Meals: Breakfast and dinner

Arusha is located at the foothills of Mount Meru on the eastern side of the Great Rift Valley. This is the gateway to the northern safari circuit, with easy access to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru. Its elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) keeps temperatures relatively cool despite proximity to the equator. Temperatures generally range between 50 F and 86 F, with little humidity due to the altitude.

Arusha is serviced by two airports, Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) on the eastern side and Arusha Airport, which primarily services domestic travel. There is some good shopping available, including the impressive Cultural Heritage Centre, with curio shops, a jewellery boutique, a Tanzanite and precious stone counter, a bargain center, and an art gallery.

When you arrive at Kilamanjaro International Airport there will be a short meet and greet, and then you will transfer to  Katambuga House. Evening is at your leisure.  

Overnight: Katambuga House

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

On the morning of February 3, we will drive a few hours to Tarangire National Park via a safari vehicle. The Tarangire National Park covers an undulating area of 2,850 km2 (1,100 mi2). The park is famous for its giant baobabs, savannahs with scattered termite mounds and large elephant herds. This beautiful park is dominated by the perennial Tarangire River.

In the middle of the park, the Silale swamp becomes the main source of water and attracts elephants and predators. There is a healthy lion population and the other predators are often spotted trailing the plains game as they head to water, or occasionally the cats can be spotted lounging in sausage trees.

 There will be game drives, one walking safari and one night game drive in this park.  

Overnight: Olkeri Camp

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

We’ll travel next to a true Garden of Eden, the Ngorongoro Crater. It is only 260 km2 (100mi2) in size yet has some of the highest densities of lion and spotted hyena found anywhere in the world. The three-million-year-old Ngorongoro Crater was once a gigantic volcano that some suggest was even higher than Mt Kilimanjaro. It is the largest intact caldera in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The view from the crater rim at 600 m (1970 ft) is nothing short of breath-taking. The thick mountain forests of the crater highlands strike a sharp contrast with the short grass plains of the crater floor with its yellow fever Acacia woodlands and streams. The area is known for very large tusked elephants, black rhino and great predator action.

 When you transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, there will be a Boma visit in the afternoon of arrival. During your  time in this area, you will also embark on a Crater descent with hot lunch in the crater. 

Overnight: Mysigio Camp

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

The eastern plains of the Serengeti are a remote and wildlife-filled pocket lying at the crossroads of the endless grassy plains and the woodlands. Here in the Soit le Motonyi region, amongst the endless grassy savannah, dotted with gnarled acacia trees and weathered rocky outcrops, you will find an unsurpassed display of predators and predator activity. Far from the busier central Serengeti, the area is unspoiled, silent and remote.  

The area abounds with wildlife. Prides of lions and large packs of hyenas. Leopards range along the river valleys and wooded hills, Serval cats hunt in the tall grass and Caracals at the base of kopjes. This area is among the best places in the world to photograph large cats. The permanent water attracts herbivores in mass such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, warthogs and many more which makes for an action-packed game experience.
 

Overnight: Olmara Camp

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

The vast open plains of the southern Serengeti offer insight into why Serengeti was so named, being derived from the Maasai word for the endless plains. To the east, the plains stretch out to the picturesque Gol kopjes, imposing ancient granite outcrops that are islands of biodiversity and provide refuge from the open plains for all the cats. The Maasai steppe in the east is home to huge clans of spotted hyena who are probably the apex predator in this area.

The Serengeti is perhaps the most famous African wilderness area, its name synonymous with the notion of safari for nearly a hundred years. This UNESCO World Heritage site covers 14,750 km2 (5,700 mi2) of premiere game viewing in Acacia woodlands, open grasslands and undulating savannahs interspersed with seasonal rivers. The park on the northern side borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and, together with several other smaller reserves and conservation areas, forms the larger Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

Between the months of December and March the southern Serengeti and neighbouring Ngorongoro Conservation Area play host to the Great Wildebeest Migration in incredible numbers. During February and March, close to 300,000 baby wildebeest are born within a six-week period and the bush teems with new life.

Predatory action is at a high and this is one of the best areas and times to look for cheetahs. Lions and leopards can also be found. The extremely rare African hunting dogs have also made a return.

Overnight: Esirai Camp 

After breakfast, head to the airport for your flight back to the USA.