Here, the biggest wildebeest and zebra migration takes place and depending on the season, you may have the opportunity to witness thousands of animals in their search for food and water. After an extensive game drive, you will head for your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

The entire day is set aside for more game drives in the Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is the habitat for an abundance of wildlife, such as impalas, buffalos, crocodiles, and hippos, but is more well-known for its great migrating herds of zebras and wildebeest. The animals’ trek is determined by the rainfall and varies from year to year. In November and December, the animals move from the northern region, dominated by woodlands and hills, to the grassy plains of the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June, they return to the north. Apart from the migrating herds, you may have the chance to see predators, such as leopards, cheetahs, and lions, always lurking close by.

Early in the morning, you will be picked up by Miracle experience, for a Hot Air Balloon Safari, which will end at around 09:30 am. We will enjoy a two-day game drive at the Serengeti national park, the endless plains as the native called it. As you crest the hillside, spread out before you, as far as the eyes can see, is the vast Serengeti. Serengeti means "endless plains" in Kiswahili and this 6,900 sq mile (18,000 sq km) park. It is inhabited by more than 2 million large animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson's gazelles. Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey that migrates throughout the park. Many smaller animals like rock hyrax, bat-eared foxes, mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, and African hares also inhabit the area along with nearly 500 species of birds.

Relaxation, Dinner, and Overnight, will be at your chosen accommodation. 

This morning you will continue with further game drives in the Serengeti, at noon you will leave for Olduvai gorge, where you will have a chance to immerse yourself in ancient history at the fascinating paleoanthropological site of Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important in the world. Set between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, the gorge makes a good stop if you're traveling between the two, rewarding visitors with a presentation on its history, an excellent new museum, and beautiful views as well as the possibility of visiting an active dig and then after that you will drive to Karatu via Ngorongoro Crater. Both conservation areas are not separated by fences, on the way you can observe with some luck some more wildlife. In the late afternoon, you will return to Karatu with many impressions of your safari

After breakfast, you are heading to Lake Natron. Just past Mto wa Mbu, you leave the asphalted road; along the East African Rift Valley, the drive continues on adventurous slopes. The drive leads past Maasai villages and the holy mountain of the Maasai, the Ol Doinyo Lengai. As soon as the Maasai village Ngare Sero comes into sight, it is not far from the lake. The outlet Lake Natron is the home of a remarkable variety of birds, in particular about 2.5 million dwarf flamingos, the lake serves them as a regular breeding ground. The water is strongly saline and the basis of life for unicellular algae and bacteria, which are responsible for the planar red brown to purple-violet coloring of the lake. The area around Lake Natron is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt regions in Africa. You will take a hike to the lake and then you will visit the nearby waterfalls, a true oasis with awesome waters to swim.

Early morning departure to Lake Eyasi, where you will visit the famous Hadzabe tribes, the last tribe of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. The Hadzabe homeland is around Lake Eyasi, on the edge of the Serengeti plains, in the shadow of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Hadzabe becomes an extinct tribe. It is only a matter of time before their presence becomes history. Seize the chance to spend time with this mysterious tribe before there are no more traditional Hadzi climbing hills with bows and arrows, haunting baboons. Spend time with the Hadzabe people and observe their unchanged traditional way of life and harmony with nature. You will have the opportunity to connect with tribe members and learn all about their lives, hunting, food preparation, and cultural norms. It is a real journey back in time to the roots of humanity. After visiting Hadza, return to the lodge for breakfast, lunch, and later transfer to Arusha