To travel is to live.

- Hans Christian Andersen

6th November

6th: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport | Meet & greet followed by a transfer to your hotel in Arusha

Overnight Gran Meliá Arusha
Meals: Under own arrangements
1 Night

7th - 8th November

7th: Breakfast at the hotel | Drive to Tarangire National Park | Lunch | Afternoon game drive | Dinner

8th: Breakfast at the camp | Morning & afternoon game drives and camp activities | Lunch | Dinner & overnight

Overnight Tarangire Sopa Lodge or similar
Meals: B/L/D
2 Nights

9th November

9th: Breakfast at the camp | Morning game drive at Lake Manyara National Park | Lunch | Afternoon at leisure | Dinner & overnight

Overnight at Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge or similar
Meals: B/L/D
1 Night

10th November

10th: Breakfast at the lodge | Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area | Full day game drive at Ngorongoro Crater | Picnic lunch | Dinner & overnight

Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar
Meals: B/L/D
1 Night

11th - 12th November

11th: Breakfast at the lodge | Check-out and drive to Serengeti | Lunch | Dinner & overnight

12th: Optional Hot Air Balloon | Breakfast at the lodge | Morning & afternoon game drives and camp activities | Lunch | Farewell sundowner | Dinner & overnight

Overnight: Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp or similar
Meals: B/L/D
2 Nights

13th November

13th: Breakfast at the lodge | Transfer to the airstrip | Fly to Arusha | Lunch at Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge | Transfer to day room (if needed) | Transfer to the airport | Depending on your flight schedule, depart

Meals: B/L

Rate:

Guest sharing with agent rate: per person sharing - $5,765

Notes:
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Int'l Airport (JRO) should be on 06-Nov-2026
Departure for Kilimanjaro Int'l Airport (JRO) on 13-Nov-2026 after 06.00 pm

This cost includes:

• Transfers to/from the airport upon arrival/departure

• Exclusive use of an English-speaking chauffeur/guide

• Exclusive use of a 4x4 Land Cruiser

• Bottled mineral water while on safari

• Bed & breakfast accommodation in Arusha

• Full board accommodation while on safari

• Farewell lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge

• Domestic Flight: Serengeti > Arusha

• Balloon Safari

• All park entrance fees

• Game drives as specified in the itinerary

• All Tanzanian government taxes & service charges

• Flying Doctors evacuation service

This cost does not include:

• International flights to/from Nairobi (NBO)

• Credit card fees

• All items of a personal nature

• Laundry

• Tips and gratuities

• Telephone calls

• Visas

• Travel insurance

• Add-ons and supplements

• All other items not mentioned in the inclusions

Arusha is located at the foothills of Mount Meru on the eastern side of the Great Rift Valley. This is the gateway to the northern safari circuit, with easy access to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru. Its elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) keeps temperatures relatively cool despite proximity to the equator; temperatures generally range between 10 and 30 C (50 and 86F), with little humidity due to the altitude.

Arusha is serviced by two airports, Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) on the eastern side, and Arusha Airport, which primarily services domestic travel. The two airports are connected by the main road, which is notorious for traffic. There is some good shopping available, including the impressive Cultural Heritage, with curio shops, a jewellery boutique, a Tanzanite and precious stone counter, a bargain center, and an art gallery.

Gran Meliá Arusha is a luxurious five-star hotel situated between Serengeti and Kilimanjaro National Parks, offering breathtaking views of Mount Meru. The hotel blends comfort and elegance, featuring exclusive suites, international cuisine at The Grill restaurant, a spa, an infinity pool, and a gym. It’s an ideal destination for safari enthusiasts and business travelers, with a modern conference center and personalized RedLevel service. Surrounded by coffee and tea plantations, the hotel offers a unique experience of African exoticism with exceptional attention to detail and world-class amenities.

Highlights

Located on 18 acres of beautiful coffee and tea plantations

Easy access to Kilimanjaro airport and safari circuits

All rooms and suites have private balconies

Tarangire National Park covers an undulating area of 2,850 km2 (1,100 mi2) and is an easy few hours drive from Arusha. Famous for its giant baobabs, savannahs with scattered termite mounds, and large elephant herds, this underrated park is dominated by the perennial Tarangire River.

In the middle of the park, the Silale swamp becomes the main source of water and attracts elephants and predators as the season gets drier and drier. There is a healthy lion population and the other predators are often spotted trailing the plains game as they head to water, or occasionally the cats can be spotted lounging in sausage trees.

Lake Manyara National Park is only 325 km2 (125 mi2) in size and yet offers a unique wilderness experience with an incredible diversity of habitats, from its Acacia forests and dense woodlands to its soda lake and steep escarpment. This spectacular setting, within easy road access from Arusha, makes Manyara a popular stop off on the way to the crater highlands.

The park is famous for its tree climbing lions and some of the largest baboon troops in the country, as well as for often having large numbers of flamingos at its shorelines. Great herds of buffalo can also be found, alongside general plains game and excellent birding.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) extends from the crater highlands all the way past Olduvai Gorge and onto the short grasslands of the southern Serengeti and Lake Ndutu. But the wildlife does not adhere to these boundaries and there is very good wildlife viewing, especially during peak calving season when the NCA plains play host to the Great Wildebeest Migration and the birth of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest in a short span of time. This brings predator action, especially with large hyena clans, cheetah, and the return of African hunting dogs.

The NCA is a protected area and a World Heritage Site located 180 km (111 miles) west of Arusha. The area is named after the Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera whose name derives from the sound made by the cattle bells of the local Maasai pastoralists.

A 5 star colonial lodge situated on a picturesque hill with spectacular views onto Oldeani Mountain and the Ngorongoro Crater Rim. The lodge is elevated with 360 degree views that extend all the way to Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara. The property is set on 40 acres of pristine lush green gardens and local vegetation with over 130 species of birds.

Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge is located 130kms from Arusha, 9kms from Ngorongoro Gate, 54kms from Mto wa Mbu Village, 43kms from Lake Manyara Airport.

All 50 Deluxe rooms and the Livingstone Suite have infinite views of the surrounding area. All rooms are tastefully decorated with all the amenities one would expect in a 5 star luxury lodge.The spectacular stone main house has all the luxuries including main lounge, grand central hallway, dining room, spa, boutique, conference room, media (TV) room, outside fire place, rim flow pool, billiards room, internet café and children activity room.

A veritable Garden of Eden, the Ngorongoro Crater is only 260 km2 (100mi2) in size yet has some of the highest densities of lion and spotted hyena found anywhere in the world. The view from the crater rim at 2,000 feet above the floor is nothing short of breathtaking. The thick mountain forests of the crater highlands strike a sharp contrast with the short grass plains of the crater floor with its yellow fever Acacia woodlands and streams. The soda lake Magadi in the center of the crater floor sometimes attracts lesser flamingos, and the area is known for very large tusked elephants, black rhino, and great predator action.

Easily accessible from Arusha, the three million year old Ngorongoro Crater was once a gigantic volcano that some suggest was even higher than Mt Kilimanjaro. It is the largest intact caldera in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walks are available on the rim in certain areas, but game viewing on the crater floor is strictly by vehicle and on designated game drive routes. Local Maasai pastoralists and their villages surround the western side of the crater whilst the eastern side is heavily forested up to the farming town of Karatu.

Nestled high above the plains into the Crater’s jagged rim, cloaked in river stone and indigenous vines, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is barely visible to the naked eye. Framed by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its torch-lit walls are adorned with stylized cave paintings. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Rooms are looped around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock-enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre below.

Tanzania’s prehistoric Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, has yawned heavenward for millennia. Deep within its immense walls is a breath-taking blue-green landscape dotted with plains, lakes, and forests, an eerie, otherworldly “land that time forgot” thick with massive bull elephants, rhinos, wildebeests, and the highest concentration of lions in Africa.

Experience & Activities

At Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, the stunning setting on the rim of the ancient Ngorongoro Crater provides a gateway to unforgettable adventures and excursions. Enjoy a wide range of activities, from game drives on the Crater plains to guided nature walks, bush dining experiences, visits to Maasai villages and cattle markets, and much more.

Highlights

Located high above the plains overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater's jagged rim.

Every room enjoys uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre below.

5-star amenities

The Serengeti is perhaps the most famous African wilderness area, its name synonymous with the notion of safari for nearly a hundred years. This UNESCO World Heritage site covers 14,750 km2 (5,700 mi2) of premiere game viewing in Acacia woodlands, open grasslands, and undulating savannahs interspersed with seasonal rivers. The park on the northern side borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and, together with several other smaller reserves and conservation areas, forms the larger Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

Stretching all the way to Lake Victoria, the Western Corridor is characterized by the quintessential safari landscape — open plains dotted with the occasional tree, although there are also beautiful riverine woodlands and some thicker bush areas. There is a good population of cats and general game all year round.

The Great Wildebeest Migration

In May and June this area hosts the Great Wildebeest Migration in their never ending search for water and nutrient dense grasses. If you are lucky you may witness a river crossing, when masses of wildebeest and zebra cross the nearby Grumeti River which, whilst not as large as the Mara River, plays host to the dramatic spectacle of wildebeest trying to cross the crocodile infested waters. The other predators are all present as well, and days here can be very action packed.

Note: The Great Wildebeest Migration and other wildlife phenomena and sightings are natural events and therefore can never be guaranteed.

A balloon flight over the Serengeti is widely considered a bucketlist activity that offers a serene and spectacular experience floating over the vast, lush, and game filled plains.

A lift-off at dawn means you watch the sun rise as you head in a generally western direction. Flights usually last close to an hour, and depending on the take-off spot, you float over riverine woodlands, watching hippos return to their daytime refuges and crocodiles basking on sandbanks. Sometimes predators and large antelope herds can be spotted below, pointed out by your experienced captain. After the flight, you will be met by the trailing transfer vehicles and taken to a pre-prepared picnic breakfast, beautifully set up in an idyllic spot on the plains.

Property Overview

Guarded by three million year-old granite towers, in the magnificent Serengeti National Park, Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp offers the quintessential African Serengeti safari experience. The elegant tented camp is located on one of the main annual migration corridors for over one million wildebeest, half a million zebras and gazelles, and their accompanying cast of predators. The camp also offers close proximity to lions, giraffes, hippos, and all of the other fascinating wildlife that inhabits the almost 15,000 km² park.

Experience & Activities

Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp offers a range of wonderful opportunities for guests to experience the surrounding beauty. Exciting game drives, bird and nature walks, hot-air balloon rides, massage services, and meals in the bush. Relaxed on-site activities, including Swahili and cooking lessons, are available as well.

Fast Facts

Highlights

Take your meal in the cozy tented dining room or have a BBQ by the campfire

Located on one of the main annual migration corridors

Enjoy a central mess tent & bar

Activities include game drives, nature walks, bush meals, & Swahili lessons.

Quick facts

• 16 tents

• Fire pit

• Restaurant

• Bar

• Lounge

• Gift shop

• Wifi