Tanzania Trails

Tanzania Trails
Tanzania Trails
Tanzania Trails

The perfect introduction to Tanzania! On this 7 day safari, you'll explore the highlights of Tanzania's northern parks, each with strikingly diverse landscapes and wildlife. Your journey begins with Tarangire National Park, famous for a landscape dotted with baobab trees and large herds of elephants. Continue on to the Serengeti, arguably the most famous wildlife park in the world, where you'll feel lost in the vast open plains filled with millions of wildebeest, zebra, and other wildlife. Then it's on to the equally famous Ngorongoro Crater, an enormous caldera set in the stunning volcanic highlands. You're journey ends with a game drive in Lake Manyara Park along the Great Rift Escarpment where thousands of flamingos breed in the caustic lake and lions are known to climb trees!

This safari has scheduled departures departing every Saturday from Arusha and guaranteed with a minimum of 2 people. Your safari is led by a professional, licensed, English speaking guide and you'll enjoy small, independently owned lodges, permanent camps, and classic luxury tented camps.

Quick Summary

Safari Route



Tanzania Trails

Your safari starts in the bustling city of Arusha, then heads south to Tarangire National Park.  From Tarangire, you'll head back north then west over the Great Rift Escarpment and down to the Serengeti Plains.  You'll return by the same route to Karatu and the Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Arusha. 

Itinerary Detail

Day 1: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania

Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania
Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania
Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania
Daily Summary
  • Transportation: Transfer from Kilimanjaro Airport to Mount Meru Game Lodge
  • Accommodation: Mount Meru Game Lodge
  • Meals: B

After clearing with customs and Immigration formalities at the airport, you will be met by your driver guide for the short transfer to the Mount Meru Game Lodge, nestled between the peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure or visit the Game Sanctuary that has for many years provided a safe haven to African plains game. The lodge also offers free guided walks through the nearby village - an excellent way to stretch your legs and experience rural African life.

Arusha, Tanzania

Resting at the foot of Mount Meru, the sprawling city of Arusha is known as the safari capital of northern Tanzania. It serves as an excellent base from which to explore the remarkably scenic surrounding area which includes majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as the Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro National Parks. Arusha is a good spot to take a day or two off from the safari circuit as it features a temperate climate and lush surrounds. Visitors can look forward to exploring the wildlife-abundant Serengeti National Park; the magnificent Arusha National Park; and taking on the challenge of climbing Mount Meru, Africa’s fifth highest mountain.

Day 2: Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park
Daily Summary
  • Activities: Game Drive in Tarangire
  • Transportation: Road Transfer to Tarangire
  • Accommodation: Honeyguide Tarangire Camp
  • Meals: B, L, D

This morning, wake to the views of Mt Meru before heading down to breakfast. After breakfast and collecting your packed lunch, you will join your guide for the 3 hour drive to Tarangire National Park. On clearing the paperwork at the entrance you will head into the park for a full day game drive. Later in the afternoon, you will make your way back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Tarangire National Park

Located just a few hours’ drive from the town of Arusha, Tarangire is a popular stop for safaris travelling through the northern circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. The park extends into two game controlled areas and the wildlife are allowed to move freely throughout. After the Serengeti, Tarangire has the greatest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania and in the dry season the Tarangire River is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. Large herds of elephants and migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland gather and not surprisingly the predators follow. This is also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk are regularly spotted. Tarangire is also known for its spectacular baobab trees, and its breath-taking views of the Maasaai Steppe and the mountains to the south.

Days 3 - 4: Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park
Daily Summary
  • Transportation: Road Transfer to Serengeti
  • Activities: Game Drive in the Serengeti & Optional Balloon Ride
  • Accommodation: Kati Kati Tented Camp
  • Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast and check out, you'll depart for Serengeti National Park with a packed lunch. The road is paved from Tarangire to the gate of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, however after the gate the road is gravel and will be bumpy and dusty. Depending on local conditions, today's drive will be about 5 hours.

Upon arrival at the Serengeti Park gate, the rest of the day will be a game drive towards Kati Kati Tented Camp. You'll stop at Naabi Hill to check in with park officials and be sure to take the 10 minute hike to the top of the hill for sweeping views of the surrounding Serengeti Plains.

Later in the afternoon, you will make your way back to the camp for dinner and overnight. On arrival you will be assisted with check in and shown your tent.

On Day 4 you'll explore this vast park and search for its abundant wildlife on morning and evening games drives. Enjoy quiet evenings by the camp fire and the exclusivity of absolute comfort combined with the authenticity of a night spent in the African bush, an extraordinary experience for all nature lovers.

Serengeti Balloon Ride (optional)

Early in the morning of your balloon ride, you will be transferred to the balloon launch site. Take off is at 6:30am and you'll float over the famous Serengeti National Park with its enchanting scenery and vistas. This may be the most beautiful area in the world for a balloon flight. There are no power lines, fences and few roads. Capacity is limited making this experience a special and exclusive one.

Each and every balloon flight is different and therefore an adventure. For many this is one of the high point of a safari and an experience that you will remember always.

Additional cost is $545/person.

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti together with Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Park form Africa’s most famous wildlife park. The image of acacia trees on an endless grass plain epitomizes Africa for many, and then add a Masai warrior and some cattle to the picture, and the conversation need go no further. The annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti and the Masai Mara is the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet – with more than a million animals following the rains. But that is not where the game viewing ends; large prides of lions, elephants and giraffes are found in the grasslands, along with gazelles and eland to mention but a few.

The vast, rolling savannah of the Northern Serengeti, is known as the hub of the great migration. The landscape is characterised by vast stretches of savannah interspersed with acacia trees and riverine woodlands. Wildlife can be seen along the banks of the Mara River and visitors can view the annual spectacle of the half a million migrating wildebeest. Commonly spotted wildlife include: a multitude of plains game such as buffalo, zebra, gazelles, impala, giraffe as well as lion and leopard.

The Central Serengeti is home to the highest concentration of resident game of any area in the park. This is an excellent region to visit year-round - the migration moves in from about April through June each year, but it is not dependent on the migration to provide stellar sightings, with great elephant, hippo, giraffe, lion and leopard. The area around Moru Kopjes provides the best potential to find the highly endangered black rhino. The major game viewing areas of Central, Southern and Western Serengeti are easily accessible, making it a great base from which to explore.

Days 5 - 6: Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Daily Summary
  • Transportation: Road Transfer to Karatu
  • Activities: Game Drive in Ngorongoro Crater
  • Accommodation: Acacia Farm Lodge
  • Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast and check out you'll depart with a packed lunch and drive towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. On the way you will have the option to visit one of the world's most important prehistoric sites, Olduvai Gorge. With a tour and lecture, learn how the gorge was vital in establishing the African origin of humankind and in turn, why it is referred to as the 'Cradle of Mankind'. You'll then continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and drive along the Crater Rim from where you will have the opportunity – weather permitting – to see the Crater in all its glory. Drive onto the Acacia Farm Lodge, located in lush grounds within the Karatu Area. On arrival you will be assisted with check in and shown your room.

On the morning of Day 6, you'll get up early to make the most out of your day in the Ngorongoro Crater with lunch boxes.

Return to your lodge before dusk, and in time to freshen up before dinner.

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater in Northern Tanzania, once a gigantic volcano, is the largest intact caldera in the world. Some maintain that before it erupted, it would have been higher than Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Today, long since having collapsed and eroded, it is an extensive highland area with the famous 2000-foot deep Ngorongoro Crater as its focal point. Nearly three million years old, the ancient caldera shelters one of the most beautiful wildlife havens on earth. The endangered black rhino is protected within its rim, giant tusked elephants wander the forests, black-maned lions stalk the grasslands, and flamingoes crowd the soda lakes. An estimated 25,000 large mammals are resident in this bowl of plenty, including a population of highly endangered black rhino and around a high density of lions and hyenas.

Day 7: Lake Manyara & Return to Arusha

Lake Manyara & Return to Arusha
Lake Manyara & Return to Arusha
Lake Manyara & Return to Arusha
Daily Summary
  • Transportation: Road Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport
  • Activities: Game Drive in Lake Manyara
  • Meals: B

After breakfast and check out you'll then drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive and a picnic lunch.

In the early afternoon (depending on your departing flight schedule), you will leave the park and make your way back to Arusha and then to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.

End of Services.

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is situated in Tanzania’s central-northern region with the Lake Manyara on its east and the Manyara Escarpment to its west, the Lake Manyara National Park offers breath-taking views and a large variety of habitats supporting an array of wildlife. This small park is home to surprising biodiversity and features a magnificent landscape of acacia woodlands, water forests, baobab strewn cliffs, algae-streaked hot springs, swamps and the lake itself. The park supports 400 species of bird, and the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world. Other species include giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, warthog, the Cape clawless otter, and Egyptian mongoose. Don’t miss the opportunity to see thousands of flamingos on the lake, the renowned tree-climbing lions, and large families of elephants strolling through the forest.

Accommodation

Mount Meru Game Lodge
Mount Meru Game Lodge
Mount Meru Game Lodge

Mount Meru Game Lodge

Website: Mount Meru Game Lodge

Established in 1959, Mount Meru Game Lodge was created to provide an intimate accommodation to both wildlife and nature lovers. The Wildlife Sanctuary was founded to offer refuge to orphaned and injured animals and to prepare them for their return to the wild. The sanctuary is home to zebra, ostrich, water buffalo, mongoose, duiker and a wide array of birds and monkeys, including the elusive Colobus monkey. The Lodge & Sanctuary combine to offer a truly unique experience during your stay in Arusha. The Mount Meru Game Lodge offers 18 rooms surrounding the main lodge building. The rooms overlook the gardens, the Usa river and the game sanctuary. Rooms vary in style depending when they were built. Some of the cottages were built in 1959 out of wood others were built in the 1960's and 1970 's using burnt bricks. All the rooms are en suite and have a small veranda where one can enjoy the gardens, monkeys, birds and animals. The standard double rooms are provided with kingsize four-poster beds with fitted mosquito nets. All rooms have WIFI. Nestled between the peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, the Mount Meru Game Lodge & Sanctuary lies midway between Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha. It is nestled within 33 acres of mature, well manicured gardens, bounded on one side by the tranquil waters of the Usa River and on the other wide by the Sanctuary, where the wildlife and bird life resides.

Honeyguide Tarangire Camp
Honeyguide Tarangire Camp
Honeyguide Tarangire Camp

Honeyguide Tarangire Camp

Website: Honeyguide Tarangire Camp

Honeyguide Camp Tarangire is in the northern sector of one of the worlds most beautiful parks, Tarangire National Park. The luxury tented safari camp at Honeyguide Camps Tarangire is surrounded by breath-taking wildlife experiences, a variety of vibrant birds and witnessing of pastel sunsets by the bonfire, all set among the famous Tarangire National Park. Tarangire National Park is famed for its massive herds of elephants, true sense of wilderness, and a gentle backdrop of baobab, providing an authentic bush experience for guests. Honeyguide Camp is set in a grove of umbrella thorn tress with panoramic views over the vast African savanna, it enjoys an ideal vantage in the wilderness, offering adventure & luxury in a true East African Safari Experience. The newly upgraded & renovated Honeyguide Tarangire Camp offers 10 luxury safari style tents, each with their own viewing decks which overlook the pristine African bush. Beautifully furnished with a treasure trove of antiques & artifacts, original furniture, Persian rugs and delicate crystal silverware & brass, Honeyguide Tented Camp is modeled on a 1920’s style explorer camp. The camp is unfenced, which allows the animals to pass through camp, making Honeyguide Tarangire ideal for all adventure-loving clients. Each of the tented suites leads directly onto the plains, where daybeds with scatter cushions provide perfect spots for reading, afternoon naps & incredible game viewing. The camp's main area, dining area & bar overlook the savanna plains.

Kati Kati Tented Camp
Kati Kati Tented Camp
Kati Kati Tented Camp

Kati Kati Tented Camp

Website: Kati Kati Tented Camp

Kati Kati is a mobile camp strategically situated in central Serengeti, ideal for exploring the extensive Serengeti plains. The camp offers comfortable accommodation in 10 tents together with the unique opportunity to enjoy a real safari experience.   In its comfortable tents one will feel completely immersed in the surroundings and enjoy the rich animal life of the area.  Situated only a two hour scenic drive from Olduvai Gorge Museum and the Grumeti River, this area of the Serengeti has consistent and incredible game viewing opportunities throughout the year, and is a great place to look for cheetah on the wide open plains.

The large, walk-in tents are situated at ground level with a private porch overlooking the savannah.  There is a choice of one king size bed or two twin beds with mosquito nets and the tents have a private bathroom with a bucket shower.  The tents are centered around the large, common dining tent for meals.

Acacia Farm Lodge
Acacia Farm Lodge
Acacia Farm Lodge

Acacia Farm Lodge

Website: Acacia Farm Lodge

Acacia Farm Lodge is a romantic Country Lodge nestled in an active mixed farm, located high on the spectacular Great Rift’s escarpment area. The property offers striking panoramic views of the amazing Karatu farmlands and the nearby Ngorongoro forest area. The area’s unrivaled natural beauty is finely complemented by the elegant lodge. A timeless tranquility emanates from the exuberance of birdsong, mature trees and the lovely coffee plants. The lodge is strategically located between the Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks on one side, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park on the other side, creating the perfect base from which to explore these world-famous reserves, as well as enjoy many other adventurous activities and impressive cultural experiences found in the area.

Details

Details

Price Includes

~ Full board accommodation while on safari
~ Bed and breakfast accommodation in Arusha
~ Airport transfer from JRO to Mt Meru Lodge on day 1
~ Airport transfer to Arusha Airport on day 7 (JRO airport transfer is a $120 per vehicle supplement)
~ A safari briefing at the start
~ All game drives viewing in a custom built 4x4 Safari Land Cruiser safari vehicle driven by a professional English-speaking driver guide.
~ Excursions and scheduled activities as per the itinerary
~ Park Entrance fees throughout
~ Flying doctor’s medical evacuation cover
~ I liter of water per person per day while in an Albatros safari vehicle
~ Current Government taxes and levies
~ Full board accommodation, House wine, local beer and spirit, soft drinks (at Honeyguide Camp only)

Price Excludes

~ International Airfares
~ International and domestic departure tax
~ JRO airport transfer on day 7 ($120 per vehicle supplement)
~ Laundry services
~ Meals and excursions not described in the itinerary above
~ All alcoholic & Non-alcoholic drinks (incl at Honeyguide Camp)
~ Entry Visas to the country
~ Travel and health insurance
~ Balloon flight in the Serengeti (additional charge USD545 per person)
~ Any optional tours or excursions not mentioned in the itinerary above
~ Gratuities (tips) to your guide, hotel staff and porters
~ Any other items of a personal nature, such as drinks, laundry, telephone and postage.

2023 Safari Cost


$3,120.00 per person sharing

Rate is for departures from July - October 2023 and for cash payment by check or bank transfer.  If you wish to pay with a credit card a 3.7% service fee will be added.  A minimum of 2 required to guarantee departure. Single supplement applies.  A 20% non-refundable deposit is required to confirm booking and full balance due no later than 45 days before departure.  Other terms & conditions apply.  Itinerary may vary due to wildlife movements or weather conditions. We reserve the right to change rate due to increases in government taxes or other fees.  

Contact GrassTrack Safaris here for departure dates or to learn more.

Why GrassTrack Safaris?

Why GrassTrack Safaris?

Our Commitment to Service

Planning a safari can be daunting and we are committed to professional service to ensure you're well prepared for your journey.  We work closely with all our clients to create an itinerary based on your interests and budget.  We have years of travel experience throughout east and southern Africa and the expertise to create your personalized safari of a lifetime.


Responsible Travel

Conservation in Africa can only succeed if local communities benefit from tourism.  We partner with local operators who value sustainable travel and support their local communities and conservation efforts across Africa.

Inspiring Through Travel

We specialize in creating journeys of discovery and inspiration.  Our safaris are all about the wildlife and local culture.  Our custom designed safaris will show you all that this fascinating continent has to offer.  Africa is a rich source of inspiring people, landscapes, and wildlife.  It the ideal destination for discovery, exploration and adventure.


Trusted Support

Our partners in Africa are available 24/7  in case of an emergency.  All our guides are licensed and trained to handle any situation that may arise.  All our operators are available anytime to assist you in any way.