7 Days Tanzania Safari and Cultural Activities

Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National park.

Non game-viewing

Travel time: 2½ hours

Distance: 120 kms.

Pick up from Arusha and transfer to the Tarangire National Park. The park runs along the line of the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation mainly consists of Acacia woodland and giant African Baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals, during Tanzania’s dry season. The Tarangire National Park is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. This African National Park is also home to three rare species of animals – the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx, as well as a few Ashy Starlings. After a picnic lunch we do an afternoon game drive.

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris or luxury safaris accommodation.

Day 2: Ngorongoro Highlands – Crater – Serengeti Plains.

En routes game-viewing

Travel time: 6 hours

Distance: 132 kms.

After breakfast at the lodge do we depart to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half day’s safari tour. The Ngorongoro crater supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park, is it’s dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually been seen here.

After lunch we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see.

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris or Luxury safaris accommodation

Day 3: Serengeti Plains

Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush, while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages.

We do an after breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The visitor’s centre not far from the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites, is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed centre, offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees.

In the afternoon we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lion and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink!

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris or luxury safaris accommodation.

Day 4 – Serengeti Plains –Ngorongoro Highlands.

En routes game-viewing

Travel time: 8 hours

Distance: 132 kms.

Breakfast then depart for game drive over the Serengeti plains via a different route, offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals. As far as the eye can see, you’ll spot thousands upon thousands of animals in herds; wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant and the most respected group of animals: the predators. You will have the chance to spot lean cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself; the lion.

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris or luxury safaris accommodation. 

Day 5: Local Experiences with Hadzape Bushmen at Lake Eyasi.

Non game-viewing

Travel time: 1 hours

Distance: 68 kms.

After breakfasts embark for a morning hunt, a haunting experience that reveals the phenomenal skills of these ancient people and the Tanzania’s remarkable residents. Indigenous hunters and gatherer tribes still exist in East Africa (just) and you’ll enjoy a full day of memorable cultural immersion. The nimble Hadzape Bushmen sidestep through the trees, picking up on every clue as they stalk a small antelope. You can also see the clues; an upturned stone, a line of animal droppings, a slight indent in the grass. But the bushman spots them without breaking stride, eyes always scanning ahead, the path of the prey continually visualized; they do still use a homemade bow and arrow.

This is a place of tranquility, harmony, and getting involved with local tribes. The Hadzape

Hunter-gatherers use an ancient click dialect, while the waDatonga villages remain unchanged for millennia.

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris and luxury safaris accommodation.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Highlands – Lake Manyara National Park – Arusha Hotel.

Non game-viewing

Travel time: 45 Minutes

Distance: 37 kms

After breakfast we depart for Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. This national park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park), located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The park’s varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, Lake Manyara’s unique tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake.

Dinner and overnight: Mid-range safaris or luxury safaris accommodation.

Day 7: Arusha Hotel – Walking – Kilimanjaro airport.

Non game-viewing

Travel time: 45 Minutes to 1hrs

Distance: 60 kms

Your day tour begins with your hotel pickup at 07:00hrs “the journey of the coffee Bean Explained”: Ever wondered how the humble coffee bean goes from bush to your cup? Maasai African Guides DMC offers an exciting and informative ‘Coffee Tour’ for anyone who wishes to learn the fascinating cycle of the coffee bean.

The Tour takes place within the Burka coffee estate which itself is located within one of Tanzania’s largest coffee estates. Weaving in and out of the evergreen coffee bushes, the Coffee Guide explains how the bean is nurtured, harvested, dried and finally roasted to produce a myriad of different blends that sate the taste of the most ardent of coffee connoisseurs. After local lunch our guide will take you to visit local market, National museum and you will have a farewell chance to visit a snake park which is 26kms from Arusha city. Our company vehicle will be waiting to pick you up and transfer to Kilimanjaro International airport for your flight back.

End our African safari adventure.