13-Day Ultimate Tanzania Safari

You are welcomed at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Over dinner your guide outlines the thirteen days ahead, from Tarangire to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, and answers any questions.

Start at Arusha National Park, a compact jewel of rainforest, open plains and crater lakes. A guided walk brings you close to giraffe and zebra, while a game drive explores the Ngurdoto Crater and the flamingo-lined Momella Lakes.

Drive south into Tarangire National Park, the land of baobabs and great elephant herds. An afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River finds wildlife gathered at the water, with excellent chances of lion, elephant and a spectacular array of birds.

A short drive reaches Lake Manyara National Park, where forest meets soda lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Look for tree-climbing lions, elephants, hippos and flamingos. Continue to the highlands for a comfortable night above the valley.

Cross the Ngorongoro highlands and descend into the Serengeti National Park. Your first game drive explores the Seronera Valley, with its resident lions and leopards. You have four nights here, so the pace is relaxed — camp awaits as the light softens over the plains.

A full day in the Seronera area, the park’s beating heart. The Seronera River draws animal concentrations year-round, and the leopard-draped trees and granite kopjes make exceptional wildlife viewing and photography. Dawn and dusk drives offer the best predator action.

Follow the wildebeest and zebra herds according to the season — the southern plains in the early months, the western corridor and Grumeti mid-year, or the far north for the Mara crossings from mid-year onward. Long drives, picnic lunches and patient waiting reward with unforgettable moments.

Another full day in the Serengeti, with the option of a sunrise hot-air balloon safari followed by a champagne bush breakfast. Otherwise, explore a different sector of the park, tracking big cats and taking in the sheer scale of the plains at your own pace.

Leave the plains with a final morning game drive and climb into the Ngorongoro highlands. An optional visit to a Maasai village along the way offers insight into local pastoral life. Arrive on the crater rim in time for a spectacular sunset.

Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day among some 25,000 large animals. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the best places in Africa to see all of the Big Five, including the endangered black rhino. Enjoy a lakeside picnic before climbing back to the rim.

A relaxed day in the fertile highlands around Karatu. Choose a guided forest walk, a coffee or banana plantation visit, or a cultural walk with the Iraqw people and their terraced farms. It is a gentle day that deepens the journey beyond wildlife alone.

Return to the Rift Valley for a second visit to Lake Manyara National Park, or relax at your lodge with an optional birding walk. Either way, the day offers a calm counterpoint to the intensity of the crater and the plains.

After breakfast, drive to Arusha or Moshi for your onward flight. With five parks and thirteen days behind you, there is time to think about what comes next — a Zanzibar beach stay or a Kilimanjaro climb, which we are always glad to arrange.