7 Days Tanzania Safari, Maasai Culture, Game Viewing, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

Day 1: Transfer to Tarangire National Park for a Game Drive

Your 7 days Tanzania safari tour will start at 8.00 am.

Your tour driver guide shall pick up you from your Arusha hotel, introducing you to the beauty of Tanzania. You will have a drive of about 2½ hours southwest to Tarangire National Park, which gets its name from the river that crosses the park.

You’ll arrive in the park in time for lunch. Later embark on an afternoon game drive to view the abundant wildlife. Tarangire is one of the lesser-known game parks in Tanzania, rivaling the Serengeti National Park in its diversity of wildlife.

It’s an excellent option if you want to see more animals and fewer tourists while on safari. Tarangire’s landscape is of particular interest too, due to the high big baobab or African tree of life. The park hosts Tanzania’s biggest herds of elephants and is also home to 550 bird species.

Its wildlife population is most spectacular between June and October, the dry season. During this time, thousands of animals – elephants, buffalos, giraffes, elands, wildebeests, kudus, hartebeests, and the rarely seen Oryx – migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River looking for water.

Elephants congregate in herds of up 300 animals! Lions, leopards, Hyenas, Cheetahs, Wild dogs, and other predators follow the herds.

Accommodation

Luxury: – Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Midrange: – Tarangire Kirurumu Camp

Budget: – Roika Tented Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 150km/2½ hours

Activities & Services: –

• Drive to Tarangire
• Afternoon game drive

Optional Activity: –

• Night game drive
• Walking safari

Day 2: Whole Day Drive to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro

After an early breakfast on day two of your 7 days Tanzania safari tour, embark on a long scenic through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and rural Maasai villages to the world-famous Serengeti National Park.

Translated in the Maasai language as ‘the land that moves on forever’, Serengeti is a vast, beautiful expanse of over 1.4 million hectares, hosting one of the world’s greatest concentrations of wildlife.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, the Serengeti ecosystem is most famous for its Big Cats (Lions, Leopards, and Cheetahs) and the annual Great Migration, the “greatest wildlife show on earth”, which sees over 1.5 million Wildebeest, plus thousands of Zebras and Gazelles, undertake the long trek to new grazing grounds. It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

Enjoy a picnic lunch this afternoon and a game drives up to your overnight camp in Central Serengeti. This area of the park encompasses the pristine Seronera Valley, which is often termed as the ‘classic’ Serengeti; short grass plains with all different kinds of wild animals ranging from the impressive lion to naughty mongoose

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Serengeti Serena Lodge/Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Midrange: – Serengeti Kati Kati Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 250km/5-6 hours

Activities & Services: –

• Drive to Serengeti
• Evening game drive

Day 3: Full Day Game Drives In Serengeti National Park

On day three of your 7 days Tanzania safari tour, you will have a full day to explore the ‘endless plains of Serengeti. You’ll wake up at sunrise and enjoy a game drive. You’ll head out while the animals are at their most active, then head back to camp for lunch at around 11.30 am.

After spending the middle of the day relaxing, just like the animals do, head out again as the day begins to cool. You’ll return from this second game drive in time for dinner. More than 3 million animals inhabit the reserve including all the ‘big five’ buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinos.

Other animals include Cheetahs, Spotted Hyaena, Wild Dogs, Crocodiles, Warthogs, Baboons, Caracals, Civets, Bat-Eared Foxes, Jackals, Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos, Honey Badgers, Hyraxes, Mongoose, Ostriches, Servals, Gazelles, Vervet Monkeys, Wildebeests, Hartebeests, Dik-Dik, Impalas, Reedbucks, Topis, and Waterbucks.

There is also an abundance of birdlife, with more than 530 species such as Ostriches, Kori bustards, Grey-crowned cranes, Eagles, Herons, Owls, Storks, Vultures, and the beautiful long-legged Secretary birds.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Serengeti Serena Lodge/Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Midrange: – Serengeti Kati Kati Camp

Budget: – Kijereshi Tented Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services: –

• Serengeti Game drives

Optional Activity: –

• Hot air balloon ride

Day 4: Full Day Game Drives Serengeti National Park

Today, enjoy another full-day safari in Central Serengeti’s Seronera River Valley. Seronera is one of the most popular and beautiful areas of Serengeti. Known as the Big Cat Capital of Africa, it is simply the best place in Africa to observe large carnivores (Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, and Hyenas) in action.

You will reliably find lions sprawling in the sunlight on the crests of towering kopjes (granite rocks), and look for the famous Seronera leopards peering down from their shadowy perches in the arms of the sausage trees that line the river. Even cheetahs can be seen here, gracefully striding through the shifting grasses or scouting gazelles from the top of a termite mound.

Another bonus is that Seronera lies on the route of the Great Migration and provides superb viewing of this incredible yearly phenomenon between May and June. During this time when the wildebeest thunder through the valley, accompanied by thousands of zebra, and gazelles, Seronera offers some of the best game viewings in Africa.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Serengeti Serena Lodge/Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Midrange: – Serengeti Kati Kati Camp

Budget: – Kijereshi Tented Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services: –

• Serengeti morning and game drives

Day 5: Travel to Ngorongoro Crater via Olduvai Gorge

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on day five of your 7 days Tanzania safari tour and have one more game drive in Serengeti, before traveling to the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. Drive through rural Masai villages before reaching the famous archeological site of Olduvai Gorge, also known as the Cradle of Mankind.

The earliest remains of Homo sapiens were discovered here by archaeologists Dr. and Mrs. Leakey and it’s a great place to learn about mankind’s ancestors.  You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch in the Olduvai Gorge visitor center courtyard, before walking around the museum to discover more about this extraordinary place. Your local guide will explain the ages of the gorge as you marvel at the rugged landscape.

Continue from here to your lodge close to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, which many people see as “the eighth wonder of the world”. You will enjoy a delicious dinner before falling asleep under the vast, star-filled African sky.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge/Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

Midrange: – Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge

Budget: – Karatu Simba Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – Approx.140km/3-4 hours

Activities & Services: –

• Morning game drive in Serengeti
• Transfer to Ngorongoro
• Olduvai Gorge visit

Day 6: Full-Day Game Drive in Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast at 7.00 am, descend 2000 feet into Ngorongoro Crater for a whole day game drive. You will enjoy a nice picnic lunch on the crater floor, heading back to the lodge in the late afternoon for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

As you descend the crater, learn some interesting facts about this incredible natural geological wonderland. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

The crater is 610 meters (2,000 feet) deep and its floor covers 260 km² (100 miles²). It is well-known for its breathtaking natural beauty and a plethora of wildlife; which includes over 30,000 animals and about 550 bird species. The crater is one of the only places in Africa where you can see all the “big five” (rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant) in one game drive.

Also, it’s one of the few places in Africa where you are almost sure to see rare Black rhinos. Other animals include Cheetah, Hyenas, Jackals, Hippos, Warthogs, Wildebeest, Gazelles, Elands, Hartebeests, Zebras, Waterbucks, Kudus, Serval, and wild dogs. Birds include flamingos, Ostriches, Storks, Vultures, and more.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Ngorongoro Serena Lodge/Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

Midrange: – Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge

Budget: – Karatu Simba Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services: –

• Ngorongoro Crater game drive

Day 7: Visit a Maasai Village & Drive Back To Arusha

After a leisurely breakfast today, visit a Maasai village for a fascinating insight into an ancient way of life that still flourishes today. The Maasai people are renowned for their physical beauty – not just their, graceful physiques but their unique clothing and body ornamentation. Living a semi-nomadic lifestyle, they continue to uphold many other aspects of their traditional lifestyle.

Well-known as fierce warriors, their lively cultural dance, vibrant clothing, and beautifully crafted handiwork are recognized worldwide.

The Maasai people used to move nomadically with their herds to abundant lush pastures but these days they have built permanent homesteads (Bomas) and prefer to stay in one place. Being pastoralists, cattle is essential to their way of life. A man’s success is measured by the number of cattle and offspring he has. As a great status and show of wealth the cattle are, they are also a vital food source.

After the village visit, embark on a 4-hour drive back to Arusha. This concludes your fantastic 7 days Tanzania safari tour.

Please note: Extensions to Zanzibar, Uganda (for gorilla trekking), or parks in Kenya can easily be arranged. Don’t hesitate to contact us.

Meal Plan: – Breakfast & Lunch

Drive Time: – Approx. 4-5 hours

Activities & Services: –

• Cultural tour of Maasai village
• Transfer back to Arusha

• Full board accommodation on Safari
• Transportation in either 4X4 Safari Van/4X4 Safari Land Cruiser all with Pop up roof &AC
• Fuel
• Professional English Speaking driver guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
• Entrance fees to the tourist sites including Protected areas mentioned
• Activity fees of the tourist activities mentioned
• Bottled water while on safari

• General tips for the driver guide, site guides, and service staff at the lodges
• Laundry Services
• Other Beverages or drinks of personal nature like Alcohol
• International Flights
• Domestic Flights – arranged on request
• Visas
• Optional Activity fees
• Other extras not mentioned in the itinerary
• Airport Transfers – arranged on request
• Accommodation in Arusha – arranged on request