Overview
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (11 days)
ARRIVAL IN ARUSHA
Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Millennia Safaris will arrange a private transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha.
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, proceed to get your Tourist Visa at the cost of $100 USD per person. This visa is for American and Canadian passport holders, with fees to be paid in exact cash. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Your passport has to be valid for six months past your return date, and most have empty pages. After clearing customs and immigration, our representative will meet you and assist you with the transfer to the hotel in Arusha.
GAME DRIVE IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Today we head to Tarangire National Park. The park, which has its own source of water, comes into its own in the dry season as a birdlife congregation on the Tarangire River, and herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and, in particular, elephants can be seen. Predators such as lions and leopards are also regularly spotted here. Our lodge is located within the park. It has a large lookout area from where sundowners can be had whilst watching the game on the sweeping plains below.
GAME DRIVE IN LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
We depart from your lodge and proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. Although small in size, this park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of the park. In the backdrop is the wall of the Great Rift Valley, before which lays the groundwater, forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this area, which consists of open grassy areas, hot springs, dense woodlands, and steep mountainsides. Lake Manyara National Park is a birding paradise that has more than 350 species of birds. The park is also famed for its unique and elusive tree-climbing lions.
In the afternoon, we drive back to our special safari lodge.
GAME DRIVE IN THE CENTRAL SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
We head towards the Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here is a small museum, where we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that dates back 2.5 million years. After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself, and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January, and February, we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephants, and many large predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
GAME DRIVE IN THE NORTHERN SERENGETI KOGATENDE
Northern Serengeti Kogatende
After breakfast, we will proceed for a full-day game drive viewing the great migration at the Mara area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in the Wagakuria area. The key feature is the Mara River and there is a great chance to see the herds cross the Mara River to the north on one day and back south a few days later. Please note that it can be very difficult to witness crossing and is sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to the river and only decides to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara.
GAME DRIVE IN THE NORTHERN SERENGETI KOGATENDE
Northern Serengeti Kogatende
After breakfast, drive to Serengeti Park with a picnic lunch. Much of the route will be a game drive before arriving at the lodge in the late afternoon. Arrive for dinner and overnight at your tented camp.
GAME DRIVE IN THE CENTRAL SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
We have another full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and if you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of the interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
SERENGETI TO NGORONGORO CRATER
Morning game drive in Serengeti; afternoon drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
We have a final game drive in the Serengeti before heading back into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, where we spend the night.
FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN NGORONGORO CRATER
We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park; this means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife. During the drive-in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalo. Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and leopards (if you are lucky). The only animal you won’t see in here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steep sides of the crater. In the late afternoon, we travel back to our special lodge.
LAKE EYASI CULTURAL TOURISM
Today is fully dedicated to a carefully guided experience in the Lake Eyasi region, where time with the Hadzabe can create some of the most visually powerful and humanly significant moments of the journey.
The value of this day lies in sensitivity and pacing. It is not about rushing through an encounter. It is about observing respectfully, photographing with awareness, and allowing space for real documentary moments to emerge.
Photography focus: environmental portraiture, gesture, movement, human connection, story and place.
DEPARTURE
Depending on your flight schedule and departure point, you will be transferred to the airport to connect your flight back home.
Rates Per Person
See "Accommodation & Meals" on the Overview tab for the general comfort levels available — send us your dates and group size for an exact quote.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Serengeti National Park and ends in Lake Eyasi.
Airport Information
Kilimanjaro International Airport and Mwanza Airport are the most common arrival points, depending on your route.
Transfer Information
Airport pickup and all transfers between destinations are included and arranged by our team.
Accommodation Before/After
Need a night in Mwanza or Arusha before or after this trip? We can arrange that on request.
