Drive across Maasai country to Tarangire, famous for great elephant herds and ancient baobabs. Enter the park for a slow, scenic circuit along the river and Silale Swamp, scanning for elephants, buffalo, giraffe, zebras, and, with luck, lions dozing on sandy banks. Mid-day, pause in a shaded picnic site; afternoons often bring gentle breezes, returning herds, and soft light on the baobabs. Toward evening, exit the park and continue to the highlands, or remain nearby depending on pace and preference, with tomorrow’s early start in mind.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation:  Marera Valley Lodge

Premium Accommodation: Kitela Lodge

Leave before dawn for Lake Eyasi to meet the Hadzabe with a local translator/guide. Learn about traditional tracking, foraging, and honey gathering; participation is optional and conducted with respect and minimal intrusion. Later, visit a Datoga blacksmith family for a short demonstration of metalwork and bead-inlay techniques—excellent for appreciating regional craft and culture. Return to Karatu by mid-afternoon to rest, organize photos, and prepare day-bags for the early crater descent. Your guide reviews tomorrow’s timing to beat the crowds.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation:  Marera Valley Lodge

Premium Accommodation: Kitela Lodge

Descend into Ngorongoro Crater at first light, when the air is cool and animals are active. Explore Lerai Forest, hippo pools, and open grasslands where lions, hyenas, buffalo herds, and, occasionally, black rhino share the same basin. A picnic on the crater floor lets you maximize prime hours before heat haze builds. Mid-afternoon, climb the rim and continue across the Serengeti, watching kopjes appear and hartebeest and topi graze the plains. Arrive in Central Serengeti for a golden-hour drive around rocky outcrops.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: Serenity Camps and Lodges

Premium Accommodation: Serengeti Luxury Retreat

Spend a full day in the Seronera area, a year-round hotspot for resident cats and mixed herds. Work river lines and kopje bases for lion prides; keep an eye on sausage trees and drainage channels where leopards often rest. Break at a picnic site and continue through valleys dotted with giraffes, warthogs, and abundant birdlife. Your guide adjusts loops based on fresh reports, aiming to avoid congestion and to reach quieter viewpoints. Finish with sunset on the open plains and broad skies.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: Serenity Camps and Lodges

Premium Accommodation: Serengeti Luxury Retreat

Travel south, treating the road as part of the game drive while plains widen and grass shortens. As you cross into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, look for the first large concentrations of wildebeest and zebra—signs you’re entering the calving zone. Depending on conditions, check lake margins (Ndutu/Masek) and light woodland edges that hold jackals, bat-eared foxes, and raptors. Arrive in time for an afternoon circuit and a slow sunset along clean horizons. Your guide outlines a flexible plan for the next two days.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: African Safari Ndutu

Premium Accommodation: In The Wind

At dawn, follow the herds where overnight grazing and wind have drawn them, seeking small nursery groups and calves finding their balance. In peak weeks, births occur daily, and predator presence is high; expect hyena patrols, vigilant mothers, and cheetahs scanning from termite mounds. Because off-road is permitted on the NCAA side, your guide can carefully position for clearer views without crowding animals. With picnic flexibility, you can stay out through productive windows, returning as the light softens across the plains.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: African Safari Ndutu

Premium Accommodation: In The Wind

A second full day allows for different angles and calmer scenes: calves suckling, zebras leading lines across short grass, and eagles riding thermals. Your guide balances time between open pastures, shallow pans, and sparse woodlands, adapting to weather and reports. You may pause to appreciate smaller moments—foxes trotting, secretary birds striding, ostrich males displaying—adding breadth to your story. End the day with a slow circuit and a long view of the savanna, now familiar and alive with routine.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: African Safari Ndutu

Premium Accommodation: In The Wind

Use the cool morning to catch final scenes you missed—perhaps hyena clans at den sites or cheetahs relocating. After an early lunch, travel back toward Karatu, enjoying escarpment vistas and the shift from open plain to highland farms. Arrive mid- to late afternoon for a relaxed evening, souvenir browsing, or simply a quiet rest. Your guide confirms road status and timing for tomorrow’s Natron run, ensuring you’re prepared for a different landscape and mood.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation:  Marera Valley Lodge

Premium Accommodation: Kitela Lodge

Follow the Rift Valley north-east to Lake Natron’s stark soda flats, framed by the ash cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai. In the afternoon, visit safe lakeshore viewpoints for flamingos and waders; access varies by water level and season, so the guide chooses the best vantage points. Optional short walk toward Engare Sero gorge or waterfalls may be offered, time and conditions permitting. Sunset often brings pastel skies reflected in shallow pans—a tranquil, minimalist finale to your northern circuit.

Meals: Full Board

Comfort Accommodation: African Safari Lake Natron

Premium Accommodation: Ngare Sero – Lake Natron Camp