Northern Discovery Tour
Explore Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Manyara

A private Safari or join us on our weekly departures that explore Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and  Manyara Lake - while enjoying comfortable lodgings at luxurious Serena safari lodges. An excellent add on package to our riding safaris.

ZZ-TZ-TH604
Rates include all land transfers from and to Arusha hotel, English speaking guide, meals and overnights in Serena Lodges
4 days/ 3 nights  $ 1,175 per person
The regular departures are every Monday and start in Arusha at 1:30 PM with a minimum of 2 people.
Note:  Rates are based on double occupancy - not included are drinks and tips.  Some departures have a reverse itinerary .

Itinerary

Day 1:  Depart from Arusha at 1:30 PM. Drive to Ngorongoro. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge which is constructed of local stone and is exquisitely molded into the contours of its site. From the lodge one can experience breathtaking view of the 260 sg. km crater beneath and of the wealth of the surrounding animal and bird life.
Day 2:   Breakfast at the Lodge.Half-day crater tour by Land-Rover - Here you can see a spectacular concentration of wildlife, including the big five. Drive across the dense forest and near the soda lake and enjoy viewing a variety of bird-life. Ascend to the lodge from the 2000ft. deep crater.
Lunch at the Lodge. Depart for Serengeti. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge which affords endless views over the Serengeti plains, the design and construction merging into surrounding landscape. It is built as a cluster of elegant thatched huts in a traditional African village fashion.
Day 3:  After breakfast, game drive of Serengeti National Park; here can be found the largest concentration of plain animals: 4 million and 500 species of birds. Your chance to see predators chasing their prey and enjoying their kill.
Lunch at the Lodge (or picnic lunch on the way). Depart for Lake Manyara around 1:30 PM. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge which has a dramatic setting overlooking, the Great Rift Valley and the beautiful Soda Lake of Manyara and the park. One can observe many large colorful birds flying in circles and spirals. The hotel's unique mix of geometric and traditional style was inspired by the abundant birdlife.
Day 4:  After breakfast, game drive of Lake Manyara National Park which is famous for its tree-climbing lions. Here you can see a variety of habitats and diverse animals and birds. Witness the large flock of flamingoes descending on Lake Manyara. Depart for Arusha around 10 AM - arrival just in time for lunch around 12:3


Add a Balloon Safari while in the Serengeti !
An exclusive excursion over the Serengeti plains, offering unparalleled panoramic views of the awe-inspiring landscape. A very popular excursion. Only two balloons fly each day, each with a capacity of 12 people.

Ngorongoro Crater
EDEN OF AFRICA
8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD   AREA : 300 Sq. Km.
ALTITUDE: 2286 Metres
Ngorongoro crater is located west of the great rift valley which runs from the Red Sea to Lake Nyasa in southern Tanzania. Ngorongoro was an active volcano some eight million years ago, whose cone collapsed, leaving a crater. It is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, the second largest extinct crater in the world, and today shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth with a spectacular concentration of wildlife and stunning views.
The Crater is oval in shape, 300Sq. Km in area, 610m deep. There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself. This is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include the magnificent black-maned males.
All of the big five are seen - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Other game includes: cheetah, hyena, zebra, warthog, impala, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family and smaller mammals of sorts.
Birdlife includes:- Kori bustard, secretary bird, crested crane, maribou stock, goliath, heron, beautiful fish eagles, and thousands of colourful flamingoes. More than a 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the crater.
Vegetation: The crater rim is wooded with mountain forest vegetation. Blooming in acres of flowers e.g. pink, blue and white lupines, candle white lilies, blue hyacinth.
  back to the top

Ngorongoro Serena Lodge:

Perched on the jagged rim of the crater, wreathed in morning mist, camouflaged in river-stone and cloaked in indigenous creepers, the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is a triumph of ecological and architectural fusion. Sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its environment whilst affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the Lodge hug the crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed roots of ancient, liana-hung trees. The interior, radiating out from the primeval log fire glowing at the heart of the Lodge, blends the concentrated hush of a game-viewing hide with the ochre, rust and charcoal images of a prehistoric cavern. Lit by flaming wall-lanterns, clad in gigantic volcanic boulders and decorated by the iron spears, bright-beaded robes and intricately carven artefacts of the Maasai, the Lodge is a unique blend of world-class luxury, timeless volcanic splendour and ethnic style. As for the views, from lilac-streaked sunrise, to indigo star-studded night, the immeasurably ancient Ngorongoro Crater delivers a theatre of vistas, most unchanged since the dawn of time.

  back to the top

Serengeti National Park
AREA : 14763 Sq. Km.    ALTITUDE: 1400 Metres

The Serengeti National Park is as big as Northern Ireland, and the most popular wildlife sanctuary in the world. It has been a protected area since the 1940's, and was accorded national park status in 1951. In 1981, the Serengeti was inscribed onto the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. The park is fantastic in its natural beauty and unequalled in its scientific value. This vast expanse of land is known to contain about 4 million different types of animals.
The plains of Serengeti are mainly crystalline rocks overlain by volcanic ash with numerous granitic rock outcrops (kopjes). In the north and along the western corridor are mountain ranges of mainly volcanic origin. Two rivers flowing west usually contain water and there are a number of lakes, marshes, and waterholes.
Large herds of antelope of all sorts including: Patterson's eland, Klipspringer, Dikdik, impala, Zebra, gazelles, water, bush and reed buck, topi, kongoni, cotton's oribi, grey bush duiker, roan antelope buffalo, and wildebeest. Plus: lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, bat eared fox, hunting dog and jackal. Smaller mammals: spring hare, porcupine, warthog, hyraxes, baboon, vervet monkey, colobus monkey, patas monkey, and mongooses. Larger mammals: giraffe, rhino, elephant, hippopotamus. Nearly 500 species of bird, including vultures, storks, flamingoes, martial and fish eagles, ostrich. Reptiles: crocodiles, a number of species of snakes and lizards
The following statistics of wildlife population is a small indication of the immensity of the Serengeti: 700,000 Thompson gazelles, 65,000 Topi, 50,000 Grant gazelles, 1,500,000 wildebeest, 200,000 zebras, 2,000 lions, 800 leopards, 4,000 hyenas, 200 wild dogs, 500 cheetahs, 500 species of birds, more than 30 species of large herbivores...the list goes on.
In May and early June you can witness the annual migration of millions of zebra and wildebeest in search of water and forage as the seasons change.
Vegetation: Serengeti's low vegetation means that game viewing is relatively easy. It varies from open grass plains in the south, savannah with scattered acacia trees in the centre, hilly wooded grassland in the north, to extensive woodland and black clay plains in the west. There are many small rivers, lakes and swamps scattered about.
Animals live in absolute freedom on the endless plains.
  back to the top

Serengeti Serena Lodge:

Serengeti Serena Lodge is set high on a hill with breathtaking vistas of a landscape teeming with game. The wildlife defines the Serengeti - countless zebra, buffalo, gazelle, wildebeest, and other species make it their home. Big game feed in full view of the lodge itself. The terrain is the main stage for the great wildebeest migrations, an awesome spectacle involving millions of these beasts. The lodge design is simple but stunning. Inspired by a traditional African village, separate rondavel "huts" house the luxury guest rooms.  From the overall impressions to the smallest detail, the lodge is rich in local atmosphere created by indigenous handicrafts and art.
  back to the top

Lake Manyara National Park

Although it is Tanzania's smallest park, Lake Manyara is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. The beautiful Lake Manyara covers two thirds of the park, while the rest consists of steep mountainside, swamps, dense woodlands, open grassy areas and hot springs.
Lake Manyara is one of the many alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley. It was formed abut three million years ago and is quite shallow, with an average depth of about three metres. The lake attracts hundreds of birds species. In high vegetation near the park entrance, baboons and black monkeys charter between cicada shrills. More than 350 species of birdlife are found in Lake Manyara - including pelicans, Egyptian geese, ducks, waders, herons, storks, grebes, ibises, kingfishers and the flamingoes. The extraordinary birdlife has made this place world-renowned among ornithologists.
The park is famed for its unique tree-climbing lions. The rare sight of seeing the king of the beasts sprawled in the bough of a tree is an unforgettable sight.
The wall of the Great Rift Valley forms the backdrop before which lies the ground water forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake.
  back to the top

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge:

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge Standing high on the bluff of a dramatic ochre and terracotta streaked cliff above the flamingo-frosted expanse of Lake Manyara’s gleaming alkaline waters, the Lodge commands panoramic views across the volcano-studded floor of the Great Rift Valley. Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara’s unique birdlife, the Lodge draws on an inspirational architectural motif that melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai ‘Bomas’ (encampments) whilst the vibrantly coloured frescoes lining the walls are designed to depict the colourful intricacy of bird migratory patterns. The ambiance of the Lodge is a fusion of lakeside tranquillity, towering volcanic splendour and adventure-packed sporting activity.