| City
Breaks |
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| Escorted
Tours |
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| 4 Days Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Olduvai Gorge
and Lake Manyara National Parks |
Areas of interest: Lake Manyara,
Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Olduvai
Gorge, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater,
Great Rift Valley, Crater Highlands, Arusha, Wildebeest
Migration
Activity: Game Drive, Game and Bird Watching, Lodge Safari,
Scenery, Culture, Ethnic, Photography, Historical Site,
Exploring on foot
Country: Tanzania
Tanzania national parks and game reserves cover almost 25%
of the country and protect an estimated 20% of Africa’s
large mammals. Ngorongoro Crater is said to have the world’s
densest population of lion. In Lake Manyara, lions have
developed a liking for residing in the branches of trees,
where they can both sleep and watch for prey whilst the
Serengeti is notable for its large migratory herds of wildebeest
and zebras with strings of predators in trail. Olduvai Gorge
offers you the chance to view amazing evidence of early
man.
Full Itenerary
Day 1 – Ngorongoro
We depart Arusha town in the early morning hours for Ngorongoro
crater, arriving at the lodge in time for lunch after which
we descend into the crater for an afternoon crater tour
returning to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
The Ngorongoro crater is the world’s biggest whole
volcanic caldera at 8300 sq km and is arguably the most
stunning arena. It is frequently described as one of the
wonders of the world, not only because of its geological
magnificence, but also because it serves as an extraordinary
natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s largest populations
of large mammals. Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s
best known wildlife viewing areas and one of Tanzania’s
most visited. Within its walls are a variety of animals
and vegetation, including grasslands, swamps, forests, salt
pans and a fresh water lake. You are likely to see lion,
elephant, rhino, buffalo, and many of the plains herbivores
such as wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, reedbuck,
as well as thousands of flamingos wading in the shallows
of Lake Magadi – the soda lake at the craters base.
Day 2 –Serengeti
Leaving after breakfast we depart the Ngorongoro Conservation
area and head for the Serengeti Plains stopping en route
at the Historic site of Olduvai Gorge (the “Cradle
of Mankind”) where the world famous discoveries of
early mans ancestors were discovered. We proceed to Serengeti,
stopping at the lodge for lunch thereafter enjoying a full
afternoon’s wildlife viewing before returning to the
lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
The great Serengeti is Africa’s most famous and Tanzania’s
largest park covering 14,736 sq km and is adjoining with
the Masai Mara National reserve in Kenya. With a wildebeest
population of about 2 million and several other hoofed species
(which include: zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, impala,
topi, Grants gazelle, Kongoni, Eland, Kirk’s dik dik,
klipspringer, roan, Oryx, oribi, waterbuck, buffalo, giraffe
and warthog) the park attracts a variety of predators such
as lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, golden jackals and bat
eared foxes. Elephants are relatively scarce and the few
remaining black rhinoceros are restricted to the Moru Koppies
area.
A safari in Serengeti also offers rewarding bird viewing
with ostrich and kori bustard being common, a variety of
larks, finches, and raptors can be seen but the most distinctive
small bird is the lilac breasted roller.
You can visit the park all year round but there is less
game in the park during the dry season – July /October,
where they migrate to the Masai Mara in Kenya. Serengeti
in the low season will still offer game viewing to match
that of any park in Africa, and for some, the fewer tourist
numbers may be an added bonus.
Day 3 –Lake Manyara
Arising at dawn, we head off for an early morning game drive
tracking animals in the Serengeti morning sunshine returning
to the lodge for a late breakfast. We depart the lodge in
Serengeti for Lake Manyara viewing game along the way as
we proceed towards a lodge for the night.
The Lake Manyara National park is serene and beautiful with
main attractions of a rich bird life, tree-climbing lions,
its elephants, and hippos that you can see at closer range
than most other places. Lake Manyara is an alkaline lake
and at certain times of the year hosts thousands of flamingos
and a diversity of other bird life. It is also a fine place
to see blue monkeys and hippo pools where many hippos can
be seen soaking and yawning along with countless water birds.
The hot springs are an excellent place to see buffaloes
and elephants and the huge flocks of flamingoes that regularly
visit Lake Manyara itself.
Day 4 –Arusha:
We spend the morning game viewing and enjoying the excellent
scenery offered by the escarpment walls. Picnic lunch in
the park before returning to Arusha Town by late afternoon.
Drop-off at your hotel in town.
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