Detailed 3-Day Safari Itinerary
Experience Tanzania's wildlife and rich cultural heritage on this unique camping safari combining nature and authentic tribal encounters
Day 0: Arrival Day and Welcome to Tanzania
Whatever your arrival time at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Operation Kilimanjaro driver-guide will be waiting for you with a warm welcoming smile. Kick back and relax in your comfortable vehicle as he takes you to your hotel in Arusha, Tanzania's self-styled 'safari capital.'
On your journey to the hotel, you will get a brief impression of this large, bustling, commercial city. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.
Day 1: Arusha – Lake Manyara – Lake Eyasi
Tour Briefing
Unless your arrival time yesterday allowed time for your safari briefing, then this will take place after breakfast. We will provide you with all the essential information, before we set off to our first safari destination, the spectacular Lake Manyara National Park. After our time there, we continue onwards to Lake Eyasi, where we will spend the night.
Journey (morning): Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
Our two-hour journey takes us westwards from Arusha. Along the route, your eyes will be opened to all the colours and character of Tanzania: perhaps some Maasai herdsmen driving their flocks of goats to new pastures. You'll get to know your driver-guide, amazed at his depth of knowledge as he effortlessly answers all your questions.
Safari (Game Drive) in Lake Manyara National Park
We travel in our vehicle to cover the highlights of this park. Set against the rugged Rift Valley escarpment, and characterised by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquillity as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters.
On land, Manyara's terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park 'home'. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell!
From Lake Manyara, our afternoon journey continues westwards to Lake Eyasi, taking us around 2 hours.
Day 2: Lake Eyasi - Ngorongoro
Journey: Lake Eyasi – Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro will be our final destination today, but first we have time to explore Lake Eyasi, the stunning lake being the backdrop for the fascinating tribes who live here. Tanzania's people can be as interesting as its wildlife – today, you will certainly find that out!
Lake Eyasi and its Tribespeople
Lake Eyasi is located in the Great Rift Valley, southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater. Its salt-water levels experience dramatic changes with the seasons: in years with little rainfall, the lake can almost disappear.
We will first experience a hunting trip with the Hadzabe, the last hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, before receiving a welcome from a different tribe, the colourful Datoga people. You will also see a local blacksmith practising his craft, fashioning pots and weapons from scrap metal.
After an action-packed morning, we will drive to Ngorongoro, where we will enjoy our lunch and spend the night.
Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport
Journey: Ngorongoro – Kilimanjaro International Airport
After our morning visit to the incomparable crater and then lunch, we will have a 4-hour journey, covering the 250km back to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
From our accommodation, we set off after breakfast, a 6am departure to reach the rim and then descend into the vast crater itself. At one side there's the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled.
By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the 'elephant graveyard' as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.
The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season.
Buffalo, Thomson's gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colorful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor.
