3 Day Lodge Safari

You are met on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport or Arusha Airport and transferred to Planet Lodge for dinner and overnight on a half-board basis. The transfer is about 40 km and takes around 30 minutes (distance for the day: 30 to 50 km, depending on your arrival airport). Relax and prepare for your safari, which begins the next morning.

Stay: Planet Lodge or similarMeals: Dinner (half board)

Your safari begins with Tarangire National Park, which has one of the best concentrations of game in Tanzania, second only to the Ngorongoro Crater. Yet it is less crowded than the better-known parks and remains unspoiled, with a wild beauty all of its own. Spend the day on game drives with your guide, exploring the park and its wildlife before continuing to your overnight stop.

After breakfast the tour departs, with a first stop in Arusha town for any last-minute purchases before heading to Lake Manyara (about 50 km; 2 to 3 hours of non-game-viewing time). Lake Manyara National Park offers breathtaking views and a wide variety of habitats: acacia woodland, groundwater forest, baobab-strewn cliffs, algae-streaked hot springs, swamps and the lake itself. Because of this, the small park supports a large number of animal species and incredible birdlife. Manyara has the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world, and its lions are famous for climbing trees. Dinner and overnight are at the Ngorongoro Farm House.

Stay: Ngorongoro Farm HouseMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After an early breakfast you descend more than 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife (about 210 km; 3 to 4 hours of non-game-viewing time). Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area sustains a vast variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and giant African elephants. Another big draw is the dense population of predators, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which often takes a trained eye to spot. You will also visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner of the crater, where flamingos, hippos and other water birds are usually seen. In the late afternoon you transfer to Arusha for dinner and overnight, or to the airport for your flight.

Stay: Arusha accommodation can be included on request at extra costMeals: Breakfast