After breakfast (around 8 am), you’ll depart from the lodge and drive to Lake Duluti, a volcanic crater lake in the Arusha region of Tanzania, on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley.

The lake is formed inside a volcanic crater and has water throughout the year, mainly from groundwater and seasonal rainfall. The crater is a subsidiary vent to Mount Meru (15,270 ft) that towers over the lake. The depth, though unconfirmed, is estimated to be around 230 ft. The walls of the crater, up to 655 ft high, are mostly covered in a thick forest, which is home to many reptiles as it provides a suitable environment for hunting and nesting. Monitor lizards, some of which can be as big as 6.5 ft, can be seen basking on broken trees and stones. 

Enjoy a calming 2-hour walk around the perimeter of Lake Duluti, under the canopy of the forest there. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to view both forest and water birds, as well as monitor lizards. You’ll be accompanied by an experienced guide from the Duluti Forest Reserve who will assist you in identifying all the lesser-known birds and trees. Keep a close eye, as now and then, you may get a ‘window’ from where you can admire breathtaking views of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Enjoy a picnic lunch after the walk and then experience canoeing across the calm, glassy surface of the lake, and viewing birdlife seldom seen, such as giant kingfishers, fish eagles, darters, grey herons, cormorants, ospreys, egrets, and more. The lake itself also provides the perfect habitat for water birds and Duluti is claimed to have up to 130 different species.

Surrounded by forested crater walls this is a very special and quiet 1.5-hour guided canoeing experience, including exploring the marsh areas of the lake. Here, huge papyrus plants are a noisy, colorful nesting ground for many of the birds.

Late afternoon, return to your lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Overnight: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After breakfast (around 8 am), check out of the lodge and head to Tarangire National Park, passing through the bustling city of Arusha.

Along the way, you’ll make a brief stopover at the Shanga Workshop situated on the grounds of Arusha Coffee Lodge. You’ll have a peek at how creative and unique recycled products are made at this self-sustaining social enterprise that provides employment opportunities to people with disabilities. A visit to Shanga is always delightful and offers a great opportunity to purchase some uncommon gifts.

Continue to Tarangire National Park, pausing for a picnic lunch en route, before enjoying an afternoon game drive in the park. Tarangire is famous for its population of elephants – one of the largest in all of Tanzania – and its majestic scattering of characteristic baobab trees and dotting of giant termite mounds. Throughout the dry season (June to November), thirsty antelope and elephants trek hundreds of miles to drink at the Tarangire River. Also home to more than 550 bird species, the park will excite any bird enthusiast.

Late afternoon, make your way to the lodge, well-known for its strategic location on a cliff and its panoramic views overlooking the Tarangire River bed, a watering hole for the park’s inhabitants. Check in for your overnight stay and enjoy your dinner at the lodge.

Overnight: Lodge in Tarangire
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Explore Tarangire National Park with a full day of game viewing, stopping for a picnic lunch at one of the park’s lovely picnic sites.

As most of the surrounding area is dry, the Tarangire River remains the only source of water and consequently attracts large numbers of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras, hartebeests, buffaloes, and various predators like lions, all of whom come to drink and graze around the river banks.

Early afternoon, return to the lodge for some relaxation. Take an early dinner and at 7:30 pm, head out for an adventurous night game drive.

Though the sun may have set, Tarangire is not asleep. Drive into the pitch dark of the night, accompanied by an armed ranger, a specialist guide, and a tracker in an open safari vehicle. This is a thrilling sensory experience where you will discover the nocturnal wildlife of the national park, some of which are rarely seen and inactive during the daytime, including porcupines, genet, and civet cats. You may see the shadows of elephants meandering in between trees, and get to watch the night behavior of antelopes and hyenas. If you are lucky, you’ll see prowling lions and the elusive leopard, both of which are active at night rather than in the daytime. Tune in to night sounds and movements of the park, while you enjoy stargazing.

Your guide will have you back at the lodge around 10:30 pm.

Overnight: Lodge in Tarangire

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After a relaxed breakfast, walk from the camp to the scenic Lake Natron, an almost surreal giant alkaline lake that is part of the Rift Valley chain of soda lakes. Set at an altitude of 610m/2000ft, below the Rift Valley Escarpment, Lake Natron offers incredible bird and game viewing. It is the only breeding ground for East Africa’s millions of flamingos, who usually congregate to breed here between August and October. Witness the age-old practice of extracting dried alkaline crust (Magadi) from the lake bed and how it is used medicinally and as a nutritional supplement for cattle and local cooking. It is also used in primitive glass-making.

From here, drive to the Hominid Footprints to see some of the oldest footprints of Homo Sapiens, dating about 120,000 years. There are more than 400 footprints crisscrossing the dark gray mudflat near the lake.

Next drive to the developing village of Ngare Sero for a guided walk around the village and its backstreets, including visiting local facilities and infrastructure. This is a great opportunity to take in the Maasai village life of Ngare Sero, understand its history and developments, and find out how a traditional Maasai lifestyle co-exists with modern, globalized Maasai life. You’ll also visit a developing recycling center, gaining insight into the community’s sustainable practices and efforts to protect the environment. Stop at a local bar for a cold soda or beer and watch the daily life of this remote village. Pick up some friendly conversations here.

Return for an alfresco lunch at Lake Natron Halisi Camp. Next, take a 3-hour round-trip walk to the Ngare Sero waterfalls oasis. Walk through the rocky Ngare Sero River Gorge via the Saitoti River Trail until you reach the waterfalls, which are fed through underground water springs from the Ngorongoro Highlands. Take a natural shower in the waterfalls, plunge into the natural pool, and relax in its cooling water. (Waterfall hike: 2.2 miles; elevation gain: 377′)

Late afternoon, return to the camp. You will finish off your evening with a celebratory traditional Maasai goat BBQ along with cultural immersive activities. This is an indulgent evening of roasting and eating goat the traditional Maasai way around the campfire while trying your hand at spear throwing and traditional fire making, and tasting the various soups/teas Maasai drink to complement their health and wellbeing. Enjoy the warm light of the fire whilst listening to the crackling of firewood and the distant sounds of hyenas whilst enjoying the special buffet prepared by the chef.

Overnight: Lake Natron Halisi Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

At about 6 am this morning, you’ll depart for a Maasai boma (homestead) visit, a cultural immersion opportunity to understand the typical morning routine and to experience the rhythm of daily life for this semi-nomadic community. Learn about the Maasai homestead structure and systems. Meet the Elders, Morani (warriors), and the boma’s women and children and find out about the status and rankings within each age group. Get a glimpse of livestock rearing, boma maintenance, cooking, and jewelry making, all whilst supporting the boma. You can try milking cows and get an insight into the daily morning routines before children/herdsmen head out with their cattle for the day.

Return to camp for breakfast, check out of the camp, and then drive northeastward to Serengeti National Park. This is a long 4 – 5 ride where the earlier part of the road journey takes you through extremely bumpy, but fascinating ancient volcanic earth. On route, you will see Maasai herders with their cattle and pass through the area of Loliondo, where typical remote yet active townships and villages lie on the border of Kenya. This area is home to a variety of people, including the Maasai and the Sonjo. Learn about the thriving nature of Loliondo and its turbulent history to understand the tensions between the growth of the human population and conservation.

Enter Serengeti National Park via Klien’s Gate, where you will enjoy a picnic lunch. Make your way to the central part of Serengeti National Park to the tented camp where you will stay. This is not a transfer but a game drive in its own right and seeing the central plains of Serengeti is a special moment. Serengeti, or Seringit in Maa, meaning ‘endless plains’, is one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. The essential features have changed little in a million years; Serengeti’s famous plains are interspersed with wooded hills, towering termite mounds, rocky kopjes, and rivers lined with acacia trees.

Overnight: Tented camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

You’ll head out at 6 am today for an early morning game drive, an opportunity to see many of the animals, especially predators, active before the heat of the day sets in and animals seek shade. An added bonus is to watch animals who are active at night returning to their resting place. An early morning visit to the hippo pool is a must!

Return to camp for breakfast and head out again. The rest of the day will be spent exploring the park. You will have a picnic lunch at one of the park’s scenic sites. Serengeti National Park was established in 1952, however, the Serengeti ecosystem is far older and greater than the park. The ecosystem reaches over 30,000 sq km/12,000 sq mi and was previously inhabited by the Maasai. This is home to the famous annual migration of more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebras, and all kinds of antelopes following the rains undertaking their long journey to new grazing grounds. Also be on the lookout for lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas.

Late afternoon return to camp where you will have dinner and spend your second night under the African sky.

OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS (must be booked in advance):

Hot air balloon ride across the Serengeti Plains – Leaving around 5:00 am, you’ll head to the launch site of the hot air balloon, a good opportunity to get a glimpse of some of the elusive nocturnal inhabitants of Serengeti. As dawn breaks, the spectacular hot-air balloon adventure starts. This is a once-in-a-lifetime magical experience of viewing the animals and the vast landscape of the Serengeti plains from a different perspective. Each journey is different and will be dictated by the direction of the wind. Once you return safely to the ground, you’ll enjoy a well-deserved glass of bubbly, then drive to a special breakfast spot where you will be treated to an exceptional bush breakfast.

Rhino Tracking Experience – This is a rare and special activity that is only available on special request. You’ll begin with a short briefing on how to behave in the field, including how to turn off geo-tagging on phones and cameras in order to ‘hide’ the rhino locations from poachers. Then you will head out with park rangers to track rhinos in the park. With the rangers’ experience and intimate knowledge of these shy and rare creatures, you will learn to approach them with minimal disturbance and impact on their natural behavior. This is a privileged experience as you will be enriched by the insight, knowledge, and experience of the rangers who have the responsibility of escorting the rhinos on a daily basis.

Overnight: Tented camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Check out of the camp, and with a game drive till midday, head to Naabi Hill Gate, where you will exit Serengeti National Park and stop for a picnic lunch.

En route, visit Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important fossil sites in the world, holding the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors. Over 50 km/30 mi long and about 90m/300 ft deep, the gorge is famous for the evolutionary discoveries of some of the earliest signs of human development. Hundreds of fossilized bones and stone tools have been found in the area dating back millions of years, concluding that humans lived extensively in this part of Africa. The museum on site presents extensive archeological and cultural exhibits directly related to the Gorge, as well as research on the history and discoveries made on the evolution of humankind.

Proceed to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also considered one of the natural wonders of the world. It is unique in that it holds well over 80,000 Maasai pastoralists with their cattle, goats, and sheep, all living alongside the abundant wildlife in a natural setting. Though the conservation area gives you a rare insight into how people lived connected and sustainably with nature and wildlife in ancient times worldwide, in this day and age also gives you an insight into the complexity of managing growing human populations in a conservation area.

Head to your tented camp, in the heart of the conservation area, for dinner and an overnight stay.

Overnight: Tented camp
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch