You will be picked up from the airport by a Gorilla Pathfinders representative and driven to your accommodation in Arusha. Depending on your arrival time, you will hopefully have time to relax and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.

Busy Arusha is an essential part of safari life here in northern Tanzania and most travellers pass through at some stage.

Your Gorilla Pathfinders Safari guide will collect you from your accommodation after breakfast. You will then drive to Tarangire National Park. This transit drive is approximately two and a half hours on good tarmac roads. The Park is named after the Tarangire River which runs through it. This ‘river of warthogs’ is the only source of water for wildlife in the region during the dry season. The Park is well known for its elephant families, which can often be seen congregating by the river. You may also see giraffe, bushbuck, and hartebeest. These animals are closely followed by a range of predators, including lions and leopards. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire than anywhere else on the planet! The huge and ancient Baobab trees can be seen here. Some of them are said to have lived for more than a thousand years.

Lunch will be at a picnic site inside the Park. After your game drive, you will transit to your accommodation in Karatu.

After breakfast, you will drive up into the cooler regions of Ngorongoro Conservation Area. When you first see Ngorongoro Crater, it looks like a forgotten world. Concealed by the steep volcanic walls is a pristine wilderness including sweeping savannah, pockets of acacia woodland, and glistening lakes and swamps. The Crater was created when a large volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself two to three million years ago and it covers an area of 260 km². The Crater is famous for both its geological delights and for being a natural reserve that is home to some of the densest large mammal populations in the whole of the African continent. After you descend into the Crater, you quickly find yourself amongst large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and more than 500 bird species. The Crater provides you with the best chance of seeing the endangered black rhino.

You will then transit through Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to the Serengeti, entering at the South of the Park.

The Serengeti is truly spectacular. It is famous for its vast open grasslands which allow for excellent sightings of wildlife. The Serengeti's climate and vegetation have remained largely untouched for millions of years. Whilst it boasts abundant wildlife, it is perhaps best known for the annual Great Migration. Vast numbers of wildebeest; accompanied by large numbers of zebra and antelope move in an annual pattern, constantly seeking fresh grazing. The migration can be found during any given month; you just need to know where to look! The question should really be about the 'best places' to see the animals during a certain time of year. In addition to the iconic landscapes, you have a good chance of encountering predators and you may see lion, cheetah and leopard. It is a truly life-changing experience.

In the afternoon, you will start your journey back to Karatu, hopefully enjoying more wonder on the way!

After breakfast, you will drive to Lake Manyara National Park, a small but diverse park 120km west of Arusha. Everything you’ll see here is on a different scale. It is both compact (this is one of the narrowest parks in Africa) and epic (the Great Rift Escarpment towers over Lake Manyara’s western boundary). The park’s namesake is a shallow, salt lake. It covers a large area of the park, flooding and drying with the seasons and is home to thousands of wading birds (including flamingos and over 500 other bird species). You may see baboon and elephant in the park’s thick evergreen forest, and watch for the tree-climbing lions that have become famous throughout Africa.

Picnic lunch in the park. After your game drive, you will say farewell to your Guide and will be dropped off at a place of your choosing e.g. Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport or Arusha Airport. We hope you have enjoyed your adventure with Gorilla Pathfinders!