11-Day North Tanzania Big 5, Maasai & Village Experience

A great mix of everything that North Tanzania has to offer: wildlife, nature, culture and local life. Encounter breathtaking wildlife, have enriching meetings with locals, enjoy a life-changing hike with former street children and experience the Maasai in a non-touristic hidden place. Be surprised by the variety of accommodations and enjoy their hospitality, peaceful surroundings and stunning nature. 7 days inside the National Parks, including 3 days in the Serengeti.

Day 1

Arrival and transfer to lodge

After pick up at the airport, transfer to Kiboko Lodge, about 45 minutes drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The lodge is situated at the border of Arusha National Park. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy the stunning nature. The lodge is run by former street children. Your stay directly benefits the projects of the Watoto Foundation, aimed at giving street children a better future. Relax and enjoy the warm hospitality of the staff.

Main Destination: Arusha

Accommodation: Kiboko Lodge – Budget lodge located just outside Arusha NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinks not included

 

Day 2

Let the people inspire you

Today will change your perspective on life in a positive way!

In the morning you go for a guided village walk to the nearby village Ngurdoto, with the local school, hospital, church and the friendly local villagers giving you a perfect insight into the day-to-day Tanzanian life.

After lunch at the lodge, drive to Makumira to visit the “Child in the Star” project. You can take a look in the classrooms, see students at work and chat with them and the teachers. You will hike along the rice fields (about 1.5 hr) guided by the students. Not only they tell you enthusiastically about everything you will see: lots of bird species, monkeys, beautiful nature from a different perspective and even an old, German colonial house, but you’ll also get the chance to get to know the boys better and hear their impressive stories (an eyeopener!).

Main Destination: Arusha

Accommodation: Kiboko Lodge – Budget lodge located just outside Arusha NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinks not included

 

Day 3

Gamedrive in Tarangire National Park & Meet the Maasai

After early breakfast, you’ll meet your safari guide and off you go to Tarangire National Park, the most beautiful and divers Park in the Northern part of Tanzania. The drive takes about 3 hours and you will be inside the park for a bush picnic lunch.

Tonight you will stay in a tented camp very close to one of the gates of the park. It’s a small camp with basic facilities, run by the people of the local Maasai villages and definitely something out of the ordinary safari experience. This is where nature, culture and conservation come together in the heart of wild Africa. You will really stay in the middle of nature and enjoying a real bush style experience: before you take a shower, the staff will fill your water tank manually with hot water. Optional: upgrade to a semi-luxury lodge.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Best Time to Visit June to October (Animals come to the river)

High Season June to October (The park is full of tourists)

Best Weather June to October (Little rainfall)

Accommodation: Whistling Thorn Camp – Mid-range tented camp located just outside Tarangire NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 4

Game drive Tarangire National Park

Depending on your wishes and which animals you would like to see, you can decide your program for today. Will it be a morning game drive and be back for lunch in the Camp? Or pack your breakfast and lunch and spend another 6-8 hours in Tarangire National Park? Optional at additional cost: visit the local Maasai Boma and learn more about their traditional way of living. It’s all up to you!

Tonight you stay in a comfortable lodge in the outskirts of Karatu, a small and busy town with an authentic market and lots of small shops, a drive of about 2 hours. After arrival in Karatu, you have the opportunity to do some personal shopping (such as soft or alcoholic drinks or snacks) in preparation for the next three days camping in the middle of the Serengeti. You can also relax in the lodge and ask your driver to do some shopping for you.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Safari Lodge – Mid-range lodge located in or near Karatu

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

 

Day 5

Drive to Serengeti with game drive enroute

After an early breakfast, we take our lunch boxes and leave for Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a spectacular area with panoramic views over the crater hundreds of meters below. Today is also an adventurous safari day as a large part of this route is straight across the centre of the Serengeti National Park, the area of the Seronera River. The distance today is about 250 km, taking about 4-5 hours over partly paved, but mostly sandy and bumpy roads. A long, but beautiful day in the car!

On arrival you can relax and enjoy: our staff already prepared the campsite and while you are having a drink at your private campfire our cook prepares a delicious dinner that you can enjoy under the stars in the middle of the African wilderness. An unforgettable experience!
Optional: upgrade to a tented camp or (semi)luxury lodge.

Main Destination: Serengeti National Park

Best Time to Visit June to February (Areas are best at different times)

High Season July to March (The Seronera area is crowded)

Best Weather June to October (Little to no rainfall)

Accommodation: Budget camping – Inside Serengeti NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 6-7

Full day game drive in the Serengeti

These two days, our route follows the presence and migration of the animals on the plains with game drives along the shores of the Seronera River and Mara River, trying to find unforgettable moments and learn more about the way wild animals live and survive. Wildebeest crossing the river, a hunting cheetah, lion or any other predator or the magnificent view of the silhouette of a giraffe at the horizon. You will enjoy areas that are perfect for an experience off the beaten path.

Together with your guide, you decide whether you do a game drive at sunrise or enjoy a relaxing morning at the campsite, have a picnic lunch in the wilderness or a hot lunch prepared by our professional cook… it’s all your choice! This certainly is the big advantage of camping: you’re completely free to schedule your own program, without having to think about breakfast or lunchtimes of the accommodation. You’re free to decide together with your guide and cook when and how you want your meals.

Main Destination: Serengeti National Park

Accommodation: Budget camping – Inside Serengeti NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

 

Day 8

Ngorongoro Crater tour

After breakfast depart for a game drive in the famous Ngorongoro Crater. After a 3 to 4-hours drive, we wind our way down into the caldera, with the most breathtaking views along the way. Armed with your guide’s years of experience and his ‘eagle-eyes’, we might even encounter rhino. The chance of seeing an active pride of lions at close quarters is high on the list of possibilities. During the picnic lunch at the Hippo Pool, you will enjoy all the sights and sounds of the ‘laughing’ hippos enjoying a wallow in the cool water and a mud-bath.

Main Destination: Ngorongoro Crater

Best Time to Visit June to September (General wildlife viewing is best)

High Season Most of the year – July to March (Expect crowds)

Best Weather June to October (Rainfall is little to none)

Accommodation: Hhando Coffee Lodge  – Mid-range lodge located in or near Karatu

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinks not included

Day 9

Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast depart to Lake Manyara National Park (about 1,5-hour drive) for the last game drive. If you’re lucky, the famous Manyara lions could be spotted in the trees! Lake Manyara is also the place where you can find an enormous amount of Flamingoes. After the game drive, transfer to Migombani Tented Camp. End of safari, but you have another day to explore the surroundings of Mto wa Mbu.

Tonight you stay in a furnished safari tent with shared toilet and bathroom facilities (glamping) at a campsite with beautiful views of Lake Manyara, a restaurant, bar and lounge. Optional: upgrade to a (semi) luxury lodge.

Main Destination: Lake Manyara National Park

Best Time to Visit June to September (easier to spot animals)

High Season July to March (Northern section gets crowded)

Best Weather June to October (few showers of rain)

Accommodation: Migombani Camp Safari Tent – Budget tented camp located outside Lake Manyara NP

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 10

Stretch your legs

Enjoy a welcome change after your long days in the car while relaxing at the swimming pool and enjoying the hospitality, sensational views and good meals.

Optional at additional costs: stretch your legs on a village or nature walk, enjoy the natural beauty or a local experience, like a local market visit, lunch at a local restaurant or a tuk tuk village tour. It’s also possible to hire a mountain bike and explore the village or the surroundings of Lake Manyara. Migombani Camp also offers a visit to a nearby non-touristic Maasai tribe, only visited by guests of the camp.

Main Destination: Mto Wa Mbu

Accommodation: Migombani Camp Safari Tent – Budget tented camp located in or near Mto wa Mbu

Meals & Drinks:

  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

 

Day 11

Transfer back to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport

Depending on your schedule, a driver will pick you up and drive you to Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport. Optional at additional cost: late checkout or day room.

Main Destination: No major destination visited

Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

  • Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
  • Drinks not included

End of tour

  • Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
  • You’ll be dropped off at the airport.

 

Our  package is inclusive of:

1. A 4WD vehicle dedicated for supplies and transfers
2. A professional guide who speaks English well
3. A professional chef who will prepare 3 meals a day as well as snacks
4. Camping facilities (Tents, Tables, Chairs, Mattresses, Sleeping bags, Cutlery etc.)
5. Paid Park and camping fees
6. Bottled Water throughout the course of your journey
7. Paid taxes
8. Airport transfers
9. Accommodation before and after the walking tour

Our  package is exclusive of:

1. Tips (recommended $10 per person per day to each crew and $15 per person per day to Guide)
2. Travel insurance
3. All items of personal nature
4. Beverages and Laundry except where shown.

Tanzania best destination

Tanzania Safari

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is one of the most beautiful regions in Tanzania; it is stunning here, both in dry and wet season. It is also home to some of the largest herds of elephant in Tanzania.

Ngorongoro Crater

Tarangire is one of the most beautiful regions in Tanzania; it is stunning here, both in dry and wet season. It is also home to some of the largest herds of elephant in Tanzania.

Tanzania Safari -Tarangire

Zanzibar

Surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, a barrier reef, and chanting tropics, this exotic spice island is a jewel within the paradise that is the Indian Ocean.

Tanzania Safari - Tarangire

Serengeti National Park

Arguably Africa’s most famous National Park, the Serengeti is one of the birthplaces of safari. The fact that it’s home to the ‘The Big 5’ and ‘The Great Migration says it all.

Lake Manyara National Park

Tanzania’s most famous lake, this beautiful watering hole is where you will see a sea of pink as it inhabits thousands of Flamingo’s and over 400 species of birds.

Selou Game Reserve

Located in southern Tanzania and far from the madding crowds, the Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest game reserve and one of our favourite wildlife viewing areas.