Northern Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Our guide welcomes you at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). A 40–45 minute drive brings you to Arusha for a guided coffee tasting and a local museum visit, followed by lunch at the Cultural Heritage Centre. After lunch, continue to Lake Manyara (about 2.5–3 hours) and arrive at Manyara Escarpment Lodge in time to relax and enjoy the Rift Valley views.

After breakfast, drive 2–3 hours through the Ngorongoro highlands to the crater rim. Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a spectacular game drive among elephants, lions, buffalo, zebras, hippos and, with luck, the rare black rhino. After a picnic lunch, ascend and continue to the wildlife-rich Ndutu region, arriving at your lodge in the late afternoon.

Leave Ndutu early for a full-day game drive north to Kogatende. The 6–8 hour transfer is a safari in itself, crossing open plains, riverine woodlands and rolling hills. Expect elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, antelope and predators such as lions and cheetahs. The landscape grows more dramatic as you approach the Mara River corridor.

Start with a 6:30am breakfast after an early wake-up call, then head out at 7:30am for a full-day Mara River focus. Morning and afternoon game drives give you the best chances to witness wildebeest and zebras plunging across the river while crocodiles wait below. The area is also rich in lions, leopards and cheetahs.

Another full day exploring Northern Serengeti. Follow predator activity, scan the river for crossing points and watch the raw drama of the Great Migration. Between drives, relax at the lodge and capture the golden light over the savannah at sunrise and sunset.

After a final morning game drive, transfer to Kogatende Airstrip for a scenic bush flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport. On arrival, a guide takes you to Serval Wildlife Sanctuary, set between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. Enjoy close-up, ethically managed encounters with rescued giraffes, lions, zebras, elands, ostriches and colobus monkeys. Dinner and overnight at Serval Villa.

Enjoy a relaxed final morning at the sanctuary with Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. After a few last photographs, transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport (about 1 hour) for your onward flight. Departure time depends on your international flight schedule. Karibu Tanzania — we hope to welcome you back soon.