Hyrax

A staff member of Jerry Tanzania Tours will pick you up from the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). From here you will be driven to Mawe Mawe Manyara Lodge at the imposing Great Rift escarpment. Enjoy a restful night before beginning your adventure tomorrow!.

On this day it is best to leave the hotel as early as possible so you can see the variety of animals that are only active during the morning hours; breakfast will be packed in lunchboxes specifically for this purpose. At 6:00 am you will set off for Serengeti National Park, and after about three hours you will already be in you first destination, Ndutu.

Ndutu is a real hotspot for wildlife during these rainy months. Wildebeest and their accompanying zebra, often in their tens of thousands, choose Ndutu as part of their Great Migration. It forms an integral part of the annual ritual. And where the herds wander, the predators are never far away, so wildlife viewing here can be dramatic. A fascinating landscape is the setting for our afternoon game drive today. In the distance lie nine dormant volcanoes and one active one. In times gone by, it was the ash that blew in this direction that shaped the soil here. Ndutu itself is located partially in the Serengeti, partially in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As well as resident populations of lion, cheetah and hyena, there are also lesser-spotted wildlife here, so keep your eyes open for aardvark, porcupine and civet cat.

Your game drive in Ndutu today will demonstrate the importance of this area with its nitrogen-rich grasses which are much-loved by the animal population. Resident and migratory wildlife are both to be found here during this season.

In the late afternoon, you will be taken to your hotel for your evening meal and your overnight stay.

After breakfast, you will embark with your driver-guide on a full-day game drive in this diverse area.

Your guide will have plenty of opportunity to show you some excellent wildlife and explain the fragile, fascinating eco-system of this region.

Ndutu can be considered in many respects as a continuation of the endless plains of the southern Serengeti. But as it actually lies in part within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, there is the possibility – ground conditions permitting – to go ‘off-road’ which is permissible here. A characteristic feature of this area is the collection of small, salty, lakes, whose water allows wildlife to exist here throughout the year. Among the most important of the water courses are Lake Masek, which is comparatively deep and thus remains more or less unchanged throughout the year. Lake Ndutu, nearby, is shallower and varies greatly according to the seasons, fed by a combination of rainfall, springs and rivers. At this time of the year, Ndutu is one of the best places to see migrating herds who seek out the short, nutritious grass and choose this area to give birth. The richness of the vegetation gives them the best chance of survival, but with predators everywhere, survival is by no means guaranteed.

after your busy and exhilarating day of safari in this captivating area, you will return you to your Ndutu accommodation.

After breakfast, and a final morning game-drive in Ndutu, you set off for your next destination, the Central Serengeti, a journey of around (80km) with a journey time of 2 hours. On arrival, you take lunch and have your first game-drive in the Seronera Area.

As you drive, the sheer vastness of the Serengeti plains will overwhelm you – as will the seemingly countless herds of wildlife who cross the landscape on their daily walk.

Seronera is a huge space, brimming with life. It is impossible to view it all in one day; today, your guide will show you various places and interesting animals, so that you can get a full perspective of Serengeti’s Seronera. It is in the Central Serengeti that the rarest African animals live: rhinos, leopards, serval cats and caracals. This area increases your chances of seeing these rare animals in the wild.

At the end of your game-drive, you will be taken to your chosen accommodation for some well-earned relaxation and your evening meal.

Waking up in the Serengeti is something really special. Sights, sounds and smells of Africa are all around you, and ahead is a full day of adventure in the world’s most famous national park. After breakfast, you start today with the morning section of your game drive in Serengeti National Park, marveling at the stunning scenery, ever changing light and always entertaining wildlife, all explained to you by your expert driver-guide.

The Seronera River weaves its way through this area, providing waters for all species of wildlife. You will also see the distinctive rocky outcrops, the famous kopjes which characterize the Serengeti landscape. Kopjes are very hard and often granite. They have been aged at maybe 600 million years old and created even before the earth’s surface was pushed up from the ocean. Lions and other cats frequent these stony places and they are also home to snakes and hyraxes. Slowly weathering in wind and rain, they are peeling off in layers, which you may see on close inspection. Lunch will be an unforgettable experience, enjoyed in the middle of the bush. After lunch, you set off again, searching for wildlife in this awe-inspiring park. Serengeti’s wonders evolve subtly as the day progresses. The myriad animals and birds are the ‘stars of the show’ and Nature’s dramas can unfold at any time. Of course, the animals don’t work to a timetable, so you may find lion or leopard, elephant and zebra, cheetah and antelope at any time on your drives. Look out for the magnificent sight of the world’s heaviest bird capable of flight, the Kori Bustard. The avian equivalent of a lumbering cargo plane, it can weigh up to 15 kg and has a wingspan of nearly three metres! At the end of the afternoon, you return to the accommodation for dinner and some much-needed rest.

Following breakfast, you will have a morning game drive in amazing Serengeti, marveling at its animal inhabitants. With its informative visitor centre, the Seronera area of Central Serengeti is the national park’s most popular area. And it is very popular with the wildlife, too. The Seronera river enjoys year-round waterflow, so there is always something of interest to observe. Several game drives can be undertaken here and might reveal lions in sizeable prides, hippo or herds of elephants - whose populations in the park have risen in recent times. Depending on other attractions, you may choose to call in at the Serengeti Visitor Centre, where there is an excellent explanation of the park’s eco-system and a chance to understand the history of conservation in this area. In particular, you will find out about the work of Bernhard Grzimek and the Frankfurt Zoological Society who had the foresighted vision of preserving the Serengeti’s eco-system. Even at the center, you may well find wildlife: populations of hyrax and mongoose, as well as many small bird species. After lunch, you will head south-east towards Ngorongoro Conservation Area. If it has not already struck you with its vastness, Serengeti’s ‘endless plains’ will make a deep impression on you as you will take the long, straight road which passes Simba Kopjes (famous from ‘The Lion King’) to reach Naabi Hill Gate, close to the divide between Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Here you can gather information at the gate’s visitor center, clamber up the hill for superb views back over the plains, or look out for a colorful agama lizard among the rocks.

From your accommodation, you will set off after breakfast, a 6am departure to reach the rim and then descend into the vast crater itself. 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 your morning game drive in this stunning crater and then lunch, you will have a 3 ½ hour journey, covering the 192 km back to Arusha

On this day, you will have a leisure breakfast at the Gran Meliá Arusha and depending on your departure flight back home, you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Note: Hotel check-out is at 12:00 pm. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, you have the option to extend your hotel stay till 6:00 pm for an extra fee.