15-Day Tanzania Explorer Safari

You are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. In the evening your guide hosts a welcome briefing, setting out the fifteen-day explorer route and answering every question about the adventure ahead.

The journey begins at Arusha National Park, a beautiful blend of rainforest, grassland and crater lakes. A guided walking safari brings you closer to giraffe, buffalo and zebra than a vehicle allows, before an afternoon game drive to the Ngurdoto Crater and the flamingo-rich Momella Lakes.

Travel south to Tarangire National Park, celebrated for its ancient baobabs and the greatest concentration of elephants in northern Tanzania. An afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River finds herds gathered at the water, with superb birding and good odds of lion.

Continue to Lake Manyara National Park, a slender park of groundwater forest and soda lake set against the Rift Valley escarpment. Search for the famous tree-climbing lions, watch hippos in the shallows and admire the flamingos that fringe the shoreline in season.

Drive north along the Rift Valley escarpment toward remote Lake Natron. The austere volcanic scenery, the crimson-tinted water and the perfect cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai make this one of the most arresting landscapes in East Africa. Arrive for a spectacular sunset.

A full day on foot at Lake Natron. Hike to the Engare Sero waterfalls, a lush gorge cut into the volcanic rock, and visit the lakeshore where vast flocks of lesser flamingos feed. In the afternoon, meet the Maasai families who live in this remote and beautiful land.

Take the wild northern route into the Serengeti National Park, entering through remote country few visitors see. A game drive on arrival explores this sector, where big cats and, in season, the migrating herds roam. Settle into your camp in the northern Serengeti.

A full day in the northern Serengeti, the arena of the famed Mara River crossings from mid-year onward. Even outside the crossing season the riverine woodland and kopjes are alive with predator and prey. Long, patient drives make the most of this remote, spectacular country.

Journey south through the park to the Seronera Valley, the beating heart of the Serengeti. The Seronera River supports year-round concentrations of wildlife, and its leopard-draped trees and granite kopjes are among the most photographed in Africa. Two nights in the centre of the action begin here.

A full day to explore the central Serengeti, with dawn and dusk drives timed for the predators. Depending on the season your guide may head toward the southern plains, the western corridor or the Grumeti River. Optional hot-air balloon safari at sunrise for a bird’s-eye view of the plains.

A final morning game drive in the Serengeti precedes the climb into the Ngorongoro highlands. En route, an optional Maasai village visit offers a warm, genuine encounter with local pastoral culture. Arrive on the crater rim as the light turns golden.

Descend onto the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game driving in the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Around 25,000 large animals live here, and all of the Big Five are possible, including the endangered black rhino. Picnic at the hippo pool before returning to the rim.

A relaxed day in the highlands around Karatu. Choose from a coffee and banana plantation tour, a guided forest walk among birdlife, or a cultural walk with the Iraqw people and their meticulously terraced farms. It is a gentle, restorative day of the explorer safari.

Return to the Rift Valley for a second, unhurried visit to Lake Manyara National Park, or relax at your lodge with optional birding and forest walks. The day brings the journey full circle and offers a calm pause before departure.

After breakfast, drive to Arusha or Moshi for your onward flight. Fifteen days, six destinations and countless memories later, the explorer safari comes to a close — though a Zanzibar beach stay or a Kilimanjaro climb can extend it further.