Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Day-by-day programme

1. Day 1

   Zanzibar → Arusha → Karatu

   Morning pick-up from your Zanzibar hotel and transfer to the airport for the flight to Arusha (approx. 1h 20m). Our driver-guide meets you at the terminal with your safari vehicle and a short briefing. Scenic drive through Mto wa Mbu and the Rift Valley escarpment to Karatu (about 3 hours), arriving in the afternoon. Time to relax at the lodge, followed by dinner and an early night before the plains.

   Meals: Lunch box, dinnerOvernight: Karatu lodge (Ngorongoro highlands)

2. Day 2

   Karatu → Central Serengeti

   Depart after breakfast at 06:30, climbing over the Ngorongoro crater rim with a photo stop at the viewpoint. Continue across Ndutu and the short-grass plains, entering Serengeti through Naabi Hill Gate. Picnic lunch in the park, then a long afternoon game drive through the Seronera valley — the year-round home of lion prides, leopard in the sausage trees and cheetah on the kopjes. Sundowner at camp.

   Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinnerOvernight: Serengeti tented camp (Seronera)

3. Day 3

   Serengeti sunrise → Ngorongoro rim

   Out at first light for the best predator activity — this is when lion and hyena return from the night's hunt. Return for a late breakfast, then a second game drive as you make your way south out of the park. Optional hot-air balloon safari at dawn (bookable in advance, extra cost). Afternoon drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving on the crater rim in time for sunset over the caldera.

   Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinnerOvernight: Ngorongoro crater rim lodge

4. Day 4

   Ngorongoro Crater → Zanzibar

   Early descent 600 m onto the crater floor with picnic breakfast on board. Around six hours of game viewing in Africa's densest concentration of wildlife: black rhino, elephant bulls, huge lion prides, flamingo on Lake Magadi and hippo at Ngoitokitok Springs. Ascend late morning, lunch in Karatu, then transfer to Arusha airport for the afternoon flight back to Zanzibar and your hotel transfer.

   Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Return to your Zanzibar hotel