This tour is perfect for people who want to see all the national parks in the Northern safari Circuit. Besides the famous Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater you will also visit Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha national park. Hike and enjoy the stunning scenery of Lake Natron. You will sleep in nice mid-range lodges with excellent service and located inside or near the national parks.
Your driver/guide will pick you up from Kilimanjaro airport and transfers you to Ilboru Safari Lodge. This is a pleasant lodge with a beautiful garden and swimming pool, nestled on the lower slopes of majestic Mount Meru. The Ilboru Safari Lodge has been welcoming mountain climbers and safari travelers to northern Tanzania for decades. This beautiful Swahili sanctuary is ideally located and tucked away beneath ancient trees on the outskirts of Arusha town. Harmoniously woven into the surrounding African landscape, you will comfortably stay in your private bungalow reminiscent of a traditional Swahili ‘boma’. This version of the boma features a round layout with thatched rooftops while still providing you with the western conveniences for ultimate comfort.
Journey Time: 45 minutes
Accommodation: Ilboru Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: No meals inclusive today
After a tasty breakfast you will be picked up from the lodge. In about 1 hour you drive to Arusha National Park. Arusha National Park is a small park of 137 km² but has remarkable sights including the fourth highest mountain in Africa; Mount Meru (4566m). The transition between the urban chaos and pristine mountain hiking trails is very obvious and abrupt when entering Arusha National Park. Visitors are thrilled by the breathtaking landscapes ranging from the Meru Crater in the west, the Ngurdoto Crater in the south-east, to the grasslands and the Momella lakes in the north-east.
Journey Time 1 hour, each way
Accommodation Ilboru Safari Lodge
Meal Plan Breakfast, packed lunch
Today you travel to Lake Natron National Park, a drive of about 4 to 5 hours on a dusty, bumpy road providing you with the real ‘African massage’ as we call it. During the drive you pass many Masai villages and termite mounds. Also keep your eyes open for gazelle, giraffe, zebra, baboons, bee boxes, ostrich as well as birds such as vultures, starlings, kites and bustards.
Journey Time :5-6 hours
Accommodation: Lake Natron Halisi Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
In the very early morning, before it gets too hot, you depart – accompanied by a Masai guide – for a 3 to 4 hour walk to Lake Natron. The walk goes through Ngare Sero village where you can see how the local Masai community lives. The Lake Natron area belongs to the Masai and it is very impressive to see them living and working with their cattle in such extreme temperatures and a barren landscape. During the walk you have magnificent views of the active Oldonyo L’Engai volcano and Lake Natron.
Accommodation: Lake Natron Halisi Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today, after an early breakfast, you will be traveling to Tarangire National Park. The game drive can begin! Tarangire is best known for its many gigantic baobab trees and its large herds of elephants; it is a home to approximately 2,500 individuals and large herds are regularly viewed. Elephants gathering at the Tarangire River to drink make
Journey Time : 4-5 hours to the park entrance
Accommodation: Sangaiwe Tented Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
After an early breakfast you game drive out of the park and travel to ‘Mto wa Mbu’. The bustling farming community of Mto Wa Mbu is home to around 18,000 people. On this walk you’ll discover a side of Tanzania many visitors miss out on. A melting pot of cultures; Mto Wa Mbu is thought to be one of the only places in Tanzania where there are representatives from all 120 tribes living happily side by side. During your visit you’ll get a good feel for the social side of the village – the farms and the milling machines, the schools, markets and churches. You’ll likely visit the village banana plantation as well as a youth art project, and a wood workshop where you can watch skilled Makonde tribe members carve intricate figurines, masks and household objects. Maybe you also like to visit to a local ‘bar’ so you can try mbege. This is the traditional banana and millet beer that is brewed and drunk mainly by the Chagga tribe. Of course you also need to visit the bustling local market. Here you can wander around stalls selling fruit and vegetables stalls, spices and meat. A real treat for the senses! Your guide is from the village so you will have a unique opportunity to see the community through his eyes and ask many questions. The length of the tour is very flexible but generally last around 2–3 hours. After the village walk, you have a delicious local Swahili meal which you (can) prepare together with the highly respected Miss Bibi.
Journey Time : 1 hour from Tarangire Gate to Mto wa Mbu
Accommodation: Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, local lunch, dinner
A Tanzania tour is not complete without safari in the most famous safari park in the world: Serengeti National Park. This park hosts the most extensive population of wild animals on earth and has a complex and untouched ecosystem. Serengeti means “endless plains” in the language of the Maasai, a description that the Serengeti completely lives up to. Even the (long) drive towards your accommodation is one continuous safari! The park is usually described as divided into three regions: Serengeti plains, Western corridor and Northern Serengeti.
Journey Time :5 to 6 hours to the park entrance
Accommodation: Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Early in the morning you leave your accommodation for a full day safari! This is when Africa can reveals its cool side, so you should wrap up warm for the start of your day. Your guide will bring you as close as possible to the wildlife. Few predators hunt during the heat of the day, so the early morning is the best time to observe the thrill of the chase. It is also a magical time, with the subtle light dappling the landscape, the birds awakening and the sense of a great adventure beginning to unfurl. You visit the heart of the Serengeti, Seronera Valley.
Accommodation: Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today you enjoy a game drive on your way en-route out of the beautiful Serengeti and continue to the Ngorongoro Crater. In the afternoon, you will have a game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater! This UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a unique biosphere which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. There are very few places in the world where you can find such a large population of wildlife throughout the year. Deep within the crater, enclosed by towering walls, you have a good chance of spotting ‘The Big 5’: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. Other wildlife includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle,flamingo and bat-eared foxes, as well as approximately 400 species of colorful birds
Accommodation: Country Lodge Karatu
Meal Plan: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Today is unfortunately the last day of your trip with Matoke Tours! You will drive back to Arusha. Depending on the time your flight departs, there might be some time in the morning to enjoy the pool once more, or have a massage or take a yoga class. All optional activities this morning is at your own expense.
Your driver/guide will take care of your transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport.
Included:
Transport – day 2 to day 10 – in a 4wd Landcruiser with pop-up roof;
Airport transfer on day 1 and day 11;
English speaking driver/guide;
Accommodations as per programme;
Meals as per programme;
National park entrance fees as per programme;
All activities as per programme.
Excluded:
International flights;
Government tax or park fees increase;
Entry visa for Tanzania;
All drinks;
Personal (medical/travel) insurance;
