7-Day Honeymoon Mid-Range Tarangire Crater Serengeti

You will be picked up from the airport by a Lion King representative and conveyed to your accommodation in Arusha where you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come. Arusha Planet Lodge, is an oasis of calm and aesthetic pleasure.

In the morning, you will be picked up from your lodgings in Arusha by our personal safari guide. We'll set out for Tarangire National Park across gently rolling Maasai plains with scattered acacia trees. As we zip along, we'll pass many Maasais in their colourful dresses walking on the roadside, riding bicycles, herding cattle and driving donkey carts. Tarangire National Park, well known for its large elephant herds, is also host to a multitude of other creatures. From the open roof of our safari jeep, we'll experience the seasonal swamps, savanna and life-giving Tarangire River endeavouring to encounter a multitude of creatures from zebra to wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name but a few. It is possible we will glimpse lions stalking prey or leopards relaxing in the trees above. After our extensive game drive, we'll drive to one of our mid-range partner lodges for dinner in a tasteful restaurant and a most capacious room to harbour our ease and dreams of wild cats!

After breakfast, we'll journey on heading up towards the fertile highlands where wheat, coffee, and corn, are grown by the Iraqw people. Passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we will be afforded a view of the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater before travelling onwards to the Serengeti National Park which we will reach by midday. The Serengeti National Park is the largest park in Tanzania covering an astounding 15,000sq km with diverse landscapes and habitats such as grassy plains, swamps, lakes, savannah and mountains. Here the great migration of wildebeest, zebra, and antelope takes place and, depending on the season, we may have the opportunity to witness thousands of animals in their search for food and water. After an extensive game drive, we will drive to the Seronera Valley for an evening meal and overnight stay at your accommodation.

This entire day is set aside for game drives in the Serengeti. The Serengeti, the habitat of an abundance of wildlife such as impala, buffalo, crocodile, and hippo, is more well-known for its great migrating herds of zebra, antelope, and wildebeest. The animals' trek is determined by the rainfall and varies from year to year. In November and December, the animals move from the northern region, dominated by woodlands and hills, to the grassy plains of the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June, they return to the north. Apart from the migrating herds, we may have the opportunity to see the resident predators, leopards, cheetahs, and lions, fulfilling their role in the circle of life. After an unforgettable day, we will return to our carefully selected partner-tented camp for relaxation, dinner and our overnight sleep on the endless plain.

After an early breakfast, we'll head out for another game drive upon the Serengeti. We may have the opportunity to spot the "Big Five" - lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard - before embarking on our journey to the Ngorongoro Crater. The animals roam freely through the unfenced reserves offering us an uninterrupted game-viewing experience. Arriving at the edge of the crater, we'll have our first glimpse of what awaits us the following day - glistening streams, open grassland and a myriad amount of animals. We will spend the evening and night at one of our carefully selected mid-range partner lodges, boasting aesthetically tasteful restaurants and the most commodious of rooms for your rest, ease, and dreams of the African wild.

Early risers are rewarded with breathtaking views of the rising sun over the crater's edge. After a hearty breakfast, we'll rumble down the adventurous track into the crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the seven wonders of Africa, formed about three million years ago, is 610 m deep and covers roughly 260sq km. Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25,000 ungulates, the crater offers the best game viewing of all the parks in Tanzania. In a matter of minutes, we will be able to see wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant, and some of the more than 500 bird species inhabiting the crater. With a little bit of luck, we may catch a glimpse of the endangered black rhinos through the grass. After an extensive game drive and a picnic lunch, we will leave the crater in the afternoon to travel back to Karatu, again staying at one of our hand-picked quality, mid-range partner lodges.

After breakfast, we will drive to our final destination of this epic safari - Lake Manyara National Park. This relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha, is named after the shallow salt lake which covers a good seventy per cent of the park's surface area. Flooding and drying with the seasons, the soda lake is home to thousands of flamingos as well as over 500 other bird species. On our exploration of the park, we will see monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, elephants and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab-dotted cliffs. After another memorable game drive, our adventure will come to an end. We'll return to Arusha in the late afternoon, replete with images of the African wilds to last a lifetime.