Echoes of the Wild Safari – 6 Days: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) where you’ll receive a warm Karibu sana welcome from your professional Pita Safaris driver-guide. Enjoy a scenic drive to Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania’s northern safari circuit, passing coffee plantations, banana groves, and red-soil landscapes framed by Mount Meru. Depending on your arrival time, relax at your lodge, explore Arusha’s colorful craft markets, or unwind at a local café before enjoying a relaxed dinner as your safari adventure begins.

Highlights:

• Private airport transfer (~55 km | ~1 hour)
• Scenic drive through northern Tanzania’s agricultural landscapes
• Relaxed arrival evening in Arusha

Optional Experiences:

• Visit Arusha craft markets
• Local cultural center or coffee experience

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Kibo Palace Hotel
• Upper Midrange: Arusha Serena Hotel
• Luxury: Gran Melia Arusha

After breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National Park (~130 km | 2–3 hours), a lush wildlife haven nestled beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Enjoy a full-day game drive through groundwater forests, open floodplains, and the soda lake shoreline. Spot elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, and vibrant birdlife, with chances to see the park’s famous tree-climbing lions. Flamingos often line the lake, creating stunning photographic moments beneath towering cliffs.

Highlights:

• Full-day game drive in Lake Manyara
• Tree-climbing lions and flamingo sightings
• Rift Valley escarpment scenery

Optional Experiences:

• Guided birdwatching walk
• Sundowner overlooking the lake

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Lake Manyara Tortillis camp
• Upper Midrange: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Escarpment Luxury Lodge

After breakfast, journey through the Ngorongoro Highlands toward the legendary Serengeti National Park (~250 km | 4–5 hours). Enter via Naabi Hill Gate and begin an exciting en-route game drive across endless plains dotted with acacia trees. The Serengeti is home to vast herds of wildebeest and zebras, as well as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. Arrive at your camp or lodge in time to relax and absorb the sounds of the African wilderness at sunset.

Highlights:

• Scenic drive through Ngorongoro Highlands
• En-route game drive in Serengeti
• Endless plains and predator sightings

Optional Experiences:

• Stop at Naabi Hill viewpoint
• Sunset photography session

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Serengeti Heritage Camp
• Upper Midrange: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Rise early for a sunrise game drive in the Serengeti, when predators are most active and the light is perfect for photography. After breakfast, continue wildlife viewing before departing toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (~160 km | 3–4 hours). Optional stops include Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. Arrive at your lodge perched on the crater rim, offering breathtaking views across the caldera at sunset.

Highlights:

• Sunrise game drive in Serengeti
• Scenic drive to Ngorongoro Highlands
• Sunset views over the crater rim

Optional Experiences:

• Visit Olduvai Gorge Museum
• Cultural stop at a Maasai boma

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Ngorongoro Farm House
• Upper Midrange: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro

Descend 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day game drive in one of Africa’s most wildlife-dense ecosystems. Spot elephants, lions, buffaloes, zebras, hippos, and the rare black rhino before enjoying a picnic lunch near the hippo pool. In the afternoon, drive to Tarangire National Park (~200 km | 5–6 hours), famous for its ancient baobab trees and large elephant herds.

Highlights:

• Half-day Ngorongoro Crater safari
• Big Five sightings in one ecosystem
• Scenic drive to Tarangire

Optional Experiences:

• Extended crater photography stop
• Sundowner at Tarangire lodge

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Tarangire Safari Lodge
• Upper Midrange: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
• Luxury: Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge

Enjoy a final morning game drive in Tarangire National Park, where lions, giraffes, zebras, and massive elephant herds gather along the Tarangire River. After brunch, depart for Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) (~290 km | 6–7 hours including game drive) for your onward flight. Guests with late departures may opt for an additional overnight stay in Arusha.

Highlights:
• Morning game drive in Tarangire
• Baobab landscapes and elephant encounters
• Scenic return journey