4 Days Iconic Ngorongoro Crater

Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area | Afternoon at leisure

The safari adventure begins with a departure from Arusha at 1200hrs, followed by lunchtime arrival at Ngorongoro. Rest of the day spent at leisure - just relax and enjoy the panoramic views of the crater below, the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Eight million years ago, the Ngorongoro Crater was an active volcano but its cone collapsed, forming the crater that is 610 meters deep, 20 kilometres in diameter, and covers an area of 311 sq. km. Spectacular as it is, the crater accounts for just a tenth of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The crater is home to many species of wild game and birds. With the exception of impala and topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and the giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater, including the endangered black rhino, and the densest population of predators in Africa. A strange thing is that the crater elephants are mainly bulls! The birdlife, which includes the flamingo, is mainly seasonal, and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.

 Accommodation:        KARATU SIMBA LODGE

Meal Plan:                   Full board basis.

Descend to the Ngorongoro Crater floor | Full day game-viewing drive

After breakfast descend some 600 metres into the crater, which is home to an abundance of wildlife and a photogenic paradise, for a full day of game-viewing at the crater. Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact caldera in the world teams with an abundance of wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor. Prides of lions, herds of Cape buffalo, impala, Thompsons gazelles, rhino, golden & black-backed jackal, zebra, cheetah, leopard and the spotted hyena. Unmatched for its natural variety & breath-taking beauty, there are few places on earth where such a tremendous diversity of landscapes exists inside a region this size. Apart from its wildlife riches, the crater is also of great archaeological importance, with the remains of some of mankind’s earliest ancestors discovered in the area, also a home to hundreds of bird species, refreshing in the small lakes in the crater floor. Enjoy your lunch at the crater and continue with an afternoon game drive. Later in the evening ascend to the crater rims and drive back to your lodge/camp before dusk.

Accommodation:         KARATU SIMBA LODGE

Meal Plan:                   Full board basis.

Drive to Tarangire National Park | Full day game-viewing drive

After breakfast proceed with packed lunch boxes to Tarangire National Park to arrive in time for game-viewing drive in the park. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry Tarangire river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared Oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed. The swamps, tinged green year-round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you may find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys. Other birds include the yellow-collared lovebird, drabber rufous-tailed weaver and the ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Arrive at you lodge for check in and dinner before dusk.

Accommodation:         TARANGIRE SIMBA LODGE 

Meal Plan:                   Full board basis.

Drive back to Arusha

This morning we enjoy our breakfast then check-out. Unbelievable but true, our good bush moments have come to an end. We bid farewell to our wonderful lodge manager and his team then depart to Arusha. Not empty handed though. With us are photographs – a capture of the special moments we have had on this tour to immortalize the experience. Lunch at a local restaurant.