Your tour starts after lunch at the Arusha Hotel, in the heart of Tanzania's safari capital Arusha town.

We will then drive to Lake Manyara National Park which is a narrow strip running between the Gregory Rift to the west and Lake Manyara, an alkaline soda-lake famous for its flamingo population.

Your accommodation for the night is Kirurumu Tented Lodge, set high on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, and enjoying a marvelous, panoramic view eastward over Lake Manyara, the Rift floor and Mt. Losimingori. Behind Kirurumu, the Ngorongoro Highlands rise, green and fertile, and form the gateway to the Ngorongoro Crater.

In the afternoon you'll go on your first game drive of the Wildlife Week. And what an adventure awaits!

The park encompasses three distinct habitats: a swampy groundwater forest, open floodplains and woodlands of acacia trees. Buffalos, zebras and wildebeest herds graze on the grassy plains, as do giraffes and other animals. The thin belt of acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of Manyara's legendary tree-climbing lions and you may also see some impressively tusked elephants here as well. Banded mongooses dart between the acacias, while miniature Kirk's dik-diks forage for edible plants in the shade. Game drives in this park never disappoint and you will be enchanted by the diversity of wildlife and the scenery.

After your afternoon game drive you'll return to the lodge just in time to be served a sundowner or two as the sun dips below the horizon. 

Leaving the charming Lake Manyara behind we will drive to the Serengeti, Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park. The Serengeti is also a World Heritage Site and the stage for one nature's most incredible spectacles: the great wildebeest migration. From April to June some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeests' epic search for fresh grazing.

Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, and thousands upon thousands of elands, topis, kongonis, impalas and Grant’s gazelles.

After taking lunch at scenic picnic spot en route you will proceed to Mbuzi Mawe, your accommodation for the night. Scenically located in a glade, known as ‘the place of the klipspringer' (Mbuzi Mawe), and towered over by three million year-old granite towers, this luxury tented-camp is unique. The camp is also located on one of the main annual migration corridors, meaning you'll be able to view migrating animals from within the grounds.

There’s nothing like an early morning start to maximise your chances of some amazing wildlife encounters. After a hot cup of tea or coffee you will soon be wide-awake as you head out to observe the animals at their most active. The cat family loves to make appearances at this ime of day, while the early morning light makes the herds of wildlife a photographer’s dream.

Today you could get the chance to do something that many people dream of doing - taking a hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti. Here you will view large numbers of wildlife and watch the sun rise over the park’s expansive plains, only to finish off this relaxing journey with a lavish champagne breakfast.

After lunch at the camp we will return to the park's open plains in search of more wildlife. Then, as the evening approaches and the light begins to fade, we'll take you to a picturesque location in the park where you can enjoy sundown cocktails.

Note: the balloon safari is an optional extra. See pricing information for details.

Today you'll say goodbye to the enchanting Serengeti National Park and be presented with another natural wonder: the Ngorongoro Crater.

This incredible formation is part of the larger Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 8,300 square kilometres. The actual crater is 260 square kilometres and 620m deep and the original volcano was probably as high as Mount Kilimanjaro.

You will arrive at Plantation Lodge in the late afternoon, which is positioned on the soft, red-brown hills in the vast silent landscape of east Africa. The individually furnished rooms and suites blend harmoniously with the flowering garden, offering comfort and relaxation. Everywhere you look, you can see and feel the personal atmosphere of this boutique lodge, with furnishings that were selected with great care.

Plantation Lodge’s exceptional service leaves no wish unfulfilled. You can start off the evening with a refreshing sunset cocktail followed by some fine intercontinental cuisine cooked by the resident chef.

To experience the crater without the crowds you will rise early for a half-day game drive. Reaching the crater floor as the sun begins to rise you will be amazed by the natural beauty that surrounds you. The Ngorongoro Crater is home to about 25,000 animals and is one of the last places in Tanzania where the Big Five can all be seen together.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a World Heritage Site and also an International Biosphere Reserve. Additionally, it is unique because it is a multi-use conservation area - where the animals and environment are protected but the Maasai people are allowed to continue their pastoral lifestyle.

We will enjoy a picnic on the shore of one of the crater’s lakes and watch elephants quench their thirst from afar. We will then return to the beautiful surroundings of Plantation Lodge to relax and enjoy a an evening feast.

After an early morning breakfast we will take a short drive to Tarangire National Park. This baobab dotted park hosts the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem – a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx can be spotted.

Lunch will be served at one Tanzania’s most stunning picnic locations and we'll be able to watch over an evergreen swamp packed with elephants as we eat. Bird-lovers will want to keep an eye open for the noisy flocks of colourful yellow-collared lovebirds, as well as rufous-tailed weavers and ashy starlings – all of which are endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Tonight we'll be staying at the permanently sited Maramboi Tented Camp where we can gaze out across the endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands and the beautiful palm studded desert between Tarangire and Manyara Lake.

This is the last full day of the safari and we'll be packing in as much game viewing and/or relaxation options as we can. This evening the lodge's chefs will prepare a delicious meal for us and you'll enjoy a peaceful night in this exquisite lodge. 

Today is the last day of the safari and we know that you'll have some wonderful memories and pictures from your Tanzanian Wildlife Week. After breakfast we will return to Arusha and you will be taken to the airport or your hotel.

If you would like to stay on in Tanzania and see more of its wildlife, or perhaps spend a few days on the white sandy beaches of Zanzibar, just contact one of our travel advisors and we'll be able to recommend options and help you to sort them out.