7 Days Private Green Season Safari (Apr & May 2019 Only)

Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport a Hazina Afrika visa specialist will greet you in the Arrivals area and assist you with obtaining your tourist visa (tourist visa fee is included), help collect your luggage and accompany you through customs and escort you to a Hazina transfer representative who will be waiting outside the secured area to warmly welcome you to Tanzania. The road transfer to your hotel in Arusha will be approximately one hour. After check-in, your transfer rep will brief you on the following day’s schedule, review a safari safety check list and answer any questions you may have. Dinner and overnight at The African Tulip Boutique Hotel in a Deluxe Room.

After breakfast at the African Tulip Hotel, your driver guide will pick you up and begin heading to Lake Manyara National Park approximately 2 hours away and spend the day game driving through the lush groundwater forest. Lake Manyara is famous for its tree climbing lions although the likelihood of seeing lions in a tree is greater in the Serengeti than at Manyara due to the dense forest making visibility difficult. Birdlife is abundant as are the number of baboons and other primates. Optional cultural activities are included at the village of Mto wa Mbu located just outside of Lake Manyara National Park including tour of banana farms, local markets and local village life. Depart from Lake Manyara National Park in the late afternoon and head to Karatu town. Dinner and overnight at the lovely Ngorongoro Farm House located on the foothills of the Ngorongoro Highlands.

This morning depart from Ngorongoro Farm House after breakfast and head towards Ndutu located in the southern Serengeti ecosystem which encompasses the famous Serengeti plains. These short grass and nutrient rich plains are home to the enormous migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra during the wet season. The green season is a wonderful time to be on safari in the southern Serengeti and the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The wildebeest migration will most likely be spread across the green plains of the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the southern Serengeti from December to May. In addition to the large migratory herds, predators will be abundant and easily seen. One night at the lovely Lake Masek Tented Camp.

This morning finish game driving Ndutu and then begin heading to the famed Serengeti National Park. While your guide is doing paperwork at the ranger station at Naabi Hill Gate, the entrance to Serengeti National Park, take a short walk up Naabi Hill for a breathtaking view of the surrounding plains. Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word “Serengit” meaning endless plains. While heading to the Central Serengeti and explore the many kopjes, massive granite outcropping that the dot the plains and home to a variety of species of animals and a favourite hang out for lions. Spend the late afternoon game driving the Central Serengeti and the Seronera Valley. The Seronera River Valley is home to a great diversity of wildlife due to its unique ecological niche as a transitional zone where two distinctly different habitats, the plains and woodlands, merge and various species of wildlife from both habitats can coexist. Two nights at Serengeti Sopa Lodge.

Finish game driving Serengeti National Park this morning and begin heading southeast towards Ngorongoro Highlands. Visit Olduvai Museum en route. Olduvai is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. Known as “The Cradle of Mankind”, the gorge stretches for nearly 50 km from Lake Ndutu to the Olbalbal Depression. The Leakey’s are the archaeologists responsible for most of the excavations and discoveries in Olduvai Gorge. They unearthed about 60 different hominid remains dating back from 2 million years ago to 17,000 years ago. The remains of about 7,000 extinct animal species have also been unearthed and moulds of some of these artifacts can be seen in the small on-site museum. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge perched on the rim of the Crater with fabulous views.

Today, begin your day early with 6am game drive into the Ngorongoro Crater floor to escape the crowds that can gather later in the morning with the packaged group tours. The Crater is your best opportunity to see the highly endangered black rhino so spend some time scanning the horizon with your binoculars and to try spot one. Enjoy a picnic breakfast watching an African sunrise and spend the rest of the day exploring the world famous Ngorongoro Crater often referred to as “Africa’s Garden of Eden”. Encompassing an area of only 265 sq/km, the dense concentration of wildlife in a confined area allow for incredible game viewing and photo opportunities. Depart from the Crater in the afternoon and begin heading back to Arusha. Day Room at The African Tulip Boutique Hotel in a deluxe room and an early dinner is included before your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your return flight.