7-Day Big 5 Safari Tour

Karibu Tanzania! On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, or any other arrival point, your safari driver guide will be waiting to greet you and settle you into the vehicle for the comfortable road transfer to your lodge in Arusha.

Once you have had time to unwind after the journey, our safari coordinators will brief you on the days ahead. Stroll through the peaceful lodge gardens and, if the sky is clear, catch a glimpse of the rugged peaks of Mount Meru before a hearty dinner and your first night in Tanzania.

After breakfast at around 08:00 your safari guide collects you for the drive to Tarangire National Park, which covers some 2,850 km² about 120 km south-west of Arusha. The park is famous for its outstanding game viewing, especially in the dry season, when animals gather along the Tarangire River – the park's only permanent source of water. Rising in the Kondoa highlands, the river winds for about 120 km through the park before emptying into Lake Burunge.

Spend the day cruising across the park with a picnic lunch in the bush. Herds of elephants, towering baobabs and a healthy population of predators make every bend in the track worth watching.

In the afternoon a short, rewarding game drive takes you out of the park and on to the small, dusty town of Karatu, where dinner and the night await at your lodge.

After breakfast at around 08:00 your safari guide drives you towards the great Serengeti National Park. Along the way you visit Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind, and the Shifting Sands – a great black volcanic dune that creeps slowly westwards across the plains – and stop at a Maasai boma to meet the local Maasai people.

Then the endless plains open up before you: a land that runs on forever, famous for the great annual migration, when the herds are born to keep moving in search of fresh grazing. The Serengeti is a stage for drama and wonder – big cats on the hunt, spotted hyenas, the bone-crushing queens of the plains, squabbling over a carcass while jackals and hungry vultures wait their turn.

After a picnic lunch and a short, thrilling game drive you reach your camp in the central Serengeti for your first dinner and night in the African bush.

After breakfast at around 08:00 your guide takes you deep into the Serengeti, renowned for its peaceful atmosphere and its many outstanding areas for wildlife viewing. Depending on the season, you may find yourself surrounded by the great herds of wildebeest and zebra, which at the height of the migration gather to attempt the crossing of the 395 km Mara River.

The river is famous for its gigantic Nile crocodiles, which lie silent and unseen beneath the water, waiting patiently to strike after their long dormant spell. Knowing what awaits them, the wildebeest and zebras still plunge in – a nerve-racking spectacle of drowning, escape and predation. Ruthless hunters such as African painted dogs and spotted hyenas pick off the weak, old and sick.

The Serengeti is home to the Big Five and to the famous 'ugly five' as well. Savour every moment of a full day in the park, with a picnic lunch and dinner and the night at your camp.

Another full day in the Serengeti lets you explore new sectors of this vast park, following your guide's knowledge of where the herds and predators are moving. The plains wear a green carpet in the rains and a golden one in the dry season, and each brings its own rewards.

Spend time watching lions resting in the shade of acacias, leopards draped along branches and elephants and buffalo moving between waterholes, alongside the wildebeest and zebra that make the Serengeti the world's greatest wildlife spectacle. Hyenas, vultures and marabou storks complete the cast of the 'ugly five'.

Enjoy a picnic lunch out on the plains before returning to your camp for dinner around the fire and a night beneath the stars.

After breakfast at around 08:00 you leave the central Serengeti with a game drive en route to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then descend into the world's most celebrated volcanic caldera – the largest intact and unflooded crater on earth – to explore its 260 km² floor.

Take in the breathtaking views of its beautifully set walls and the salty lake alive with waders and waterfowl. This is home to the black rhino, living freely here, and your guides will search out the hidden treasures of the crater: dark-maned lions displaying their strength and health, large buffalo herds, dazzles of zebra and groups of hippos. Listen for the deep booming call of the ostrich, the world's largest, fastest and strongest flightless bird.

After a picnic lunch you drive on to your lodge in the small, dusty town of Karatu for dinner and the night.

After breakfast at around 08:00 your guide drives you to Lake Manyara National Park and its great soda lake, covering more than 200 km² though its size varies greatly with the seasons. Flamboyances of pink flamingos, flocks of waders and waterfowl and large groups of hippos at the hippo pool viewpoint are among the highlights.

The Rift Valley wall towers some 600 m above, and the park's hot springs reach remarkable temperatures. Zebras, buffalo, warthogs and wildebeest forage peacefully together, and the lively market town of Mto wa Mbu nearby offers further activities to make your safari truly unforgettable.

After a picnic lunch and a short game drive you continue via Arusha to Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for your international flight home (transfer timing depends on your flight schedule).

We wish you a safe journey, full of lasting memories of the Big Five and the wild places of northern Tanzania.