8-Day Grand Tanzania Safari

Day 1 is built around Ancient baobabs and Largest elephant herds. Travel to Tarangire National Park, home to ancient baobab trees — some over 1,000 years old — and the largest elephant herds in Tanzania. The afternoon is reserved for a game drive through baobab woodlands and along the Tarangire River where hundreds of elephants congregate during dry season. Look for buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, and over 550 bird species including the endemic yellow-collared lovebird. The dramatic landscape of massive baobabs silhouetted against the African sky makes Tarangire one of Tanzania's most photogenic parks.

• Ancient baobabs
• Largest elephant herds
• 550+ bird species

The focus today is Silale swamp and Extended elephant encounters. Complete exploration of Tarangire's different habitats — the silale swamp where elephants and buffalo wallow in the mud, the baobab woodlands with their otherworldly shapes, and the river frontage where predators stalk their prey. Extended elephant encounters as herds move between feeding and drinking areas. Morning and afternoon drives covering the park's diverse terrain from riverine forest to open savannah. Track lions and leopards in the rocky kopjes and woodland edges.

• Silale swamp
• Extended elephant encounters
• Predator tracking

Today's route brings together Tree-climbing lions and Flamingos. Start with a morning game drive in Tarangire for final sightings. Following breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National Park at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The afternoon is reserved for a game drive for the park's famous tree-climbing lions — prides resting draped in mahogany and sausage tree branches. Discover the groundwater forest alive with blue monkeys and baboons. The alkaline lake attracts thousands of flamingos and an incredible diversity of waterbirds. Hippos wallow in the shallows as fish eagles scan from their perches.

• Tree-climbing lions
• Flamingos
• Groundwater forest primates

Expect the day to center on Ngorongoro highlands and First Serengeti game drive. Travel through the Ngorongoro highlands with spectacular panoramic views of the Great Rift Valley stretching behind you. Descend into the Serengeti ecosystem — the transition from highland forest to endless golden plains is breathtaking. The Serengeti's name comes from the Maasai word 'siringet' meaning 'endless plains' and the view from the Naabi Hill gate makes it instantly clear why. The afternoon is reserved for a game drive on the legendary plains teeming with wildebeest, zebra, and the predators that follow the herds.

• Ngorongoro highlands
• First Serengeti game drive
• Endless plains

Day 5 is built around Seronera Valley and Kopje lion prides. Spend the day exploring the Seronera Valley — the Serengeti's wildlife-rich central area. Morning drive tracking lion prides resting under kopjes (granite boulder outcrops), leopards draped in sausage trees, and cheetahs scanning the open plains for prey. The Seronera River provides year-round water attracting the highest concentration of predators and prey. Picnic lunch in the bush. Afternoon drive for elephants, massive buffalo herds, hippo pools, and the incredible diversity of antelope species.

• Seronera Valley
• Kopje lion prides
• Predator hunts

The focus today is Migration herds (seasonal) and Sunset photography. Discover different sectors of the Serengeti following current wildlife concentrations and migration patterns. Your guide communicates with other guides via radio to locate the most spectacular sightings. During migration months, witness hundreds of thousands of wildebeest moving across the plains. Bush picnic lunch in a scenic location. Sunset photography session as the vast Serengeti turns golden and the silhouettes of acacia trees dot the horizon.

• Migration herds (seasonal)
• Sunset photography
• Remote wilderness

Today's route brings together Crater rim sunset and Spectacular caldera views. Start with a morning game drive in the Serengeti for final sightings. Following breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and settle into your lodge perched on the crater rim. Spectacular views 600 meters down into the world's largest intact volcanic caldera — 20 kilometers across and home to approximately 25,000 animals. Watch the sunset paint the crater in gold and crimson from your rim lodge.

• Crater rim sunset
• Spectacular caldera views

Expect the day to center on Crater floor Big Five and Black rhinos. Early morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater floor — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's most extraordinary wildlife spectacles. Game drive through this natural amphitheater spotting the Big Five including endangered black rhinos, massive-maned lions, elephants, buffalo herds, and with luck leopard. The crater's soda lake attracts flamingos while hippo pools are home to dozens of wallowing hippos. Picnic lunch by the hippo pool. Ascend from the crater and drive to Arusha arriving by evening.

• Crater floor Big Five
• Black rhinos
• Flamingos
• Hippo pool