Please note that when booking an independent tour you will need to contact a sales representative and provide the information for your first night hotel.
Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari Independent Adventure
4 days, Arusha to Arusha
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Arusha/Serengeti National Park
With a stop at the historic archaeological site of the Olduvai Gorge, today's journey is through the Rift Valley to the vast plains of the Serengeti National Park. Enjoy the multitude of animal and bird life in the area as you search for the "big five" across the vast expanse of grassland.
Depart early from Arusha to travel across to the world famous Serengeti, one of Africa's premier national parks. Stop at the archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge en route, and continue on to your safari camp in the late afternoon. Enjoy the multitude of animal and bird life in the area as you search for the "big five" across the vast expanse of grassland.
As we drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and on to the Serengeti National Park, en route you will begin to experience the sheer vastness of this territory, and marvel at the multitude of animal and bird life while cruising through this remarkable open territory. Spend 2 nights in the central Seronera area of the park.
The tour begins at 7:30am in the morning of Day 1 at your Arusha hotel (not included). Please be on time to meet your driver/guide at the front entrance of the hotel. A brief departure meeting will be held in the hotel reception area about general and specific aspects of the trip before setting off to the Serengeti.
7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle
Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.
Olduvai Gorge Museum
The Olduvai Gorge is a steep ravine in the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania. It is one of the world’s most important paleoanthropological sites. Beginning in 1931, excavations by Louis Leakey revealed evidence of early man dating back nearly 2 million years. Visit the Olduvai museum and see bone fossils and fragments of ancient stone tools. This UNESCO World Heritage site provides an intriguing glimpse into the origin and evolution of man in these Serengeti Plains of Africa.
Serengeti National Park Safari
This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars, and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, and more. Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Serengeti Tortilis Camps (or similar)
Meals included:
Lunch | DinnerDay 2Serengeti National Park
Embark on a morning wildlife safari drive in our compact safari 4x4, with a pop-up roof for optimal wildlife observation. Opt to take a sunrise balloon safari.
Please note: if you have pre-booked the Serengeti Balloon Safari, today's likely the day for this activity! Your CEO will give you final confirmation when it will take place, as it is subject to change. You will miss the included morning wildlife safari drive with the group, but you will have a much better view from above! If you have not yet pre-booked, add it to your checkout page, or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.
7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle
Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.
Serengeti National Park Safari
This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars, and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, and more. Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Serengeti Balloon Safari
Spirited aloft in a hot-air balloon, view the wildlife and terrain of the Serengeti that only the birds see. Enjoy a champagne breakfast and keep that shutter-finger good and limber—you’ll be using it plenty over the course of your hour in the air.
Accommodation
Serengeti Tortilis Camps (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Serengeti National Park/Ngorongoro Crater
Depart early and enjoy a full day wildlife safari drive in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After an early breakfast, depart camp and drive through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and crater, enjoying a full day of wildlife viewing.
The rich pasture and permanent water of the crater floor supports a resident population of more than 20,000 to 25,000 large mammals. They are not confined by the crater walls, and can leave freely; they stay because conditions are favorable. Since most of the crater floor is grassland, grazing animals dominate: zebra, gazelles, buffalo, eland, and warthogs.
The swamp and forest provide additional resources for hippos, some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos, giant-tusked elephants, waterbucks, reedbucks and bushbucks, baboons, and vervet monkeys.
All these animals in turn support large predators such as the lion and leopard, and scavengers such as hyenas and jackals.
Please note that due to the high-altitude location of our camp, temperatures can drop at night. We recommend bringing extra layers to wear during the evening and following morning.
7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle
Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.
Ngorongoro Crater Wildlife Safari Drive
Set the alarm and prepare for an early start to see the wonders of the Ngorongoro Crater. Here you’ll see Maasai herdsmen in the morning mist. Your driver/guide will take you down into the crater and to all the best spots to view wildlife. Spot zebra, gazelles, buffaloes, and warthogs. The swamp and forest are home to hippos, rhinos, elephants, baboons, and monkeys. Keep your eyes peeled and camera ready to capture a pride of lions or a lone leopard walking along the crater floor.
Accommodation
Pembeni Africa Lodge (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Ngorongoro/Arusha
Morning visit to Mto wa Mbu village with a traditional lunch and afternoon drive to Arusha.
You will be dropped off at your Arusha Hotel or at the Arusha domestic airport.
Post night in Arusha is not included; please ask your sales agent if you would like to book a hotel.
7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle
Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.
Your G for Good Moment: Mto wa Mbu Community Visit and Lunch
Take part in a cultural walk to learn about life in this East African town. Mto wa Mbu has attracted some 18,000 residents from 120 different tribes. During the two-hour tour, visit the community's local market, go right to the farmer's fields, see how huts are constructed, and meet artisans in their shops.
Afterwards, sit down with our new friends and enjoy a traditional lunch of meat and plantains.