Depart for Lake Manyara National Park after breakfast at your lodge. Positioned at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the beautiful Lake Manyara has a diverse range of habitats. 

Dense, lush forests shelter troops of baboons and blue monkeys, while acacia woodland is the stomping ground elephant and Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions. Buffalo, giraffe, impala, warthog inhabit the grassy plains that encircle the soda lake at the park’s centre, while Cape clawless otter, klipsringer and dik-dik are just some of the other more elusive residents of this magnificent park that Hemingway immortalised in his “Green Hills of Africa”. 

As for the lake, more than 350 species of bird can be found there but it is the thousands of flamingos that are the most spectacular avian resident. At the southern end of the park two sets of hot springs, Maji Moto and Maji Moto Ngogo, boast water temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius. In the afternoon, you’ll proceed to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Main destination: Ngorongoro Crater

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Safari Lodge

Meals & drinks: All meals included; lunch, dinner and drinks not included

After breakfast, we’ll descend 610 feet to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive and lunch at the hippo pool picnic site. The largest unbroken caldera in the world, you’ll soon see why Ngorongoro is known as Africa’s own Garden of Eden. Dotted with water-holes, the crater floor is one of the few places where it is possible to spot all of the “Big Five”, even including the highly endangered black rhino. 

In the afternoon, we’ll make tracks for the vast plains of the Serengeti. Famous the world over, the Serengeti covers more than 14,000 sq. km, and is home to one of the highest concentrations of big cats anywhere. 

Lions are common sights but no less thrilling for that, particularly if you are fortunate enough to see them tracking the migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra. Leopards, too, are frequently seen, as are their smaller relative, the cheetah. Home for the next two nights is the luxurious surroundings of the Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp, which combines a real sense of the surrounding wilderness with incomparable comfort.

 Main destination: Serengeti National Park

 Accommodation: Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp 

 Meals & drinks: All meals included; drinks not included

Seizing one of the best times of day for wildlife spotting, you’ll enjoy your first game drive of the day before breakfast. 

Once the sun is fully up, it’s time to return to camp for a leisurely breakfast and to look forward to two further game drives later in the day. Lunch is a picnic, served mid-way through one of these game drives. Your time in the park will give you a real sense of the diversity of the Serengeti’s habitats. 

In the south, the seemingly endless savannah plains roll away towards the horizon, while the north is bush land. To the west, lie hills and woods, while the east is typified by rocky areas known as kopjes, which are favourite hang-outs for lion and leopard. Rivers, home to hippos and crocodiles, criss-cross the entire park. 

Main destination: Serengeti National Park

Accommodation: Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp 

Meals & drinks: All meals included; drinks not included

An early breakfast precedes your morning game drive en-route to Arusha. There’s a final chance to savour the view across Ngorongoro with a picnic lunch taken at the Ngorongoro View Point. After this, your driver-guide will transfer you to Kilimanjaro airport for your onward flight. 

Guests on this 5-day tour also have the chance to visit Olduvai Gorge or to take a scenic hot air balloon flight above the plains. And, of course, you can choose to extend the trip to include a beach break on Zanzibar.

Main destination: Kilimanjaro Airport 

Accommodation: End of tour (no accommodation) 

Meals & drinks: Breakfast & lunch included; dinner & drinks not included