Tanzania Lakes & Wildlife Safari - 12 Day Tour

Today we will visit The Umoja Centre, an exciting youth education project supporting vulnerable teens gain vital education and life skills. After a tour of the centre, one of the students will show you their home and community, giving you an insight into life in Arusha. Enjoy a traditional Tanzanian lunch with the staff and students of Umoja.

After lunch your Taswira guide will show you the highlights of Arusha City, including the colourful central market and Tanzanite museum. We will end the tour at the leafy green Arusha Coffee Lodge, where we will visit Shanga, a fascinating project supporting people with disabilities.

After breakfast we will head to Lake Manyara, an alkaline lake, rich with plant and bird life. The lake’s environment supports over 300 species of birds including cormorants, pink flamingos, pelicans and storks.  After a picnic lunch, we will enjoy an afternoon game drive where you can see elephants and baboons (in fact Lake Manyara boasts the most baboons in any park in Africa!)  If you are lucky you will also see the famous tree-climbing lions. 

Today we head to Lake Natron, a salt lake near to the Kenyan Border where you can witness the most spectacular scenery and enjoy a variety of activities. We drive parallel to the Rift Valley wall, passing through changing landscapes with a good chance of seeing various animals. On the way we will enjoy a picnic lunch. It is a long drive and we will arrive in the evening into the tented camp at Lake Natron, enjoying dinner before heading to bed (or climbing a volcano!)

Optional: Climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano! The climb starts at midnight, arriving at the summit at 6am, to witness the colours and sounds of the volcano. The descend down is only about 2 hours. Be aware that this is not an easy climb, but steep, strenuous with often narrow paths! If you have a physical / medical issue problem or bad knees - do not attempt this climb!

After a relaxing breakfast in the lodge you will enjoy a full day of great activities around Lake Natron. We will visit the lake where you can see many flamingos (Lake Natron is the only regular breeding ground in East Africa for the 2.5 million Lesser Flamingos.) After walking tour you will have lunch at the camp. During your time at Lake Natron you have the option of visiting a local village, swimming under waterfalls or even riding donkeys!

After a breakfast, we will start our journey to the Serengeti National Park.The Serengeti National Park, home to the ‘big five’; rhinoceros, elephant, leopard, buffalo and lion, is one of the greatest national parks in the world, spanning over 14,000 km².  The name Serengeti comes from a Maasai word meaning ‘endless plains.

Although populations fluctuate, there are an estimated 3 million large game animals in the Serengeti, including over 2,500 lions, 1.2 million wildebeest and over 200,000 zebras. You will also have the opportunity to see giraffes, baboons, colobus monkeys, gazelles, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos, waterbuck, hartebeest and more! This vast and varied park is home to more than 500 bird species; including ostriches, vultures, martial eagles, kori bustards, crowned crane and secretary birds.

Enjoy a picnic or camp lunch before continuing for an afternoon game drive through the vast plains. A trip to the Serengeti at any time of the year can never disappoint!

The Serengeti boasts the largest terrestrial migration in the world, with over 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle annually moving in search of greener pastures.

Beginning the day with an early game drive, you will experience the Serengeti as the sun rises and wildlife awakens in the golden morning light. This is one of the best times for wildlife viewing.  We will return to your lodge / camp for a late breakfast and rest, before setting out into the vast Serengeti plains for the rest of the day. Depending on the time of year, this is a great opportunity to follow the migration.

We will enjoy a picnic lunch during the day and return to our camp early evening. 

After breakfast we will travel through the Serengeti, game viewing along the way. We will leave the park and arrive in the early evening at the edge of Lake Victoria.

One of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Victoria has a surface area of 68,800 km², making it Africa’s largest by area. The Lake is divided between three countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (with 49%).

After breakfast in the lodge, you will enjoy a boat trip out into Lake Victoria where you can see hippos, monitor lizards, kingfishers and more.  We will visit a local Sikuma Village where you will walk through a market and see fisherman in their daily lives.

After breakfast we will enjoy at game drive to the main Serengeti gate and stop for a picnic lunch. Heading towards the Ngorongoro Crater we will pass through varied landscapes and micro-climates – vast plains, sweeping hills and dense forests.

On the way you will stop at the Olduvai Gorge where anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey made many significant discoveries, contributing to the theory that human life originated in Africa.

We will arrive early evening at your selected accommodation.

After breakfast we will drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s safari highlights. The name Ngorongoro is from a Maasai word meaning ‘Gift of Life’.

You will begin with taking in the magnificent views from the crater rim before descending into the crater itself. You will have the opportunity to see elephants, lions, buffalo, zebra and many other species of animals and birds. We will enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the hippo pool.

In geological terms, the Ngorongoro Crater is actually a caldera, caused by the collapse of a large volcano 2-3 million years ago. The crater floor covers over 260 km² while the depth is some 610 m.

The Ngorongoro Crater is beautiful at any time of year and teaming with wildlife. You may experience clear views of the crater bowl or mists rolling down into the base - either way a memorable experience.