Tanzanian Northern Game Reserves Camping Safari

Your Camping Safari will start of in Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania's Northern Game Parks.

Our first stop will be Lake Manyara National Park, home to some of the most spectacular displays of birdlife in Tanzania. From Lake Manyara our journey will take us onwards to Tanzania's best known Park - The Serengeti. If you time your Safari right, and if you are lucky, you will be witness to the Wildebeest Migration,  a wildlife display like no other on Earth.

From the Serengeti we head to the Olduvai Gorge where some of the oldest fossils in the world have been found, including several linked to the origin of mankind. We make our way to the Ngorongoro Crater or Tanzania's "Garden of Eden", where we will encounter a concentration of wildlife that is simply breathtaking.

We then head back towards our end destination, Arusha where we will spend a night before visiting the Arusha National Park the following morning.

Our Safari finishes on arrival in Arusha that afternoon.

Day 1 - Lake Manyara

After breakfast, we continue to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive and picnic lunch along the way. Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite.

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake that is part of the Rift Valley wall; the lake is at the base of this dramatic western escarpment giving it a beautiful and serene setting. In addition to this peaceful setting, Lake Manyara's main attractions are its rich bird life, tree climbing lions and its hippos, which you can see at a closer range than many other places. The Lake also hosts thousands of flamingos at certain times of the year and has diverse vegetation ranging from savannah, to marshes and acacia woodland, enabling a variety of wildlife habitats including butterflies.

Day 2 - Serengeti

After breakfast, drive to Serengeti National Park, enroute game drive with picnic lunch. Dinner and overnight at the Seronera Campsite.

You can visit the park all year round but there is less game in the park during the dry season - July /October, where they migrate to the Masai Mara in Kenya. During March to May the herds move in search of grazing to the southern section and in May to June, they move towards the western corridor of the park. Serengeti in the low season will still offer game viewing to match that of any park in Africa, and for some, the fewer tourist numbers may be an added bonus.

Day 3 - Serengeti

Spend the whole day game viewing in the Serengeti with a break for lunch at the campsite. Dinner and overnight at the Seronera Campsite.

The Serengeti, with a wildebeest population of about 2 million and several other hoofed species (which include: zebra, Thomson's gazelle, impala, topi, Grants gazelle, Kongoni, Eland, Kirk's dik dik, klipspringer, roan, Oryx, oribi, waterbuck, buffalo, giraffe and warthog) attracts a variety of predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, golden jackals and bat eared foxes. Elephants are relatively scarce and the few remaining black rhinoceros are restricted to the Moru Koppies area.

A safari in Serengeti also offers rewarding bird viewing with ostrich and kori bustard being common, a variety of larks, finches and raptors can be seen but the most distinctive small bird is the lilac breasted roller.

Day 4 - Olduvai Gorge

Wake up early for a morning game drive in the African sunrise. Return to the camp for breakfast, followed by another game drive before proceeding to Olduvai Gorge with picnic lunch en route. Arrive at Simba campsite for the night.

The Olduvai Gorge cuts through rock beds layered in time sequence from 2 million years ago to the present and it is here where humanoid bones have been found dating back to over 1.75 million years including a direct ancestor of modern man. Fossil foot prints (over three million years old) have also been found here and are the most ancient footprints yet discovered. There is an excellent site museum where you can explore the diggings with a guide and it is also a great place to view birds such as the purple grenadier, red and yellow barbet, speckle fronted weaver and slaty coloured boubou.

Day 5 - Ngorongoro to Arusha

After breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a tour with picnic lunches. Afternoon drive back to Arusha for dinner and overnight in a campsite.

The Ngorongoro crater is the world's biggest whole volcanic caldera at 8300 sq km and is frequently described as one of the wonders of the world, not only because of its geological magnificence, but also because it serves as an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some of Africa's largest populations of large mammals. Ngorongoro and other freestanding mountains are volcanic in origin, formed during the fracturing process that created the Rift valley 15 to 20 million years ago. When it peaked in size 3 million years ago it was a similar height to Mt. Kilimanjaro today!

Day 6 - Arusha

Depart for Arusha National Park after breakfast for a game drive with packed lunches. Drop off at a hotel of your choice in Arusha at extra cost.