Heart of Tanzania Safari

After breakfast depart for Tarangire — Tanzania's most impressive elephant park. Tarangire hosts Tanzania's greatest elephant concentration, with family groups numbering 200+ animals congregating along the permanent river. The landscape of ancient baobabs is unlike anywhere else in Africa. Morning arrival, full afternoon game drive.

A full day in Tarangire exploring the southern wilderness areas rarely visited. Morning game drive in the lush riverine forest, lunch at camp, afternoon drive into the Silale Swamp area where large breeding herds of elephants, buffaloes and the endangered oryx are regularly sighted. Excellent birdwatching with over 550 species recorded.

After a morning game drive, depart for Lake Manyara National Park — the park made famous by its tree-climbing lions. Ernest Hemingway called it 'the most beautiful lake in Africa.' The park features dense groundwater forest, alkaline lake, open grassland and soda flats home to masses of pink flamingos, pelicans, hippos and elephants. Afternoon game drive.

Morning drive from Manyara through the Ngorongoro Highlands and into the Serengeti ecosystem via the Naabi Gate. Picnic lunch en route. Afternoon arrival in the Seronera Valley — the heart of the Serengeti and permanent home to the highest big cat density in Africa. Game drive this afternoon.

A full day to explore the magnificent Serengeti. Dawn game drive when predators are still active from the night hunt, followed by a morning of tracking the resident lion prides and cheetah families through the golden grasslands. After a bush picnic lunch, afternoon game drives through the kopjes — enormous granite outcrops that shelter leopards, rock hyrax and agama lizards.

Depart early for the Ngorongoro Crater — Africa's Garden of Eden. Descend into this ancient caldera for a full-day game drive on the floor. The crater is renowned for extraordinary wildlife density: large lion prides, the critically endangered black rhino, hippo pools, vast wildebeest herds and the flamingo-pink soda lake of Lake Magadi. Picnic lunch on the crater floor. Ascend to the rim for sundowners.

After a leisurely breakfast, descend from the Ngorongoro Highlands to Lake Eyasi. Visit the Hadzabe, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer communities in Africa who have survived unchanged for over 10,000 years. Join the Hadzabe men on a morning hunt using traditional bows and arrows. This rare cultural encounter is one of the most profound experiences in Tanzania. Afternoon return to Arusha for your departure flight.