Our 3-day African safari has been designed to offer you a short but intense Tanzanian Northern Circuit safari experience, for a shorter and time constrained period of 3 days / 2 nights. You'll experience the excitement of game viewing in three of the most spectacular national game parks in Tanzania; Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater & Tarangire National Park

This 3-day safari option is a great way to experience some of Tanzania’s amazing wildlife within a short period of time. This compact safari is ideal for those who are on a tight schedule or those looking for a weekend getaway. A visit to these three conservation areas offers a superb wildlife viewing experience. The concentration of wildlife in these three parks offers great opportunities to spot lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, elephant, black rhino, zebra, wildebeest, cape buffalo, giraffe, dik dik, impala and olive baboons, among other species. 

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Moshi – Tarangire National Park After breakfast, we’ll meet our professional tours guide/driver for a short safari briefing. We’ll leave the hotel and drive two hours to Tarangire National Park for a game drive and we’ll eat a packed lunch, before continuing our game drive in the afternoon. The park runs along the line of the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation mainly consists of Acacia woodland and giant African Baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals during Tanzania’s dry season. The park is famous for a high density of elephants and in the June to November dry season you can expect to see large herds of thousands of herbivores and you may spot three rare species of animals – the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx, and Ashy Starlings. We’ll leave the park around 4.30pm and drive to Karatu for dinner and overnight in your chosen accommodation.  Distance: 120 km, non-game-viewing travel time: 2.5 hours

Day 2 – Ngorongoro Crater After an early breakfast we descend 600m into this magnificent crater for a full day game drive within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and home to the highest density of big game in Africa, including all the big five and plenty of predators. As one of the world's most renowned natural wonders, the Ngorongoro Crater does get busy, but it's home to a huge variety of species, including the endangered black rhino, elephants, as well as herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, and hippo. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is the dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We eat a packed lunch at a picnic spot in the park and leave the park around 4.30pm to drive to your accommodation for dinner and overnight. Distance: 60km, non-game-viewing travel time: 1 hour

Day 3 – Lake Manyara National Park – Moshi After breakfast we’ll drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. This impressive park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park) at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The park’s varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake. After a superb last morning experiences the wildlif wondsers of east Africa, we’ll leave the park in late morning to end our safari adventure and we'll drive back to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight home. We suggest you tip the tour guide around $20 a day for your safari. Distance: 130 km, non-game-viewing travel time: 2.5 hours

Accommodation:

We offer two accommodation options - the highly rated Bougainvillea Safari Lodge or atmospheric Karatu Forest Tented Camp.

Bougainvillea Safari Lodge:

Bougainvillea Safari Lodge is located on the outskirts of Karatu town, about midway between Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. The Tanzanian owners of this beautiful lodge have created a small sanctuary where safari travellers can take a break from the dusty roads and enjoy fresh country cuisine, a cool garden environment and stellar Tanzanian hospitality. All of their staff live in the nearby town and surrounding villages and are as friendly as anyone you’ll find anywhere. Your comfort and pleasure whilst you’re staying at the lodge is their main concern.

Sleeping: There are thirty-two cottages set throughout the lushly landscaped property. Ten rooms in five double cottages are located in the coffee garden and the other rooms are located surrounding the pool area. Each cosy room has mosquito-netted king or twin beds, dressing area, a fireplace, a large bathroom with shower and a veranda from which to enjoy the views of the lush tropical gardens. Triples are possible with prior notice and two of the cottages can be used as family suites, with connecting rooms.

Meals: They source fruit, vegetables, dairy products, eggs and meats locally to ensure their ingredients are as fresh as possible:

• Breakfast - cereal, a selection of seasonal fruits, tea and coffee are on the buffet table. A waitperson will take your order for eggs, bacon and sausage. You can also try some local porridge
• Lunch - their famous buffet lunch is served daily but as you’ll be out on safari for lunchtime, you’ll depart with a specially prepared lunch box
• Dinner - is served at the table. This is a five-course event starting with a starter followed by soup. You’ll then enjoy your main course, which could be pork medallions, roast chicken, beef fillet etc. accompanied by potatoes and at least two fresh vegetables. A fresh garden salad comes next followed by dessert with tea or coffee. Vegetarian entrées are prepared on request

Actvities: They offer therapeutic massages (adjacent to the pool bar) to work out the kinks after a long day on the safari circuit.

Karatu Forest Tented Camp:

Karatu Forest Tented Camp is a quiet private camp located on the edge of the Ngorongoro Forest on the outskirts of Karatu town. Ideally situated in the heart of the northern circuit the camp is a 25-minute drive to both the Ngorongoro Loduare gate and Lake Manyara National Park, and 1 hour away from Tarangire National Park. For those looking for a unique cultural experience, the camp serves as an ideal base for those wishing to visit the Hadzabe, Datoga or Maasai tribes which are located within an hour’s drive from the camp. The area is rich in bird life and primates can often be seen and heard in the dense forest surrounding the camp.

Sleeping: The main camp comprises of 10 spacious tents with an en-suite bathroom with flush toilets, a dining tent, a bar and lounge as well as a fireplace. The camp’s rustic approach ensures our guests can enjoy a quiet and relaxing stay with basic amenities. The camp runs on a combination of solar and electric power. The camp is run by a small, friendly team of locals who are at your service around the clock to make sure you have a pleasant stay.

Meals: Guests’ satisfaction with the food offered at the camp is integral to the experience. The experienced chef and his team prepare delicious, healthy meals which include a blend of African and continental cuisines which cater to any special dietary need. All the ingredients used are fresh and locally sourced to ensure the very best meals while contributing to the local economy.

Booking:

You can book a safari extension while booking your Kilimanjaro trekking expedition. Click on the button below to see all available Kilimanjaro dates.

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