You don’t need a lot of time to see a lot of Tanzania! Our three day Northern Circuit Special takes you through three of Tanzania’s famous Northern Circuit Parks: Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park, and the real treat – the world-famous Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From Manyara’s tree climbing lions and Tarangire’s large elephant population to the stunning environment and wildlife diversity of the World Heritage listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you’ll have the time of your life chasing the Big Five in these three fantastic parks.
ITINERARY
DAY 1 Arrival Day and Welcome to Tanzania
Whatever your arrival time at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Rehoboth Safaris driver-guide will be waiting for you with a warm welcoming smile. Kick back and relax in your comfortable vehicle as he takes you to your hotel in Arusha, Tanzania’s self-styled ‘safari capital.’ On your journey to the hotel, you will get a brief impression of this large, bustling, commercial city. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.
Accommodation: Luxury lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 2 Arusha – Lake Manyara – Ngorongoro
Journey: Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
Our two-hour journey takes us westwards from Arusha. Along the route, your eyes will be opened to all the colours and character of Tanzania: perhaps some Maasai herdsmen driving their flocks of goats to new pastures. You’ll get to know your driver-guide, amazed at his depth of knowledge as he effortlessly answers all your questions. From Lake Manyara, our afternoon journey to Ngorongoro will take us around 2 hours. After our lunch, we jump in our vehicle to cover the highlights of this park. Set against the rugged Rift Valley escarpment, and characterized by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquility as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park ‘home’. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell, Late on you will be driven to the Lodge.
Accommodation: Luxury lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 3 Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport
Journey: Ngorongoro – Kilimanjaro International Airport
Like nothing else on Earth, the stunning crater of Ngorongoro is a unique home for many, many species of Tanzania’s wildlife. With some luck, you may even see a black rhino here. From our safari camp, we set off after breakfast, a 6am departure to reach the rim and then descend into the vast crater itself. At one side there’s the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.
The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colourful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor. After our morning visit to the incomparable crater – see below – and then lunch, we will have a 4-hour journey, covering the 250km back to Kilimanjaro International Airport
Departure Instructions
Please note that the 3 Days Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Experience tour ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.30 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.40 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
