Compare 8 day Highlights of Tanzania by Ker & Downey Africa vs Tanzania Wildlife Photography Safaris by Expect In Africa Safari

Day 1: Arusha

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lake Duluti Lodge Luxury lodge

All drinks (Except for spirits/liquor)

Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro

Watch the famous Kilimanjaro mountain rise up over the horizon as you fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, near the northern Tanzanian border. Your Ker & Downey  Africa adventurist will meet you from your flight and transfer you the short distance to the first stop on your LuxVenture trip, Lake Duluti Lodge.

Lake Duluti Lodge is situated on the banks of Lake Duluti, within a 31 acre coffee plantation, and to the South of Arusha National Park. It consists of 18 classic style chalets on a full board basis.

Although your stay here is limited to an afternoon and early morning, we recommend that you make the most of its stunning location by borrowing a kayak and heading out onto the lake. Alternatively enjoy a hike through the trails that wind their way through the coffee plantation or get a tour of the working farm.

If you are travelling as a family, the lodge can accommodate children free of charge.

Day 2-3: Tarangire National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nimali

Luxury tented camp bordering Tarangire NP without fences

All drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

You will spend the next two days exploring the Tarangire region. Enjoy day and night time game drives (which opens up a whole range of nocturnal species for you to discover). Expect to see giraffe, elephant, buffalo as well as the occasional lion or leopard. On our last visit to the park in June 2017, we were fortunate enough to sight a leopard up a tree, a rare sight indeed!

We strongly recommend foregoing the 4x4 on one of the mornings and embarking by foot on a guided walking safari along the dried river bed that runs parallel with Nimali Tarangire camp. It will give you a new found appreciation of the African bush and the smaller members of the animal kingdom.

Nimali Tarangire is a classic tented safari camp that offers comfort, exclusivity and style. Situated in a remote location, bordering the park and featuring only six suites as well as its own library, mess tent and swimming pool (overlooking a watering hole), you are guaranteed an intimate and sophisticated experience.

Day 4-5: Ngorongoro Crater

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lemala Ngorongoro

Luxury tented camp located on the crater rim of Ngorongoro

All drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Main Destination: Ngorongoro Crater

On the morning of your fourth day, you will drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. En-route you will explore another of Tanzania's famous reserves, Lake Manyara National Park, where you will experience a completely different (aquatic) habitat to Tarangire or Ngorongoro.

Your next two days will be spent at Lemala Ngorongoro, a luxury tented camp on the north-eastern rim of the crater - providing you with the perfect vantage point. Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp guests can be down on the floor of the crater within 15 minutes of leaving camp, as opposed to the usual one hour journey of other camps in the region.

As for adventure, the experiences available in and around the crater ensure thrills in large doses. Daily game drives through the crater and guided walks along the rim of the crater offer up wildlife encounters at every step and point you could ask for while the unique Maasai boma experience allows you to truly connect with the local people of this famous region.

Day 6-7: Central Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nyaruswiga

Luxury+ tented camp located inside Serengeti NP

All drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Main Destination: Serengeti National Park

Depending on what time of year you choose to travel with us, we will select a luxury tented camp that gives you the very best chance of sighting the maurading herd of wildebeest and zebra (also known as the Great Migration). We've chosen to feature one of our favourite camps in the Central Serengeti, Nyaruswiga, to give you a taste of what you have in store. Situated right in the heart of the Serengeti, Nyaruswiga is best visited in June, November and December.

From mid-July to late October, we would look to situate you in the northern part of the Serengeti, in or around the Lamai region. We may even recommend a night in the Masai Mara. From early January to late February, we would select a camp in the south of the Serengeti or in the Ndutu region.

Nyaruswiga epitomises the kind of camp that we are known for. It oozes style, sophistication and adventure. Hemmingway would have been right at home and so will you if you share the same adventurous spirit and love of safari.

Day 8: Departure

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)

Drinks not included

Main Destination: No major destination visited

On your final day, you will depart after breakfast to the local airstrip to catch a short flight back to Arusha. The flight is an experience in itself as you will fly over the vast wilderness of the Serengeti as well as the Ngorongoro Crater. Be sure to keep you camera close by for some unforgettable aerial views.

Day 1: Arrival in Tanzania stays at Arusha

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Mount Meru Hotel

Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, where you'll be met by our representative. Transfer to hotel in Arusha for lunch or dinner, depending on your arrival time. Meet and greet by our staff, who will sit with you for a trip briefing for the next coming days.

Day 2: Fly to Northern Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation:  Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

Following an breakfast and transfer to Arusha airport for flight time 8:am or 10:am Kogatende to camp in the Northern Serengeti. Our flight will take approximately 1 hour to 2 hours, and will be a great way to see Tanzania from the air. Upon landing in the Serengeti, we will be greeted by our guide who will be your guides and begin our safari adventure, as we journey to our camp for lunch and ready ourselves for our first afternoon safari.

Day 3: Photo tour | North Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation:  Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

You will continue to explore the northern areas of the Serengeti, from the Mara River to the rolling hills of the northern plains we will focus on photographing the game that is unique to this area. If luck is on our side, we will also have a chance to capture a river crossing, as the wildebeest and zebra return to Tanzania from Kenya. We will be out most of these days for full days and will have a wonderful picnic lunches with us to further enjoy our surroundings. Returning in the late afternoons with plenty of time for charging batteries, image downloading, and image review in our dedicated camera tech tent, your days will be filled with excitement and photographic opportunities.

Day 4: Photo tour | North Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

We will continue to explore the northern areas of the Serengeti, from the Mara River to the rolling hills of the northern plains we will focus on photographing the game that is unique to this area. If luck is on our side, we will also have a chance to capture a river crossing, as the wildebeest and zebra return to Tanzania from Kenya

Day 5: Drive to Central Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

Today we say goodbye to the north and head for our second home on this safari. Located in the very central of the Serengeti, you will experience firsthand the vastness of the ‘endless plains’. The word “Serengeti” derives from the Maasai “Siringet” and has been artistically translated as “the land that flows on forever” or, as many call it, the endless plains. Serengeti National Park covers thousands of miles of pristine land and offers not only expansive vistas, but the largest migration of mammals on earth, including 1.5 million wildebeest. We will schedule our arrival just in time for lunch, settle in a bit, and get ready for our first safari in the plains of the Serengeti.

Day 6: Photo tour;  Central Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

Big herds and big cats that is what has made the Serengeti famous worldwide. Lion, leopard, and cheetah, will be our focus while in this very productive area. Again, you can expect to be up early and returning to camp in the evening, or as conditions warrant.

Day 7: Photo tour; Central Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

You will depart the Lodge at first light with a picnic breakfast for a big day in search of the biggest herds of the great migrations. Alternatively, as usually you may choose to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast at the camp instead of a picnic breakfast and depart with picnic lunches for a full day of game drives exploring different areas of the central serengeti. Areas that will be visited are the Retima Hippo pool, maasai and sametu kopjes and plains as well as Moru and Simba kopjes.

Day 8: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Migration Tented Camp {Comfort Style}

After an early breakfast, depart with packed lunch and descend the crater again for another tour enjoy a game drive in Ngorongoro Crater. This spectacular collapsed volcanic crater is a truly remarkable area with the densest game population in Africa on its crater floor – from big games like lions, elephants, and rhino to antelopes and gazelles. This area linking the Central and southern plains of Serengeti is a fragile habitat consisting of ethereal kopjes and short grass plains. Driving through the Gol kopjes is always a breathtaking experience with a vision of vast open plains and amazing wildlife. This is gazelle country and where there are gazelles there are always cheetahs. Continue game viewing through the gol kopjes searching for different wildlife interactions at the area and late in the afternoon drive to Ngorongoro.

Day 9: Photo tour Ngorongoro Crater

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge at Karatu

We will have a very early start and we will Collect breakfast and lunch boxes, at around 05:45 and descend into the crater for an in-depth exploration of this distinctive ecosystem. Enjoy abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of the conservation area. These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view black rhino, which tend to spend their time on the crater floor. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles; its magical setting and abundant wildlife never fail to enthrall visitors. Another big draw card to this picturesque Caldera, is it’s dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, and if Lucky enough you will have chance to see the small cats like the Rare Caracal, Serval cat as well as the african wild cat which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot.

Day 10: Photo tour | Lake Manyara National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge at Karatu

After breakfast, leave the lodge at Ngorongoro and proceed driving southwards enjoying the scenic drive through the villages of karatu to Lake Manyara National Park, considered a birdwatcher’s delight and world-renowned among ornithologists; extraordinary bird life includes pink flamingos and great birds of prey. You will have a full day exploring the flora and fauna of lake Manyara National park. You have an option to visit the culturally-diverse village of Mto wa Mbu set on the banks of the river of the same name, for an in-depth look at tribal life in the African bush; more than 100 different Tanzanian tribes make their homes before check in into Lake Manyara National Park. Picnic Lunch is served at Msasa Picnic site, which has got fabulous view of the Lake. around 3pm we will drive to Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 11: Lake Manyara to Tarangire National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lake Burunge Tented Lodge {Comfort Style}

After, breakfast, visit masai village before driving to Tarangire National Park, complete with a picnic lunch. Your dinner and overnight stay will be at the Maramboi Tented Lodge

Day 12: Photo tour | Tarangire National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lake Burunge Tented Lodge {Comfort Style}

Full day game viewing at Tarangire national park, visiting the Silalei Swamp and Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park, which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. The Silale swamp acts as a giant sponge during the green season and slowly releases water during the dry season attracting thousands of animals. In the dry season large numbers of animals congregate along the life-giving river and simply make the Tarangire River and the silale swamp serves as a place of refuge for the largest elephant population in northern Tanzania. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, Greater and lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. In addition to the animal species, the park is famous for its century-old baobab trees and over 300 species of birds.

Day 13: Departure

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Day Room Mount Meru Hotel

Around 9am we will start our journey back to Arusha. Stop at cultural heritage for lunch and an optional shopping, and then drive to the hotel for a day use room before driving to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight back home.