Itinerary - Tanzania Safari: a camping trip to the heart of the savannah

Roundtrip flights or transportation to reach the destination are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs.

The check-in and welcome meeting will be at the hotel in Arusha. Today is the last day before we head off on our amazing adventure;  from tomorrow we will sleep in tents, so enjoy the comforts of the hotel for tonight! After taking a walk around Arusha it’s time for a great dinner including some Tanzanian specialities; the national dish, ugali, made of corn polenta served with meat or fish will probably be on the menu!

Today is THE day! This morning we have a few hours to prepare for the safari: check your backpacks and go to the market to stock up on food and drinks. At around 11am we load our jeeps, meet our driver and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We leave the city behind and head straight into nature, all the way to the gates of the Tarangire National Park, the first park on our way. The river Taragire flows across the park so expect to see a green landscape with lush swamps and floodplains.

Along the drive, with a bit of luck you could also spot some of the beautiful creatures living in this area, such as zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, buffaloes, giraffes and elephants. Imagine how incredible it would be if on your first day, you were able to see a lion, the king of all animals, or perhaps a cheetah! In this park there is also the largest concentration of baobabs in the country, so get your cameras ready to snap some wonderful pics! In the evening we will arrive in Mto wa Mbu, a Masai village on the shores of Lake Manyara: here you’ll have dinner and then spend the evening in a pub where you can try banana beer.

Good morning Africa! This morning we hop back onto the jeeps and head to Lake Manyara National Park for a three hour safari. Which animals do you expect to see today? No doubt we’ll see elephants and giraffes, but if you look closely, you can spot flamingos near the lake and even some lions comfortably sleeping on the branches of the trees: in fact, this park is famous for its tree climbing lions, who retreat amongst the branches to enjoy some shade and escape the heat.

We head back to our campsite in Mto wa Mbu for lunch; after recharging our batteries, we’ll ride our bicycles and take a tour of the area with a local guide. As you explore the streets, take your time to discover the typical village houses and stop to have a chat with the locals who will share their customs and traditions - it will be an incredible experience to hear their stories! For dinner, in addition to the ugali, we’ll taste some more typical dishes, like the ndizi nyama, made with green bananas and meat or fish.

It’s time to say goodbye to the village of Mto wa Mbu; today will probably be the most exciting day of the whole tour as we enter the vast plains of the Serengeti National Park where, from April to August, nature’s force compels millions of wildebeest and zebras to migrate in search of new, fresh grazing. The prairies are endlessly vast and from the top of Naabi Hill, fingers crossed we might be able to spot imposing herds crossing them: a sight so mesmerising you will be at a loss for words!

After a short lunch break, our journey continues through the kopjes of Serengeti, particular rock formations which serve as a shelter for the felines of the park - cheetahs, lions, leopards and hyenas. So brace yourself, because this is the spot where you will probably see some of the most beautiful creatures along this tour. Towards the evening we’ll arrive in Seronera, where we will spend the night, perhaps around the bonfire, under Africa’s starry sky.

It’s a new day inside the park, but today, instead of staying in the Seronera area in the south, we move north, where there won’t be as many tourists. Here we are, in the Mara River area, where the land is dotted with acacia trees and vast open plains. Here, during the months of July and August, it is possible to admire the migration of wildebeests - just like yesterday, nature’s force will take your breath away. So, after two days of safari, we honestly hope that you’ll have seen all of the big five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo)! In the evening we return to our campsite in Seronera: surrounded by this peaceful scenery, the only thing left to do is to look up at the sky and spend another night underneath the stars.

On to more adventures, Ngorongoro here we come! It’s time to say goodbye to Serengeti, our home for the past few days, and head to a new park. Ngorongoro is one of the most incredible places in this part of Africa and the crater alone is worth the trip here. Measuring up to 12 miles wide and covering an area of 100 square miles, the Ngorongoro crater is one of the largest calderas on the planet - lions, spotted hyenas, elephants and black rhinos (an endangered species) wander in the prairies that lie inside it, so get your cameras ready and be ready to click away!

Ngorongoro is also the home to the Maasai population, who live here and graze their cattle. Hopefully we’ll get to meet them and learn something about their traditions and culture. We’ll then reach our campsite, set up tents and have dinner around the fire, sharing stories about our past and future adventures.

Yesterday we saw the crater of Ngorongoro, but today we’ll actually get to go inside it! Everyone says that seeing it from above is one thing, but when you descend inside it, that’s when the real magic happens - it is perhaps one of the major attractions of the African continent and it is in fact a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the rainy season we will be able to see flamingos resting near Lake Magadi, while in the wide prairies, we will see lions and hyenas hunting for herbivores - wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes and gazelles. After lunch we return to our "base camp" and get ready to sadly leave the park - we’re off to Karatu, a town surrounded by an enchanted landscape, where we’ll stop for the night.

It’s an early start today; after dismantling the tents and loading everything into our jeeps we head off to Lake Eyasi, one of the favourite destinations in Tanzania for those looking for an experience off the beaten track. The lake's size varies depending on the season and it is not the only attraction of this place: the Hadza tribe lives here, a population that seems to have lived in these lands for about ten thousand years - probably the last real hunters of this part of Africa. We spend the morning discovering their culture and customs - it will be incredible to get in touch with a population so far from our own lifestyle.

After lunch we set off and head back to Arusha. Say goodbye to the jeeps, our driver and the tents - tonight (finally!) we’ll sleep a little more comfortably! On the menu for dinner, why not try a few more typical delicacies? A must is definitely nyama choma - the local version of a good barbecue, served with grilled bananas and, of course, ugali!

It’s the last day in Tanzania, are you already feeling the “Africa Blues”? The day is completely free so we can decide together how to spend it: among the various activities there is a short hike to the top of Suye Hill (it takes about 40 minutes to get to the top) from which to enjoy a unique view of the city. After the hike, we can have a picnic and spend some more time surrounded by nature, making the most of it before we leave! Or perhaps kayaking in Lake Duluti - another great option to consider!

Check-out and farewell. It is time to say goodbye until your next WeRoad adventure!