Budget Big 5 Safari

Early wake-up time, breakfast, and travel to Lake Manyara. The entire territory of this park is cut through with groundwater streams that provide a favorable environment for plants and, in addition, for a multitude of birds (including pink flamingos) and African forest animals. Around lunchtime you will visit the Maji Moto hot springs and the driver will provide you with personal lunchboxes. After this stop, the safari will continue, and by evening you will be transferred back to the hotel in Arusha. And ready for departure Additional notes: This is your first day on safari, so we ask that you please pay special attention to the national park visitor rules and our company recommendations. During the safari, it is strictly prohibited to exit the vehicle, except in specially designated areas. Violations of this rule may be accompanied by large lines for the company, including the revocation of its license. Off-road driving is also prohibited, as such behavior may cause irreparable damage to the fragile balance of the natural ecosystem. During the safari, you are allowed to smoke, but be extremely careful about how you extinguish and dispose of cigarette butts, as they are a frequent cause of fires in the savanna. In addition, we sincerely request that you not put your feet on the safari car's seats, nor sit on the back of them, because this type of behavior quickly makes the cars unusable. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

After breakfast, we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful high-lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti national park. Dinner and overnight in the Seronera area, as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested. Meals: Full Board.

Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush, while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages. We do an after-breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible Lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich, and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed center offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The center also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby Kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the center in the shade of the giant acacia trees. In the afternoon we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lions and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink! Dinner and overnight in the Seronera area, as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested. Meals: Full Board.

After breakfast at the lodge, we depart to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. We will stop over at Olduvai Gorge, boasting a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here, that the anthropologists Drs. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of ‘Nutcracker Man’ and ‘Handy Man’, both very significant links in the chain of human evolution. We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge and after lunch, we will descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half day’s safari tour. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos, and other water birds can usually be seen here. Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested. Meals: Full Board.

Enjoy breakfast, after which we will transfer back to Arusha. Upon arrival in Arusha will we have lunch and then we will end our African safari adventure. By evening you will finish the safari and return to the hotel in Arusha. Rest in the hotel and transfer to the airport. Note: Hotel check-out is at 11:00 AM. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, you have the option to extend your hotel stay till 6:00 PM for an extra fee.