Northern Parks & Lake Natron

8 days
From US$0 per person
Experience the essence of Tanzania with this tailor-made trip to the heart of the great northern parks. From Lake Manyara, you reach the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and undoubtedly the world's most famous wildlife reserve. From the lush slopes of the famous volcano, you discover the vast plains of the Serengeti, home to the great wildebeest migration and all of Africa's wildlife. At the end of the road, the landscapes of the Rift Valley and Lake Natron reveal their splendor.
  • Lake Natron in Tanzania
    Flying Flamingos at Lake Natron ©Pajota Tanzania
  • Masai people at Lake Natron
    Masai meeting at Lake Natron ©Pajota Tanzania
  • Cheetah in Serengeti
    Cheetah ©Pajota Tanzania
  • Hippos in Tanzania
    Hippos in Serengeti ©Pajota Tanzania
  • Elephants in Serengeti
    Elephants ©Pajota Tanzania
  • Landscape of Tarangire
    Girraffes in Tarangire ©Pajota Tanzania

Itinerary

  • Day 1

    Arrival at Kilimandjaro International Airport - Arusha

    Welcome at Kilimanjaro airport and transfer to Arusha for the night. Arusha is the administrative and industrial center of a region producing coffee, cotton, pyrethrum and sisal. Situated at an altitude of 1400m, at the foot of Mount Meru, it is the gateway to the northern parks. Depending on your flight arrival time, you'll have the opportunity to visit this small, very African town. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • Day 2

    Arusha - Manyara National Park

    Meet your Tanzanian team and drive to Lake Manyara Park. Numerous roadside villages accompany the first kilometers of your journey in Tanzania. Further on, tea and coffee plantations and lush vegetation give way to sparse savannah. Leaning against the Rift escarpment, Lake Manyara Park is one of Tanzania's smallest parks, measuring just 330 km². Its location is breathtaking, stretching from 900 m to 1800 m above sea level and bordered on the west by the Rift Valley escarpment. Depending on the season, almost two-thirds of its surface is covered by the lake. Lake Manyara Park is home to an abundance of birdlife, giraffes, bufalos, hippos and monkeys, all of which can be observed at close quarters. At the end of the day, you leave the park for your lodge on the slopes of Ngorongoro.

  • Day 3

    Lake Manyara National Park - Ngorongoro - Ndutu

    Early departure for the Ngorongoro Crater, undoubtedly one of the country's most beautiful natural sites. The Ngorongoro Crater is part of the Serengeti Conservation Area. Here, the Masai lives with their herds. In the dry season, herds escorted by spear-wielding herders descend into the middle of the crater to access the region's only permanent water source, Lake Magadi. At the top of the road that descends into the crater, you'll discover the panorama of the perfectly round caldera (formed by the explosion of the original volcano), home to just over 25,000 mammals over 260km². After a great morning of safari and crater exploration, you're off to the great plains of the Serengeti in the Ndutu region.

  • Day 4

    Ndutu - Serengeti national Park (Seronera)

    From the Ndutu plains, you reach the central part of the Serengeti National Park, a World Heritage Site. With its 25,000 km², including the Ngorongoro and Masai Mara, it is one of the largest preserved ecosystems on the planet. It is also the scene of the world's largest animal migration. In Masai, Siringit means “endless plain”. The vast grassy plains of the south-east from which it takes its name cover a third of the park's surface. Fertilized by volcanic ash some 3 million years ago, they are covered with short grass rich in the mineral salts needed by wildebeest and zebra for calving. The other two thirds provide different habitats for an extremely rich and varied fauna: wooded savannah in the center, wooded hills in the north and gallery forests in the western corridor.
    The day is spent at the pace of the safari and according to wildlife sightings.

  • Day 5

    Serengeti National Park (North side : Lobo)

    You continue your discovery of the endless plains, where you find the unparalleled spectacle of Africa's great wildlife. The area around Seronera is renowned for the sheer numbers of predators that inhabit it. Herds of elephants, zebras and the elegant silhouettes of giraffes complete the spectacle. Today you'll be heading north to the less-frequented Lobo region.

  • Day 6

    North Serengeti - Natron Lake

    This morning, you leave the park for a long, but beautiful day's drive. You start crossing the Rift Valley from west to east, in a rocky, arid landscape. You're in Sonjo country, and only a few small “Boma” punctuate the road in this grandiose setting. As you round a final bend, you discover Lake Natron below, with the perfect shape of the Ol Donyo Lengaï volcano in the distance, the sacred mountain of the Masai. At the end of the day, you descend to the lakeside to enjoy the sunset over the lake and the flamingos in the background.This morning, you cross the escarpments of the Rift Valley to reach the shores of Lake Natron in Sonjo country. The geological landscapes of this valley of ancient volcanoes and faults are impressive. At the end of the day, you descend to the shores of the lake to enjoy the sunset over the lake and the flamingos, with the Ol Donyo Lengaï volcano in the background.

  • Day 7

    Natron lake - Mtowembu

    A beautiful morning on foot around the lake, accompanied by a Masai guide. This is a great opportunity to share a few moments with one of these semi-nomadic pastoralists and discover the environment they share with the wildlife. After lunch, you leave this timeless area and head for the small town of Mto Wembu, a bustling city with large-scale strip and rice crops.

  • Day 8

    Mtowembu - Kilimandjaro Airport

    Morning in the small town of Mtowembu. Take a hike to discover Mtowembu's famous market, the surrounding banana and rice plantations, Makonde sculpture and Tinga-Tinga painters. After the tour, depending on your return flight schedule, transfer back to Kilimanjaro Airport. On the way, stop for a picnic lunch and, if schedules permit, visit Arusha's big market before returning to the airport in the late afternoon.

Prices

Price conditions for your safari in Tanzania

For prices, please contact us.

Price Per Person

Private 4x4
Based on 1 people : From US$
Based on 2 people : From US$
Based on 3 people : From US$
Based on 4 people : From US$
Based on 5 people : From US$

Children
4 to 12 years : US$ sharing with parents
13 to 15 years : US$

Single supplement : US$


Price Include

  • Transport in a private tour 4x4 with a pop-up roof
  • Unlimited kilometers
  • Services of our professional English speaking driver guide
  • National parks entry fees
  • Drinking Water (refer below)
  • Hotel accommodation on Full Board basis sharing room (refer below)

Not Included in the Price

  • Visa fee
  • International flight
  • Transfers were not applicable 
  • Travel and cancellation/medical insurance cover
  • Single Room (under single Supplement terms)
  • Beverages, Alcohol, Spirits
  • Reusable Water Bottle for refilling (Very Important)
  • Photographic fee with the local people
  • Eventual tips
  • Any items or expenses of personal nature
  • Any other items not mentioned in the inclusions
  • Optional hot-air balloon flight available





Travel info

Here is some practical information for your safari in Tanzania


Accommodation during your safari in Tanzania

Accommodation is in either twin or double rooms at carefully selected safari lodges. The lodges we use are all set in spectacular locations and provide delicious meals and comfortable, airy bedrooms. Here's a list of the accommodations we use on our trips. If they are fully booked, we will offer you similar accommodation.



Transport in safari

You will be travelling in one of our comfortable safaris 4x4 vehicles.  Each vehicle has a "pop top" roof to provide excellent views of the incredible wildlife.

Other Useful Information to travel in Tanzania

  • No plastic bags in to Tanzania
  • No plastic bottles in the Game Parks and Reserves
  • Carry your COVID Vaccination Certificate

Entry requirements to travel in Tanzania

  • Mandatory passport valid 6 months after your return date
  • An E-visa is required for your entry into Tanzania, you can apply on the website : https://visa.immigration.go.tz/
  • To date, it is still possible to apply for a visa directly on arrival at Zanzibar airport or Kilimandjaro airport or Dar es Salaam airport.
  • New conditions for entry to the island of Zanzibar, Published on 13/09/2024
The Zanzibar authorities have announced the introduction of compulsory travel insurance for anyone visiting the island from October 1, 2024. This insurance will be sold by the Zanzibar Insurance Company at a cost of $44 per person, and will be valid for 92 days. Its purchase will be compulsory, even for travelers who already have travel insurance. This insurance applies to Zanzibar only. It will not be required, or even valid, for travellers to mainland Tanzania (notably Kilimandjaro and the wildlife reserves). This is a sovereign decision by the Tanzanian authorities. You can take out this insurance:  https: //visitzanzibar.go.tz
  • Depending on your nationality, you'll need to check the entry requirements.

Sanitary conditions in Tanzania

  • Yellow fever
In principle, vaccination against yellow fever is only required for people arriving from a country where this fever is endemic(1), or for people who have spent more than 12 hours in transit through one of these countries. To avoid any inconvenience, we strongly recommend that you are up to date with your yellow fever vaccination and in possession of an international vaccination booklet.
(1) In Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda. South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela. As you will be arriving from Kenya, vaccination against yellow fever is compulsory.
  • Malaria
Protection against mosquito and fly bites is essential wherever mosquitoes and flies are present (up to 1500 metres, beyond which they are inactive). The reserves and national parks in the south (Selous, Ruaha, Mikumi) are on the plains, where the risk of vector-borne diseases is present. Altitude in northern parks and reserves (Serengeti, Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro) varies between 1,000 and 3,500 metres, and preventive treatment should be adapted to the itinerary and duration of the safari in malaria-prone areas.
For stays in Zanzibar, the risk of malaria may be present in the town of Stonetown and throughout the island, although coastal hotel areas are regularly “de-mosquitoed” and the risk of vector-borne diseases is lower. Wherever malaria is likely to occur, preventive treatment should be prescribed: atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone or generic) or doxycycline. The absolute contraindication of mefloquine (Lariam) at altitude should be borne in mind, especially for travellers planning to climb Kilimanjaro. As other diseases can be transmitted by mosquitoes (yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, zika) and, more exceptionally, by tsetse flies (sleeping sickness), taking preventive treatment for malaria does not exempt you from using skin and clothing repellents.
As far as prophylactic medication is concerned, you should contact your GP or a hospital specialising in travel medicine before you leave. During your stay, and for two months after your return, in the event of fever, medical advice should be sought systematically and rapidly, in order to start anti-malarial treatment as soon as possible.

Before you travel to Tanzania, it's important to :
  • Consult your GP or an International Vaccination Centre to assess your state of health and receive health recommendations, particularly concerning vaccinations
  • Set up a personal pharmacy

Climate

  • Main Land
Situated close to the equator, Tanzania has a pleasant climate, with temperatures that vary little and seasons that are the opposite of those in Europe.
Tanzania has two main seasons. The first, known as the dry season, which corresponds to winter, runs from June to October. After this dry period, summer runs from November to May, with a short rainy season in November and December and then the main rainy season from mid-March to May. This leaves an interesting travel window from late December to late February.
In Tanzania, temperatures are highest in December, January and February. Beware, however, of variations according to Tanzania's geographical zones. A distinction must be made between the coast, with its equatorial climate, and the plateaus and inland areas, except for Kilimanjaro. During this period, the southern and eastern slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater receive the most rainfall. During the austral winter, the crater gets cold, especially at night.
  • Zanzibar
Zanzibar has an equatorial climate, with prevailing winds coming from the Indian Ocean. The hottest month of the year in Zanzibar is February, while August sees the lowest temperatures. Heavy rains in Zanzibar are concentrated in April and May, with a few light showers from late October to late November. The driest period is therefore from June to October, but a few squalls are always possible.
  • Kilimandjaro
It's difficult to speak of a standard climate for Kilimanjaro, as climatic conditions vary according to the mountain's slopes. Temperatures are mildest at the foot of Kilimanjaro, with an average temperature of around 24°C. As altitude increases, the temperature drops to an average of 4/5°C at 4,000 m, and finally to -7/-9°C at the summit. It's in the zone between 4000 and 5000 m that temperatures can change dramatically, with variations of over 30°C between day and night. Kilimanjaro is exposed to a dry season, particularly pronounced from mid-June to mid-October, and another hot, dry period from early December to late February. The average temperatures below correspond to the Serengeti region during the day, with nighttime temperatures rarely below 12°.

What to Pack for your safari in Tanzania

  • Good quality sandals
  • Good quality light walking shoes
  • Casual shoes for evenings
  • Light boots for your own comfort in the evening
  • Practical safari jacket
  • Fleece jacket T-shirts
  • Short and long sleeve shirts or blouses
  • Shorts and long casual trousers
  • Enough underwear, socks and hankies
  • Swimsuit 
  • Bathing suit-Toiletries, lip balm and scarves
  • Miniature wet towel and Kleenex (enough)
  • Small backpack 
  • Small reusable water bottle
  • Small flashlight or headlamp
  • Good quality sunglasses
  • Safari hat or cap
  • Personal medication
  • Important Quality mosquito/insect repellent (for body)
  • Quality sun blocker cream/sunscreen
  • Binocular and Guidebooks
  • Camera with extra battery and memory card













Strengths

  • The Serengeti Park, a vast wildlife observation area
  • The beauty of Ngorongoro, a UNESCO World Heritage site
  • Lake Natron and the Rift Valley
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