A 7 nights classic safari with a twist. You start of with Tarangire NP, famous for its elephants, spend a day in Karatu with a lot of different activity options, visit two of the seven natural wonders of Africa – the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti NP. And end the trip with a visit to Lake Natron, definitely off the beaten track.
Day 1 Karibu!
Tanzania welcomes you with open arms and tropical heat.
After clearing immigration and picking up your luggage, you will be warmly greeted by your Cross Road Safari driver-guide at arrivals.
Your adventure starts immediately as you set off on an approximately three-hour drive on tarmac road to get to the gate of Tarangire National Park, where your first safari will take place. During the drive you have time to get to know your safari guide and go through your expectations, what wildlife to meet in coming days and if you have any special interests. You will also have time to sit back and fully enjoy the incredible and magnificent landscape, as well as the colourful Tanzanian everyday-life passing by outside your car window.
Upon arrival its time to enjoy your dinner and a well-earned rest.
Accommodation: Tarangire, Sangaiwe Tented Lodge
Meal plan: Half board
Day 2 Full day safari in beautiful Tarangire National Park
The whole day is devoted to Tarangire NP, the sixth’s largest of Tanzania’s total 22 national parks. Early mornings are precious on a safari, as it is the time wildlife are the most active, so early you set off on your first animal viewing of this trip.
Tarangire National Park is a favourite among many driver-guides thanks to its beautiful and everchanging landscapes. Here you can find acacia woodlands, savanna, the river that has named the park but above all, hundreds of the “trees of life” – the Baobab tree.
Except for the Baobabs this park is mainly known for the large herds of elephants that’s roams here part of the year. Tarangire is also home to vast variety of species like the lesser-known fringe-eared oryx & gerenuk and the more common ones like zebras, wildebeests and giraffes. And yes, of course you can find the majestic big cats here.
Tarangire is also quite special since it is possible to make night & walking safaris here. Please let us know if this is something you are interested in, and we will be happy to organize it for you.
You will enjoy a picnic lunch in the park surrounded by the beautiful landscape – maybe even in the shadow of a baobab tree.
After an eventful day you will leave the park and make your way to Karatu
Accommodation: Karatu, Hhando Coffee Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3 The hardest thing today is to choose
This day is for you to decide what you would like to do. Would you like to set out on a hike? Or maybe meet the Hadzabe tribe and learn more about their way of life. The Hadzabe bushmen are one of few tribes left in the world living as nomadic gatherers. Maybe another alternative that tickles your curiosity is having a cooking class, starting with shopping in the local market? There are many wonderful & interesting activities to choose from in order to engage and experience the local Tanzanian culture. Not only to observe, but to dive in and fully be a part in the daily life.
Accommodation: Karatu, Hhando Coffee Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4 Ngorongoro – paradise on earth?
Today something of extreme beauty awaits you – The Ngorongoro crater. To make the very most of this extraordinary experience we recommend you have a very early start. Reason being the crater has fewer visitors the earlier you go. But most importantly, the wildlife is entering the peak active hours as the sun rises over the rim.
Through beautiful winding roads climbing upwards, you will make your way to the viewpoint at the crater rim – and wow what a view! At your feet you have the caldera and due to its size, it’s hard to capture that the crater floor is 600 meters below you. This is the largest volcanic caldera in the world. All over the crater floor, as small, small dots, you can see the wildlife grazing in the landscape.
The Ngorongoro crater is home to no less than 25 000 animals and has one of the greatest densities of predators in the world. For example, in this “small” area alone, 60-70 lions are living. This is also one of the places where you, if lucky, could meet the mighty Big Five of Africa.
Your lunchbox will be enjoyed in this amazing and enchanting landscape.
Eventually it’s time to leave. The time has come to experience some true African massage as you set out on bumpy roads on your way to Serengeti. You will enter the Serengeti through Nabi Hill Gate and Serengeti welcomes you with its vastness. A grassland landscape as far as your eye can take you, just dotted with some occasional kopjes breaking the horizon, the so-called Simba kopjes. These kopjes are a great vantage point, and the lions – (simba in Swahili) loves to lure here.
Accommodation: Serengeti, Tanzania Bush Camps
Meal plan: Full board
Day 5 A full day Serengeti safari
Whether you are on the lookout for the Big Five, are a big cat lover or in search for elephants or birds, Serengeti has it all. You never know what you encounter in this vast and magical landscape but the thrill of the hunt for new acquaintances is the goal of today.
Serengeti is Tanzania’s second largest, but probably the most famous, national park and it is also considered to be one of the planets oldest ecosystems. Very little has changed here the last million years.
In Serengeti and the adjacent Masai Mara you can witness one of Africa’s 7 natural wonders- the great migration. During July-October every year millions of wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and Thomson gazelles roams over the savanna from Tanzania to Kenya and back again. This is often named one of the world’s most powerful nature phenomena.
Serengeti has been a national park since 1951 and a World Heritage even longer than that. This truly wonderful park is home to approximately 70 different spices of large mammals and over 500 different spices of birds. We can never guarantee what species of animals you will encounter on the savanna, but we do promise that you will meet many of them in Serengeti’s utterly amazing nature.
Today you also could have a once in a lifetime happening. To an additional cost you can choose to book a hot-air balloon tour. Experience the majestic beauty of Serengeti from the sky – an unforgettable moment!
Accommodation: Serengeti, Tanzania Bush Camps
Meal plan: Full board
Day 6 Next stop Lake Natron
If you are an early bird, maybe you want to make one last morning safari before breakfast or maybe you need to snooze in a little bit longer. The choice is yours. But after breakfast the time has come to slowly leave Serengeti game viewing along the way.
Gradually the landscape change and at some point, you will once again see the outline of the Great Rift Valley in the distance. As you arrive closer to your destination, Lake Natron, you will see the mighty Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano. Ol Doinyo Lengai translates to The Mountain of Good in Masai language and is a holy place for the Masai people.
After refreshing you have the possibility to take a nice walk in the surrounding acacia woodland where the giraffe’s might be munching on the leaves in the treetops. Another option is to experience a visit to the nearby Masai village.
Accommodation: Lake Natron
Meal plan: Full board
Day 7 Flamingos and waterfall hike
Before breakfast you drive down to the shore of Lake Natron to meet the new day as the sun goes up and turns the world pink. Pink as the flamingos standing in the water in front of you. Lake Natron is one of the most popular breeding spots for the flamingo and over 2 million flamingos come here every year to lay their eggs and chicks hatch between September and April. The flamingo is the only creature that can survive and thrive in the soda lake.
At the open plain between the lake and the Great Rift you can be lucky to take a morning stroll with the zebras and wildebeests before your car will take you back to the lodge and a well-deserved breakfast.
After a short rest it’s time for the next adventure. Hiking up to the beautiful Ngaresero waterfall. Through a narrow gorge you hike to not one but two waterfalls with natural pools to swim in. An incredible fresh escapade after many hours along dusty roads.
In the afternoon you can choose between spending some relaxing time at the lodge or if you want to make an excursion to the hot springs.
Accommodation: Lake Natron
Meal plan: Full board
Time to say goodbye
After that heavenly morning coffee, it’s time to start the journey back to the airport. Slowly you see Ol Doinyo Lengai and the rims of the Great Rift Valley disappear in the rearview mirror and the road improves as you getting closer to Arusha. You will enjoy your last lunchbox somewhere along the road. Finally, you will arrive to the airport full of new precious memories and wonderful experiences from your week with us.
Meal plan: Half board
This safari is excellent to combine with gorgeous days in Zanzibar. If this is something you dream about, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will make your dream come true.
