3 Days Tanzania
Lodge Safari

A staff member of Jerry Tanzania Tours will pick you up from the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). From here you will be driven to Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge in Usa River, close to Arusha and briefed on your forthcoming safari. Enjoy a restful night before beginning your adventure tomorrow!

You'll depart from Usa River after breakfast for the approximately two-hour journey to Tarangire National Park. Along the way, your eyes will be opened to all the colours and character of Tanzania: perhaps some Maasai herdsmen driving their flocks of goats to new pastures. You’ll get to know your driver-guide, amazed at his depth of knowledge as he effortlessly answers all your questions. Once you've entered Tarangire, you'll begin your game drive across a rich vista of endless golden savannah that surrounds the Tarangire River. Tarangire is huge. As you stand at the park gate and look south, it stretches as far as the eye can see. Known as the ‘Elephant Playground,’ this spectacular park contains largest population of these mighty mammals. But Tarangire is also home to buffalo, lion, gnu, zebra and gazelle and the park can rival Serengeti for sheer animal densities. What might you see today? Perhaps a solitary male lion stretched out beneath a tree, perhaps a trio of male cheetah enjoying some lazy bonding-time in the sun. Maybe some graceful Grant’s gazelle or zebra bounding away from the road or a couple of giraffes munching happily from the choicest acacia branches. For Tarangire specialties, look out for kudu and oryx.

Here as in other parks, it pays not to ignore the small animals. It is so easy to be mesmerized by the power and majesty of an elephant or the elegance of the giraffe. Ask your guide to find you an agama lizard, especially a male one who changes colour in front of you according to the temperature! Or a hyrax, known as pimbi, an insignificant-looking creature of around 30 cm in length…who astonishingly is related to elephant!

Not many trees will pass you by without something of avian interest catching your eye. A memorable flash of colour might be a lilac-breasted roller or superb starling. Ostrich are plentiful and it is hard not to chuckle at the sighting of the well-named, studious-looking secretary bird as it awkwardly pads across the grasslands.

The park is also famous for its noble baobab trees, rolling savannah and acacia woodland. It can be dusty – wear a scarf over your mouth - but this is a minor inconvenience for sighting wildlife in such abundance. After an extensive wildlife viewing enjoyed from the open roof of the vehicle, you will head to your accommodation located outside of the park for your overnight stay.

You will enjoy breakfast before you leave the Tarangire Area to continue your journey to another park on the Northern Circuit, Lake Manyara National Park. Stretches along the Rift Valley Escarpment, and characterized by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquility as majestic pink flamingoes wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. Bird-lovers are in for a treat as over 400 species have been recorded here – everything from bee-eaters to hornbills and everything in-between. And if you visit between February and June, watch out for yellow-billed stork and pink-backed pelicans, two more avian highlights. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all proudly call this park their home. Hold your nose when you reach the hippo pool, because these big semi-aquatic mammals smell! After an extensive game drive, and, of course, lunch – you will continue onwards to Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you will spend the night.

After an early breakfast you will drive down the steep and narrow road that takes you into the crater floor. At one side there’s the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.

The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 gnu, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many gnu and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Serval, Jackal, Thomson’s gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colourful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor. After a morning dedicated to game viewing and a picnic lunch, you will have a 3 ½ hour journey, covering the 192 km back to Arusha.

Meal Plan: Breakfast will be provided by the Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the camp for you to take out on safari. As today is the end of safari, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

Departure Instructions:

Please note this 3 Days Tanzania Lodge Safari ends at Arusha at 17:00hrs, your departure can only take place tomorrow if you have booked a domestic flight which departs from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 07:10hrs and onwards or an international flight which departs at 06:40hrs and onwards. Thus, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.