8 Days Luxury Serena Safari

Day 1: Arrival - Transfer to Arusha for accommodation at Serena Hotel, Resort and Spa

1. Arusha
   12h
   You begin your magical holiday as you board your flight to Tanzania, the Heart of an African Safari. On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will clear with the customs and immigration as Gilmag Safaris’ representative will be waiting to meet you. We will then drive you to Arusha City (approximately 50 Kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport). Accommodation will be at Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa on full board. We shall brief you about your upcoming safari here.

Day 2: Pick up from the hotel and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park for Game Viewing

1. Lake Manyara National Park
   1 day
   After Breakfast, you will drive to Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time for hot lunch.
   Lake Manyara provides a perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants. Overnight will be at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, a towering terracotta escarpment with panoramic views over the glittering alkaline waters of Lake Manyara.

Day 3: Game Viewing in Serengeti National Park - The Big 5 Experience

1. Serengeti National Park
   1 day
   After breakfast we will drive to Serengeti National park via Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping at the rim for a spectacular view of the Ngorongoro crater. Continuing as far as the eyes can see is the vast Serengeti. “Serengeti” means endless plain. And this is 6900 sq. mile (1800 sq. km). It is also home to 2,000,000 wildebeests and 800,000 zebras. Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. In central Serengeti, you will have high chances of seeing the elephants, giraffes, hippos, warthogs, gazelles, impalas, lions, leopards, cheetahs and many more. Overnight will be at Serengeti Serena Lodge, which is centrally located adjacent to the famous Western Corridor and Grumeti River, the lodge has been designed to blend completely into the living landscape and commands a panoramic view across Serengeti.

Day 4: Full Day in the expansive Serengeti National park

1. Migration at Serengeti National Park
   1 day · Admission ticket included
   Serengeti, a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to around 200,000 zebras, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle, which join in the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Our experienced driver tour guide will provide you with interesting facts about this highly renowned event, which makes Tanzania the top safari destination in Africa. Overnight will be at Serengeti Serena Lodge, which is centrally located adjacent to the famous Western Corridor and Grumeti River, the lodge has been designed to blend completely into the living landscape and commands a panoramic view across Serengeti.

Day 5: Full Day in Serengeti - Hunting the predators

1. Migration at Serengeti National Park
   1 day · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast, enjoy a full day game drive in the Serengeti National Park. The wildebeest migration normally passes through the area in April, May and November, however the Seronera area is within reach of both the southern plains and the Western Corridor. The resident game in the area is phenomenal and species such as elephant, buffalo, gazelle, zebra, lion and a variety of other predators and herbivores can be seen here all year round. Explore the range of different habitats that include swamps, woodland, soda lakes and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains. See great herds of wildebeest and zebra.

Day 6: Visit to Olduvai Gorge

1. Ngorongoro Conservation Area
   1 day
   After breakfast, you will depart Serengeti Serena and drive towards Ngorongoro Conservation Area for game viewing at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing through Olduvai Gorge to the site of the Leakey family where 50 km fossils long were discovered from almost two million years ago. Overnight will be at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. This lodge clings to the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, the largest volcanic crater on earth. Long and low, the lodge is built from local river stone and camouflaged with indigenous vines. This is designed to blend completely with the landscape and is entirely invisible from the floor of the crater 600 metres below.

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Tour - The endangered Black Rhino

1. Ngorongoro Crater
   1 day · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast, you will depart the camp with picnic lunch and drive to Ngorongoro crater for game viewing. You will spend the day at the floor on the crater (the 8th wonder of the world) exploring its rich flora and fauna. This is the best place to encounter the endangered black rhino and flamingos in Lake Magadi. Other animals include Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, warthogs, hippos, zebras, waterbucks, hyenas, jackals and if lucky enough, lions will be sleeping by your vehicle for shade. In the evening, you will ascend the crater and drive back to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Tarangire National Park - Home to huge Baobab trees and large herds of elephants

1. Tarangire National Park
   12h
   After early breakfast, you will depart the Lodge, drive to Tarangire National Park and arrive in mid morning to start our game drive. We will then enjoy our picnic lunch overlooking the Tarangire River, before enjoying the afternoon game drive. Among the thousands of Baobab that mark the landscape, we will enjoy Tanzania’s largest concentration of elephants. In addition to elephants, leopards, ostrich, lions, warthog, zebras and cheetahs are common sightings in Tarangire. If we are fortunate, we may encounter the much endangered wild dog. As this park is slightly off the main safari route, majority of travelers leave this out in favor of the nearer ones, which leaves major parts of Tarangire untouched.
   We will head back to Arusha in the afternoon where you will be dropped off at the airport for your onward flight.

Pickup details

On arrival time at the Airport, the traveler will find Gilmag Safaris' representative holding a pickup board bearing the traveler's name. If the traveler is staying at a hotel, he/she will advise the name of the accommodation and Gilmag Safaris representative and tour guide will be there right on time.

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels