7 Days Ultimate Northern Tanzania Wildlife Expedition Tour

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Above and Beyond Photographic Tours & Safaris representative greets you and transfers you to your hotel in Arusha. The journey covers approximately 50 kilometers and takes about one hour, offering scenic views of Mt Meru and the fertile landscapes surrounding the city. Gran Melia Arusha provides luxurious rooms, tranquil gardens, a swimming pool, fine dining, and stunning views, making it the perfect place to rest. Mid range guests check in at Forest Hills Hotel or Ritzy Arcadia Cottages. Optional activities in Arusha include a city tour, visiting the Cultural Heritage Centre, touring a nearby coffee plantation, or hiking the lower slopes of Mount Meru. The evening is at your leisure to relax and prepare for your upcoming safari.

Activities : Game Drives

After breakfast, depart from Arusha for Tarangire National Park, located about 120 kilometers away, with a driving time of approximately three hours. Tarangire is one of Tanzania’s most scenic parks, famous for its massive elephant herds, towering baobab trees, diverse birdlife, and dramatic landscapes shaped by the Tarangire River. During your game drive, you may encounter giraffes, zebras, lions, buffalos, cheetahs, wildebeests, and impalas roaming the open plains. The river attracts wildlife year round, providing exceptional opportunities for photography and extended game viewing.

Luxury travelers will stay at Escarpment Luxury Lodge or Moonbow Lodge, both positioned to provide sweeping views and an elegant safari ambiance. Mid range guests stay at the highly rated Farm of Dreams Lodge in Karatu. Optional extra activities include a guided walking safari outside the park, a Maasai cultural boma visit, or an evening sundowner overlooking the Tarangire valley. After a full day of exploration, you return to your lodge for dinner and relaxation.

Activities : Game Drives

Today you begin the scenic drive from Tarangire or Karatu to the Central Serengeti, covering approximately 200 kilometers with a travel time of about five hours including stops at scenic viewpoints. The drive takes you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and down onto the endless plains of the Serengeti. Central Serengeti is the beating heart of the park and home to the Seronera River Valley, known for its year round resident wildlife and high predator concentration. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, zebras, topi, and buffaloes can be spotted within short distances of each other in this region. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon game drive as you explore kopjes, riverine forests, and open savannahs.

Luxury accommodation is provided at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge, offering upscale tented rooms with panoramic views. Mid range options include Moyo Tented Camp, Anantya Camp, or Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. Extra activities available include a sunset photographic session, night game drive outside park boundaries, or a cultural visit to a Maasai community near the park.

Activities : Game Drives

Enjoy a full day exploring the Central Serengeti. Your day begins early, allowing you to catch the sunrise and spot nocturnal predators such as leopards and hyenas returning from their night hunts. The Seronera region is known for some of the best predator action in Tanzania due to its permanent water sources. Spend the day exploring various game drive routes that lead through acacia woodlands, rolling plains, and rocky outcrops where lions often rest. Wildlife encounters may include elephants, hippos, hartebeests, ostriches, warthogs, and numerous bird species. This diverse environment makes Central Serengeti a favorite destination for photographers and safari enthusiasts.

You return to Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge or one of the mid range camps for dinner and relaxation. Optional activities include a hot air balloon safari at dawn, offering breathtaking aerial views of the plains and wildlife below, followed by a champagne bush breakfast.

Activities : Game Drives

After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a journey of about three hours covering around 150 kilometers. Upon arrival, you descend into the world famous Ngorongoro Crater for a full day game drive. The crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world due to its remarkable biodiversity. Within the crater’s 260 square kilometer floor, you will encounter permanent wildlife populations including lions, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, flamingos, hyenas, jackals, and the critically endangered black rhinoceros.

Your luxury accommodation is at Escarpment Luxury Lodge or Moonbow Lodge, while mid range travelers stay at Farm of Dreams Lodge. Additional activities include visiting a Maasai boma, enjoying crater rim nature walks, or taking guided cultural tours of the local highland communities.

Activities : Game Drives

This morning you travel to Lake Manyara National Park, located just 60 kilometers from Karatu and accessible within one hour. Lake Manyara is known for its breathtaking scenery, groundwater forests, tree climbing lions, hot springs, and more than 400 species of birds. Your half day game drive takes you through diverse habitats ranging from acacia woodlands to open floodplains. Wildlife that may be spotted includes elephants, giraffes, hippos, impalas, blue monkeys, baboons, and flocks of flamingos feeding along the alkaline lake.

After your exploration of Lake Manyara, you proceed to Arusha for your final night at Four Points by Sheraton Arusha. The rest of the evening is at your leisure, allowing you to relax or enjoy a city walk.

Activities : Game Drives

After breakfast, your driver transfers you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your outbound flight. This marks the end of your unforgettable seven day Tanzania luxury and mid range safari adventure with Above and Beyond Photographic Tours & Safaris.

Activities : Game Drives