DAY 1: TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK. 07h30: Pick up from Arusha hotel and drive to Tarangire National park for a full day game drive, stop for picnic lunch at a picnic site, before continue with P.M. game drive in the park. After tour you will either sleep inside or outside the park. Dinner and overnight at either a lodge or a tented camp. (Lunch, dinner & breakfast only) Tarangire is one of Africa’s little-known gems and a must for any northern circuit itinerary. Boasting a variety of wildlife as diverse as its landscape, Tarangire is also the park that can boast being home to Tanzania’s largest population of African elephants. With four of the Big Five also residing within the park, it is a great spot for a day trip from Arusha or as an addition to a Serengeti/Ngorongoro centered itinerary. Named for the Tarangire River which flows through it, the park is an excellent choice during the dry season when animals are forced to move closer and closer to the river in search of water. Set against a backdrop of majestic baobab trees and twisted acacia, it makes for a beautiful experience.
DAY 2: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK. Early morning game drive in Tarangire National Park if you happen to sleep inside the park, you can as well do a balloon safari if that is your interest, to some properties offer night game drives or nature walk. Thereafter you will drive to Lake Manyara National Park for another day of game drive in the park. The national park coverage is 127 square miles (329 km²) and the lake’s alkaline waters cover approximately 89 square miles (231 km²). Giant fig trees and mahogany trees can be seen in the groundwater forest immediately around the park gates. They draw nourishment from the underground springs which are continuously replenished by the crater highlands directly above the Manyara basin. While mostly known for its famous tree-climbing lions and baboons, Lake Manyara and its environment are also home to herbivores such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes. Later in the evening drive to the Lodge for overnight (Lunch, dinner & Breakfast included)
DAY 3: NGORONGORO CONSERVATON AREA – CRATER – RETURN TO ARUSHA. After breakfast we’ll take a picnic lunch and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where we’ll descend into the stunning crater to view the prolific wildlife. The main feature of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Ngorongoro Crater – a large, unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera. The crater, which was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago, is 610m (2,000 ft) deep and its floor covers 260 km² (100 sq mi). Estimations of the height of the original volcano range from fifteen to nineteen thousand feet (4500 to 5800 meters). Animal populations in the crater include most of the species found in East Africa; lions, elephants, zebras, rhino, leopard, buffalo, gazelle, wildebeest, hippos and many different species of birds. After tour you will drive back to Arusha where you will be dropped off, or you could be dropped off at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight back home. END OF SERVICES.