8 Days Diverse Wildlife and Scenery and Scenery Safari

Day 1: Fly from Arusha to Lake ManyaraView Lodge

Welcome drinks at bush airstrip.From Arusha airport, board a light aircraft to Lake Manyara National Park, where a lodge representative will be waiting for your arrival, and take you on your first game drive en route to the lodge. The road follows along the lakeshore and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos. Lake Manyara is, for most of the year, coloured pink from the thousands of flamingos feeding in its shallows. Look for troops of olive baboon and take some time to watch their family interactions, with sibling rivalry, sister baby interactions and grumpy adults very similar to our own behaviours.

Settle into your suite nestled in the forest and enjoy the vistas of the Rift Valley escarpment and lake shore from your private veranda. Wash away the travel dust in the open air shower or soak away your cares in the freestanding bath and admire the fantastic views of the forest canopy. In the late afternoon go for a game drive, in an open 4x4 safari vehicle, and explore more of the area.

Day 2: Tree Climbing Lions & Pink FlamingosView Lodge

Flamingo sightings during a game drive at Lake Manyara.As the lodge is located in a secluded and remote part of Lake Manyara the early morning game drives and late afternoon game drives are unlikely to be disturbed by other visitors, affording you the delight of spotting wildlife and getting up close to take photographs.

Optional additional activities include a cycling tour along Lake Manyara, and a cultural visit to the local Maasai village, and night game drives.

In between game drives, relax on the cosy sofas strategically placed around the lodge. Follow the delicious aromas from the open plan interactive kitchen, that allows you to watch as your meal is being prepared. Dinner is a festive occasion, dining al fresco around a blazing campfire.

Day 3 & 4: Scenic Descent into the Ngorongoro CraterView Lodge

Baby elephant sighting Ngorongoro Crater Conservancy.After a sumptuous breakfast, a transfer vehicle will drive on a beautiful scenic 4.5 hours drive, climbing up a contorted road, snaking its way up the extinct volcano of Ngorongoro. Be entranced by the ancient forest, covered in wisps of mist and low clouds, which borders the road. Catch sight of glimpses of red as Maasai warriors lope in the forest and across the plains with their pastoral herds. Witness a traditional way of life, as you drive past Maasai manyattas (villages), with children waving and calling as you pass them.

Be on the lookout for elephant and buffalo that freely roam through the area. During summer, the game is heavily pregnant and calving season has begun. During autumn, the wildflowers are in full bloom blanketing the area in a swathe of bright colours. Winter is regarded as peak season with perfect game viewing opportunities. The game concentration ebbs and flows but there is always a large number of resident wildlife and predators around all year. The lodge perched on the rim of the crater, offers breathtaking visions, constantly changing and ethereal, of the smouldering caldera below. Early morning mists and low clouds chase through the crater hiding and revealing the animals below, like a mystical dance.

Meet Maasai Warriors during your East Africa safari.Take a game drive down to the floor of the crater, slowly winding your way down from the rim. As you descend, keep your eyes peeled on the lush forest in anticipation of spotting many of the birds that roost there. On the grassy floor, you’ll encounter herbivores grazing and on the alert for the ever present carnivores, just like a picture book depiction of Eden. Marvel at the variety of game, the tranquillity disturbed periodically by bellows from the hippos and calls of the zebra or the sudden appearance of a predator. Here the safari vehicles are closed with glass windows and a pop-up roof.

In the evening indulge in an optional wine and food pairing 5-course feast, or be touched by the singing and chanting of the Maasai whilst enjoying sundowners.

Day 5: Fly to Serengeti National ParkView Lodge

Hot air ballooning over the Serengeti Plains.Today you transverse back down the twisting road to Manyara airstrip to board a light aircraft bound for the Serengeti. On arrival in the Serengeti, a guide will be there ready to transport you to your next camp. This camp moves during the year anticipating the route of the migration so that you can get the best views as the thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles cross the park in the never ending search of fresh grazing and water.

This tented camp, positioned for close proximity to the game, offers comfort, style and extravagance, with crystal chandeliers, large beds and canvas walls allowing you to hear the natural noises of the surrounding plains being one with nature in complete contentment. Day 6 & 7: Explore the Serengeti PlainsView Lodge

Game drive during wildebeest migration in Serengeti.In the ideal game viewing location of the Serengeti National Park, you will be taken on game drives in search of the various wildlife species that cohabit in the area. Explore the endless horizon of plains as you are escorted along the contours of the bush in an open safari vehicle. Game drives take place twice daily in open 4x4 safari vehicles. Sightings of the big cats in action or relaxing in the shade gnawing on the carcass of a previous kill might be seen by lucky safari-goers.

During your stay in the Serengeti, you have the option to an once-in-a-lifetime experience that is sure to remain unmatched for years to come. Board a hot air balloon and drift above the plains of the Serengeti. The views from above provide spectacular photographic opportunities of the vistas and herds of larger wildlife species below.

Day 8: Return to Arusha and Onward

On the final day of your East African adventure, you will be transferred to the Serengeti airstrip. From there, you will board a scheduled flight back to Arusha Airport where your onward travel arrangements will be met.