Arrival in JRO, pick up and transferred to Arusha for your overnight at Mvuli Lodge followed by dinner meeting with Alphonce Kishoke, co-owner of Abakombe tours, at which time we’ll go over the business proposition, itineraries and other.
Non game-viewing travel time: 3 hours 43 mins
Distance: 120.6 km
After breakfast, proceed to Tarangire National Park for a half day game drive in the Park. See Elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebra and many more species, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Great Rift Wall.
Non game-viewing travel time: 3.5
Distance: 205 km
After breakfast we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species
Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush, while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages. We do an after breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible Lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed Centre offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The Centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the Centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees. In the afternoon we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lion and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink
Non game-viewing travel time: 3 hours
Distance: 145 km
Today the safari adventure turns south and continues to the Ngorongoro conservation area (world UNESCO site and was once in the 7 wonders of the world) (6 hrs., 180 km). We will descend into the Ngorongoro Crater floor for a game drive, the volcanic caldera (the world's largest) is full of grassland, a forest, and swamp, a setting of jaw-dropping beauty. Secondly, the permanent water of the crater floor supports a resident population of more than 25,000 large mammals. There, you'll find many of the reasons you chose to come on safari: elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, jackal, wallowing hippo, waterbuck, baboons, and even the rare black rhino finds shelter here. Sharing this awesome space with the animals and the Masai, grazing their cattle in an area which has been a separate conservation area since 1956 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. This harmonious cohabitation of man and beast makes Ngorongoro unique in Tanzania and your driver guide will be pleased to explain this incredible co-existence to you then you drive back to Arusha Town.
Non game-viewing travel time: 3.5 hours
Distance: 190 km
You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your flight back home following your flight schedule.