The trip from Arusha to Ngorongoro is a long one, but you’ll be grateful for the early start and late finish as you’re taking in the conservation area’s stunning views and diverse wildlife.
Overview
You’ll enjoy a half day game drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: the best place in the northern circuit to see the enigmatic black rhinoceros. Within the park you’ll also spot roaming prides of lions, large packs of hyenas, wallowing hippopotamus, great herds of wildebeest, stoic cape buffalo, brightly coloured flamingoes, and more. Ngorongoro truly is one of the most spectacular safari experiences out there!
Itinerary
You'll depart from Arusha at the crack of dawn for the long but scenic drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Along the way, you'll pass bustling Maasai villages and sweeping plains dotted with acacia and the occasional giraffe or wildebeest.
Upon arrival at the park, you'll sign in and then begin the winding descent into the caldera. The mist shrouded rainforests of the mountain are home to cape buffalo and baboon troupes, and the particularly lucky might even spot a grazing elephant or a shy leopard moving through the dense green undergrowth.
You'll stop at the Ngorongoro viewing area for a stunning view of the caldera's sheer scale. The shadows of clouds dapple the caldera floor, and the keen-eyed might spot the great herds of wildebeest and zebra moving about below. The sun glitters off the soda lakes and it all combines to make for a truly beautiful landscape.
From here you'll continue our descent into the caldera, where over 120 species of mammals go about their lives. The park is the best place in the northern circuit to see the black rhinoceros and the cape buffalo, but is home to the entirety of the Big Five. We'll also see large packs of hyenas as well as lesser known predators such as jackals and serval cats.
You'll pay a visit to Lake Magadi, a vast salt lake which is a magnet for flamingoes and a number of other water birds such as pelicans and storks. A picnic lunch by the famous hippo pool is also a surreal experience, as you'll take your lunch a few feet from where great hippopotamus wallow lazily in the cool water,
Across five hours, you'll see the very best that Africa has to offer. In the late afternoon, with heads full of amazing memories, you'll return to Arusha.
Price includes:
- All Taxes / VAT
- Park Fees
- Airport Transfer
- Accommodation as Mentioned in Itinerary
- 1-3 Meals a day Mentioned in Itinerary
- Bottled Water (1.5 Liter per person per day)
- Activities as mentiioned in tour description
- Transportation as mentioned, Toyota Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and Toyota Noah minivan for airport transfer
- A professional guide / driver
Price excludes
- International Flights
- Visa Fees
- Travel Insurance
- Drinks (Soda, Alcohol)
- Tips
- Vaccination
- Laundry
- Other Personal Items
You will require a passport valid for at least six months after your date of entry. If you are arriving from a country in which Yellow Fever is endemic (such as Kenya), you will require an immunization certificate or health card.
Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and most countries in the EU, need a tourist visa to enter Tanzania. Application details and forms can be found on Tanzanian Embassy web sites.
As with all visa matters — contact your local Tanzanian Embassy for the latest information
High-end lodges and restaurants will clean their produce in antiseptic solution, but to be on the safe side, fruit and vegetables should always be washed and peeled. Try to avoid eating in empty restaurants – the food may have been sitting out for some time – and order your meat well done. On the coast, seafood and fish are usually fresh, but make sure everything is well-cooked.
Also, much of the accommodations are tented camps. These tents tend to be tightly sealed and zipped tight avoiding the need for mosquito netting. Furthermore, at most camps/lodges, while you enjoy dinner, housekeeping will complete a turndown service and spray the rooms with mosquito repellent. Regardless of mosquito netting, you should always bring insect repellent with DEET, trousers/slacks, sports/long sleeved shirt and/or blouse and dress/skirt for ladies.
It is often warm on the plains and at lower altitudes but cold in the hilly and mountainous areas; a rain jacket, fleece and good quality walking shoes/boots are essential.
With close to 1,150 species of birds, of which 23 species are endemic and 36 species globally threatened, Tanzania ranks as one of the top birding destinations in Africa, and the second most varied avifauna of any country on the African continent.
