Ngorongoro Crater and Maasai culture
Bite-sized trip
Day 1 – Elephants in Tarangire National Park
You will be collected from your hotel in Moshi or Arusha by our English-speaking guide and head towards Tarangire National Park. You’ll be travelling in a 4×4 Landcruiser with a folding roof so you’ll experience 360-degree views on the safari. Passing traditional African huts and waving to local Maasai shepherds, it won’t be long before you reach the entrance to the park. The landscapes differ from other national parks in Tanzania, with striking baobab trees that have survived for centuries, vast savannahs, acacia woodlands and seasonal swamps that transform into lush green plains during the dry season. With one of the highest populations of elephants in Tanzania, it’s likely you’ll be seeing these majestic giants up close, as well as zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, buffaloes, and many antelope species.
After your first safari experience, you will drive on to Karatu in about an hour and a half. You will spend the night there in an atmospheric safari lodge, sleeping in a spacious bungalow that is very comfortably furnished. As you fall asleep tonight, you can reflect on the day’s exciting safari adventures and picture more of what’s to come the following day.
Day 2 – Lake Manyara National Park
After a hearty breakfast, you will drive to the nearby Lake Manyara National Park, which will take around an hour. This is the second oldest national park in Tanzania and is home to the highly alkaline Lake Manyara, where you’ll find thousands of flamingos searching for food. The dense forest is also home to the park’s iconic creature: a large number of the so-called Manyara or tree lions, who prefer to lounge in the green acacias to avoid the tsetse flies. During your safari, you may be lucky enough to spot these unique animals as they climb the trees and target their prey from above, but you also have a good chance of seeing elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and impalas. You’ll enjoy a tasty packed lunch, provided by your guide, and an afternoon game drive, before heading back to your lodge in Karatu for the evening.
Day 3 – Lake Natron
Today, you will have a long drive ahead of you as you travel to Lake Natron, passing the famous Ngorongoro Crater along the way. The drive takes around five hours in total, as the roads are rugged and uneven, but the breathtaking scenery and the chance to spot wildlife along the way will make the journey worthwhile. During the drive, you will have likely spotted some of the Maasai – a traditional community known for their distinctive dress and pastoral lifestyle in Northern Tanzania. Around halfway through the journey, you will visit a Maasai village and learn more about the life and culture which has remained largely unchanged for centuries. From watching traditional dances and exploring their homesteads, to learning about age-old customs and their deep connection to the land, you’ll get to experience the authentic Maasai way of life.
Once back on the road, it’s around two and a half hours to get to your camp at Lake Natron. You’ll be staying in a private tented camp, where you’ll sleep in a spacious, comfortable tent with a proper bed, en suite bathroom and private veranda. If you arrive in the afternoon, you will have enough time to explore the area on your own and take a walk through the natural surroundings. Or, you can simply unwind with a good book and soak up the peaceful atmosphere on your veranda.
Day 4 – Flamingos at Lake Natron
After breakfast, you will walk with a Maasai guide for about two hours to Lake Natron, where thousands of flamingos strut along the shore. The lake is full of minerals, including the flamingo’s favourite snack – spirulina, which is a blue-green algae packed with pigments. When digested, these pigments break down and give flamingos their distinctive pink or reddish colour. This is a great place for photography lovers, with incredible scenes of vibrant flamingos, dramatic landscapes and striking reflections on the lake’s glistening waters. The elongated lake lies at the foot of the active volcano Oldonyo Lengai, which means “mountain of God” in Maasai. You can enjoy the views all morning and then head back to camp after lunch.
In the afternoon, you can go on a second hike with your guide to see some waterfalls that are a little further away. As you will be wading through rivers during this hike, we recommend that you wear sturdy shoes that can also get wet. Don’t forget to pack your swimwear as you can have a dip in the waterfall pools – a refreshing way to cool off after all that walking.
Day 5 – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will travel around 5-6 hours to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. You will be staying at a tented camp within the park, so the drive to your accommodation will be a safari in itself! You’ll arrive at your camp around sunset, where you’ll be sleeping in a comfortable tent with a bed or camp bed, similar to the one in Lake Natron. Once you’re settled, head for a bite to eat at the restaurant, where you’ll also find a bar with a large fire pit, perfect for relaxing with a glass of wine after an exciting day. Enjoy the crackling campfire with the sounds of lions roaring in the distance.
The best time of year to visit the Serengeti is June to October, when the animals are most active and easiest to spot, with The Great Migration moving through the plains and predators following closely behind.
Day 6 – Game drive in the Serengeti
It’s an early start today, with the camp staff waking you up before sunrise for today’s wildlife adventure. After a cup of coffee and a few biscuits, you’ll climb into the Landcruiser for an early morning game drive. As the Serengeti is located at an altitude of around 1200 metres, it can still get quite cold in the morning so we recommend packing a few warmer layers to stay comfortable. You will be driving through the vast plains to the Maasai peaks…the area of the hunters, where you’ll likely see lions and if you’re lucky – cheetahs. During The Great Migration, you can watch thousands of wildebeest and zebras moving across the plains in search of fresh grass and water – an incredible sight. After an exciting day full of different wildlife encounters, you’ll head back to your tented camp for another delicious dinner and evening of relaxation before more adventure tomorrow.
Day 7 – Another Serengeti game drive
Another day, another game drive. This morning you’ll set off into the vast plains of the Serengeti, following new paths, eager to find animals you haven’t spotted yet. You’ll enjoy a tasty packed lunch surrounded by the wilderness before driving slowly back to the entrance of the national park, keeping an eye out for prowling predators and herds grazing in the heart of the wild. There you will say goodbye to the world-famous Serengeti.
In the late afternoon, you will reach the “eighth wonder of the world” – the Ngorongoro Crater. You will spend the night in a safari lodge near the crater rim, where you can unwind and reflect on today’s encounters.
If you would prefer to stay in a lodge with a direct view of the Ngorongoro Crater, please let us know. We will be happy to arrange this for you.
Day 8 – Ngorongoro Crater game drive
This morning, after a short drive, you’ll arrive at the Ngorongoro Crater rim, where you will be treated to exceptional views of the world’s largest volcanic crater that remains intact. Driving along the rim, you’ll soon descend to the crater floor and this is where the game drive begins. Soon, you’ll start to spot the abundance of wildlife that the crater is well known for – lions, cheetahs and huge herds of wildebeest and zebra. In the middle of the crater there is a lake where, depending on the season, huge numbers of flamingos gather. In the afternoon you’ll make your way to Arusha or Moshi, where the safari ends and you’ll continue to your next destination in Tanzania.
Accommodation
