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7-DAY MASAI CAMPING SAFARI
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| MASAI CAMPING SAFARI AT A GLANCE | |||||||
| 7 Days: Lake Manyara / Serengeti Plains / Ngorongoro Crater | |||||||
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| National Park | Manyara | Manyara / Serengeti | Serengeti | Serengeti / Ngoro | Ngorongoro | ||
| Game viewing drives | Pm | Am | Full day | Full day | Am | Full day | Am |
| Other activities | Canoe ride | - | Hot air balloon | Olduvai Gorge | Masai Village | ||
| Non game-viewing travel time | 21/2 hours | 4 hours | - | 4 hours | - | 4 hours | |
| Accommodation options | Kirurumu camp | Private camp | Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge | ||||
| Board | LDB | BLDB | BLDB | BLDB | BLDB | BLDB | BL |
| BL = Breakfast & Lunch, BLDB = Breakfast Lunch Dinner & Bed, LDB = Lunch Dinner Bed Am = Morning game viewing drive / Pm = Afternoon game viewing drive *Optional extra | |||||||
DAY 1
ARUSHA / LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Non game-viewing travel time: 21/2 hours
Distance: 130 km
After breakfast you are met by our professional tours guide/driver, who will deliver a short safari info briefing, after which we head west to the Great Rift Valley and the Lake Manyara National Park. We will drive through the agricultural and fresh produce market town of Mto Wa Mbu, which is situated next to the entrance of the Lake Manyara National Park. The town is a souvenir hunters paradise, harbouring thousands souvenir salesmen - ready to pounce at your slightest invitation.
Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park), located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. The park's varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Manyara's famous tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos, attracted by the algae in the lake. We will enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park and an exciting late morning and afternoon game drive, in search of the tree-climbing lions.
Dinner and overnight at the Kirurumu Tented Lodge.
DAY 2
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK / SERENGETI PLAINS
Non game-viewing travel time: 4 hours
Distance: 205 km
After an early breakfast we head towards the Serengeti National Park via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa with endless plains, which roll into the distance as far as the eye can see. We spend 3 days in this incredible untamed wilderness of the Serengeti National Park, where literally millions of animals roam.
We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera Area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, providing a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracting wildlife, well representative of most of the Serengeti's species. After a late picnic lunch, we do an afternoon drive along the Seronera River Circuit, which starts at the Seronera Hippo Pool and follows the river in a westerly direction. This rewarding circuit offers possible sightings of hippo, lion, leopard, crocodiles, giraffe, waterbuck, vervet monkeys and various other animals, including many birds.
Dinner and overnight at a private campsite.
DAY 3
SERENGETI
We do an after breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible Lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites, is well worth a visit after the morning's game drive. This nicely designed centre offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees
In the afternoon we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lion and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons - including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink!
Dinner and overnight at a private campsite.
DAY 4
SERENGETI
Day 4 will offer you an ideal opportunity to do an optional but unforgettable Hot Air Balloon flight, followed by a delightful champagne breakfast (available at a supplementary cost, but can be booked in advance). After breakfast we head to the south-eastern side of the park, visiting the Barafu Kopjes and the Ngare Nanyuki River area, for our morning and afternoon game drives. Apart from the lion prides you find in the area, the Barafu Kopjes is the place to visit for possible cheetah sightings. The Ngare Nanyuki River area is also well known for being packed with game.
Dinner and overnight at our private campsite.
DAY 5
SERENGETI PLAINS - NGORONGORO CRATER
Non game-viewing travel time: 4 hours
Distance: 145 km
Today is our last day in the Serengeti National Park. We will once again visit some kopjes on our way out of the park and will do a morning game drive in the Simba Kopjes area. The kopjes are named after the lions, which frequently use these kopjes to just lie and bath in the sun. You may also possibly see baboon, giraffe and some interesting birds in this area. We then head for the Ngorongoro Crater via the famed Olduvai Gorge, also known as "the cradle of mankind''. The gorge lies on the site of an ancient lake, covered by thick layers of volcanic ash, which carefully preserved the world's earliest records of mankind and which was unearthed by the dedicated Leakey family. The museum displays some of these fascinating discoveries and remarkable finds. We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the Gorge. From here we head for the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, one of the most densely crowded game areas in the world, which is home to an estimated 30,000 animals.
In the afternoon you can just relax or you can arrange with your guide to visit the Maasai's Irkeepus Village, to experience the culture of the Masai and buy their handcrafts.
Dinner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.
DAY 6
NGORONGORO CRATER
After an early breakfast we descend 600m into this magnificent crater to view wildlife for a full day's tour. You will witness an unforgettable spectacle of African wildlife - a world teeming with animals. Supported by a year round water supply and fodder, the park supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, giant elephants and a small population of black rhino. Another big draw to this picturesque park is it dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever elusive leopard. We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the hippo pool near the Mandusi Swamp, after which we will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow lake in the southwestern corner of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually been seen here.
Dinner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.
DAY 7
NGORONGORO CRATER - ARUSHA
Estimated driving time: 4.00 hours
Distance: 190 km
After breakfast we depart for Arusha and end our safari adventure with a farewell lunch at the stunning Novotel Mount Meru hotel. Your guide should be tipped around $20 a day between the group. You will be taken to your hotel, which ends our safari services.
DEPARTURE DATES
The departure dates for all our safaris, tours and treks are totally flexible according to your own personal needs. Please contact us for further and more detailed info, as well as information on photographic travel packages, camping safaris, tours and trekking adventures into Tanzania.
SAFARI PRICES
For prices on our 7-day wildlife safaris and all other travel packages, camping safaris, treks, tours and trekking adventures please click here
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