August 2010 5 day/4 night group lodge-based safari to Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks and the Ngorongoro Crater.  Please contact us for pricing.

Please note you need to arrive in the Arusha, Tanzania area at least the day prior to the start of this itinerary.  We can arrange airport pickup and a lovely lodge for you (additional fee).

August 13, 2010, Safari Day 1:  We'll drive about 2-3 hours to Tarangire National Park, a famous dry season game park that is great this time of year.  Enjoy your first game drive in safari vehicles whose tops can be opened for better viewing.  Picnic lunch in the park.  Tarangire is a famous dry-season wildlife location, because many animals gather around the water sources – usually including large herds of elephant.  Overnight at a permanent tented camp that has very comfortable tents with beds, running hot & cold water, etc, or similar lodgings 

 
August 14, Safari Day 2:  In the cool morning we’ll set off on a nature walk with a local Maasai guide to explore the area near camp.  Visit a Maasai boma (village) for your first insight into the life of this colorful tribe.  Set out on another game drive in Tarangire National Park to enjoy the usually abundant wildlife.  Overnight at the same camp/lodge.

 
August 15, Safari Day 3:  Drive 2-3 hours to the Karatu village area.  Along the way we will stop for a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.  Lake Manyara is home to many types of animals including the famous tree-climbing lions, and is well known for its birdlife.  Each of the parks we visit on this safari is its own unique ecosystem.  Overnight at a lodge in Karatu.

 
August 16, Safari Day 4:  We have an early start for today’s big adventure.  The drive up the Ngorongoro Highlands to Ngorongoro Crater’s Rim is an adventure in itself.  Animals are often spotted along the way –wildlife as well as the herds of cows, goats and sheep that the local Maasai pastoralists herd right next to the wildlife.  Often you can spot Maasai herders from far away as their colorful robes contrast with the green grass around them.  Our safari vehicles descend the narrow road down into the Ngorongoro Crater to explore the crater floor.  There are open plains, lakes, and small forests in this self-contained ecosystem.  The Crater is world-famous, and for good reason!  Many animals can be seen here year-round, including the elusive Rhino.  On our return from the Crater, we’ll visit a Maasai "boma" (village) to learn more about this traditional cattle-herding, polygamous culture.  Overnight at the same lodge in Karatu.
 
August 17, Safari Day 5:  Relaxed awakening and departure today, to prepare you for your long journey home.  Morning group walk around the lodge, village and/or nearby coffee plantation.  On the way back toward the airport, stop in a colorful village market for gifts and shopping in Mto wa Mbu.  Picnic lunch along the way.  Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for afternoon or evening flights home.