6-Day Camping Adventure in Tanzania Wonderlands

After an early breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National Park from Arusha. The park is well-known for its abundance of birds. The different varieties of trees include the sausage tree, umbrella tree, baobab and palm tree. Lake Manyara hosts over 400 species of birds, including the pink flamingo and yellow-billed stork. It is a small park, home to mammals such as zebra, lion, baboon, impala, wildebeest, hippo, elephant and buffalo. It is the perfect place to rest and experience tranquility. The word “Manyara” comes from the word “Maa”, which is the Maasai word meaning the tree-plants used to create hedges. Two-thirds of the park is an alkaline lake, so it is mostly submerged in alkaline water. If you’re adventurous, thrill-seeking and a nature lover, this is heaven for you. Head to Kizumba Campsite for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave the campsite in our open-roof 4 WD, heading to the endless plains of the Serengeti. You can expect to see a wide diversity of wildlife found within the park, which also hosts the greatest show on the planet. The park has been listed by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site, because of its biodiversity and ecological significance. The Maasai people have been grazing their livestock in the Serengeti (meaning “open plains”) since the first European explorer, Austrian Oscar Bauman, visited the area in 1892. In the afternoon, you will reach Seronera Campsite where you will have dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we go on a game-viewing drive along the Sogore River circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River. This area is good for possible lion, Thomson’s gazelle, topi, ostrich and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre, close to the lodge and public campsites, is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. 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. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons, including lions, who like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink. Dinner and overnight stay are at Seronera campsite.

Go on a morning game drive in the Serengeti National Park where all three of the big cats are easily seen. You can spot lions everywhere (they are often found on a kill), cheetahs are very common in the southeastern plains, and leopards can often be found lazing in big trees along the Seronera River. Great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle are residents of the Serengeti throughout the year. After lunch, you will drive in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater. When reaching the edge of the crater, you will have a remarkable view of this impressive natural wonder. You will proceed to Simba Campsite for dinner and overnight.

After enjoying an early morning coffee, all your senses will be involved to experience the thrill of a kill to the chill of a morning game drive. There is an estimated 7,000 wildebeest, 4,000 zebra, 3,000 eland, 3,000 gazelle, 600 hyena, 200-300 elephant, over 60 lion, 30 rhino, and many other wildlife in the park. In all, over 25,000 wild creatures call the Ngorongoro Crater home. For friends of the winged ones, look no further. Within this caldera, you will find 500 bird species including ostriches, kori bustards, secretary birds and more. Visit from November to April and witness the myriad of migratory birds that take up residence here. Indigenous tribes are permitted to live in a conservation area, and the local Maasai grazes their livestock on the crater floor in harmony with nearby herds of buffalo and wildebeest. Later, we drive to the Kizumba campsite, about 30 min from Tarangire.

We enjoy an early morning game drive in Tarangire National Park. The beauty of the park will offer you an unparalleled game viewing you have never seen before. During the dry season, elephants abound. Families strip the ancient trunks of baobab trees and strip acacia bark from the thorn trees. You will have a breathtaking view of the Maasai steppe and the mountains in the south. Have a stopover at Tarangire for a memorable experience. You can see herds and groups of animals like elephant, followed by zebra, buffalo and oryx who venture from the Maasai to the Tarangire River in search of water. There are also some lions prowling, looking for unexpecting prey around the jungle. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet. There is nothing left unseen after your 6-day tour. Drive back to Arusha with plenty of stories to tell.