Serengeti Safari Special Tanzania Luxury Tours in Southern Africa by Africa Wild Sunset Safaris

Serengeti Safari

A trip to the national parks and conservation areas of Tanzania is an experience of a lifetime and an essential item on the wish list of any nature lover. For the true wilderness enthusiast, Tanzania has become more popular than Kenya, in the past regarded as the true haven of unspoilt nature. The Tanzanian wildlife areas have become more accessible for tourists, with many three- to five-star lodges and tented camps spread across the region. Although these establishments cater for different budgets, they have one thing in common - they afford the visitor the opportunity to enjoy some of Africa's most stunning scenery and wildlife. Sunset Safaris and Tours has handpicked the best of these lodges and tented camps on the strength of their stunning locations, professionalism and satisfying our customer care motto, "service excellence"

Climb on board for the African safari of a lifetime!

Serengeti tour special itinerary

7 nights, 8 days

Day 1: Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam to Arusha
At Oliver Tambo International Airport, meet and greet the representative of Sunset Safaris and Tours, who will serve as your tour operator throughout the Serengeti Safari. We fly to Dar es Salaam and then on to Arusha, gateway to the Serengeti. Upon arrival, we will be met by our Tanzanian representative who will transfer us to our hotel (dinner and breakfast included).

Day 2: Lake Manyara
After an early morning breakfast, our local tour guide gets us going. Arriving at the lodge in Manyara National Park in time for lunch gives us enough time to prepare our cameras for a lengthy afternoon game drive.

Manyara National Park, described by Hemingway in the "Green Hills of Africa", lies within the Great Rift Valley, and spreads out in a shallow depression at 1 000 meters above sea level. Its terrain contains a rich mosaic of different habitats, which include groundwater forest, the acacia woodlands, extensive marshlands and of course the lake itself. Lake Manyara supports a cornucopia of wildlife, including buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippo and even tree-climbing lion! Most importantly, however, are the 380 species of birdlife: spoonbill, stork, teal, pelican, hornbill and cormorant, by the thousand. Like most Rift Valley lakes, the water is alkaline, which attracts vast flocks of greater and lesser flamingos, which form a pink cloud against the silver background of water. The best time to observe these birds is in the late afternoon and early morning. Most lodgings are situated on the spectacular cliffs overlooking the lake. After a long exciting day, enjoy your favorite sundowner and the breathtaking panoramic view.

Since the park is a mere 300 square miles, two-thirds of which are lake, our short stay leaves us ready for more.

Days 3, 4 and 5: Serengeti
After Breakfast we depart to the Serengeti for lunch. We have an afternoon game drive before enjoying dinner at our lodge. On days 4 and 5 we will have full-day game drives in the Serengeti.

A jewel in the crown of East Africa is undoubtedly the Serengeti National Park. Its vast endless plains are sprinkled with Acacia trees, with kopjes (granite outcroppings) and ant mounds dotted all over, which serve as vantage points for predators. The vast, flat central plains, made fertile by the ashes of the prehistoric volcanoes, are characterized by huge skies and shimmering heat hazes, but also with delicate wild flowers blooming after the rains. However, the true spectacle that has made the Serengeti famous is the annual circular migration of more than a million wildebeest, accompanied by thousands of gazelle and zebra, on their never-ending quest for greener pastures. The challenge is to be at the right place at the right time, to enjoy the awesome sight of savannah grassland, speckled with thousands upon thousands of animals. The precise timing of the migration depends on the rain and it is an extremely unpredictable and spontaneous natural event.

Days 6 and 7: Ngorongoro Crater
On day 6 we depart for the crater via the Olduvai Gorge, we enjoy an afternoon Crater tour before retiring for dinner at our lodge. The next day we have a picnic lunch and a full day crater tour.

Regarded by many as the eighth wonder of the world, the Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic caldera which forms a natural enclosure of a mere 260 kilometres, is home to the highest concentration of wildlife on earth. It sits high on a mountain, above the escarpment of the Great Rift Zone. The crater rim is at 7 500 feet, surrounded by clouds that break every so often to provide jaw-dropping views into the crater, and down its outside walls. It feels like driving on top of the world! On the crater floor, the rich pastures and permanent water supply support a resident population of some 25 000 ungulates, along with, reputedly, the highest density of predators in Africa. Since most of the crater floor is grassland, grazing animals predominate: gnu (wildebeest), zebra, Grant and Thompsons gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and black rhino. During our visits to the crater floor, seeing a lion kill is a likely occurrence.

Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha to Dar es Salaam and back home
After breakfast, say goodbye to the sights of a lifetime and drive back to Arusha, we have lunch at a restaurant in Arusha. Afterwards, transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your departure back home. Say farewell, to Tanzania, with the promise to return soon

Read more about Tanzania under our Destination portfolio.

Included in the tour package:

Full board accommodation at Arusha, Lake Manyara/Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti in Wildlife Lodges/Tented camps
All international and local flights in Tanzania (including airport taxes) in economy class
Arrival and departure transfers in Tanzania
Government Taxes and Levies
Exclusive use of a 4 wheel drive vehicle and services of a local Tanzanian Game ranger
All park entrance fees plus Crater fees
All service providers used by Sunset Safaris and Tours are hand-picked for their excellent products and customer service

The tour package excludes the following:

Visas, inoculations, travel and personal accident insurance and medical insurance (which must include a medical evacuation service)
Personal expenses such as telephone calls, unspecified food and drinks, gifts and laundry
Excursions not included in the itinerary
Gratuities to service providers

Cost of tour