"Twiga Safari" - (6 Days)

Offers excellent opportunities to see the "Big Five" (Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino) plus a variety of other game and especially birdlife, as well as a visit to the Cultural Village at Ng'iresi.

Day 01   Arusha - Ngorongoro Crater [4 1/2 hours approximately]   DBB 

Depart Arusha after lunch, and drive across the Masai Steppe to the Great Rift Valley. The road then winds up the escarpment to the rim of the Crater, where you arrive at the lodge for dinner and overnight. " It is impossible to give  a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it. It is one of the Wonders of the World." This is how the Crater is described by Bernard Grzimek in his classic "Serengeti Shall Not Die".

The area is given over to Wildlife Conservation and comprises 8300 square kilometers of which the Crater is 260 square kilometers, and consists of grasslands, swamps, forests, rivers, and even an arid area of shifting dunes.The Crater supports a year round resident population of varied wildlife, and as the game is concentrated into a relatively small area you are likely to see lion, elephant, hyena, jackal, cheetah , the very rare Black rhino, primates and many more. The area is also home to the proud and colorful Masai tribe. Diner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Day 02   Ngorongoro Crater    L-DBB 

After an early breakfast you descend into the Crater in a 4 x 4 vehicle for a full day of game viewing with a picnic lunch taken on the Crater floor. Late afternoon you leave the Crater drive back to the lodge for dinner and at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Day 03    Ngorongoro Crater - Lake Manyara National Park [2 hours approximately]
LDBB 

Drive to Lake Manyara after breakfast. From which ever direction you approach Lake Manyara, you get a spectacular view. Approaching from the east the Great Rift Valley wall forms an impressive backdrop to the Lake. From the west, with a pause at the top of the escarpment, the park lies below, a green strip beside a glistening lake. Lake Manyara National Park covers an area of 330 square kilometers, of which about two thirds is the lake itself, and the rest is forest, acacia woodland and some grasslands by the lake shore.

The wildlife can be migratory between Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park across the lake, but you should see elephant, hippo, Cape buffalo, giraffe, several species of primate and antelope, and prolific birdlife. After lunch you have a game drive in the park, and then dinner and overnight in the Lake Manyara  Serena Lodge.  

Day 04  Lake Manyara National Park- Tarangire National Park [3 1/2 hours approximately]
LDBB 

This morning you drive to Tarangire National Park arriving for lunch , and followed by a game drive.

South from Lake Manyara this delightful park covers an area of 2,600 square kilometers. It is the numerous wide bodied Baobab trees that first attract your eye. The gently rolling countryside is dotted with these majestic trees sometimes dwarfing the wildlife that feeds beneath them. The park is at its best during the traditional dry seasons of June to October and December to March when many of the migratory animals come to the Tarangire River for water. Wildebeest, Oryx, zebra, elephant are amongst the most prolific of the animals.
Dinner and overnight at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

Day 05    Tarangire National Park- Lake Duluti [3 hours approximately]  L-DBB  Early morning game drive  followed by breakfast, and drive to Arusha for lunch. In the afternoon you visit the Cultural Village of Ng'iresi situated 7 kilometers out of Arusha on the steep green slopes of Mount Meru. The inhabitants of the village are mostly farmers of the Wa - arusha tribe , who are related to the Masai, but you have gradually shifted from pastoralism to agriculture. Some Wa-arusha still live in traditional bomas, others have built stone houses; some still depend on their cows, others have cultivated large plots.

The village is a perfect example of the transition from the traditional into a modern African life. On the steep slopes agriculture is not easy, and the villagers are faced with such problems as soil erosion, and you can see how they overcome this by building contours and terraces on the hillside. Some villagers participate in other innovative projects, such as a fish farm, a biogas system , and cattle cross breeding , and there is also an impressive irrigation scheme. The facilities include a simple but clean toilet, and a dining area spread out under the leaves of a jasmine tree. On the half day tour you will be welcomed with coffee  and tea at the farm of a village elder, and given an explanation of the biogas, livestock cross breeding and irrigation and soil protection projects.

Next you walk to some nearby bomas, where you see the different styles of traditional Masai and Wa-arusha dwellings. From there you climb a hill from where you can enjoy wonderful views of Arusha town and the Masai Steppe; on a clear day, Mount Kilimanjaro is visible. You descend the hill, then visit the local school, and return to the farm for a traditional meal cooked by the women of the village. Continue to Serena Mountain Lodge on the shores of Lake Duluti.

Day 06   Depart

In the morning transfer to Arusha town to continue with your ongoing or homeward arrangements.