Great Safaris Final Trip Itinerary for Dana Klauss Private Group

Land transfer to Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park is one of the most interesting places in Northern Tanzania and famous for being a home to the second highest mountain in Tanzania, Mt Meru, as well as having the world’s largest population of giraffes. It harbors incredible wildlife species that cannot be viewed in other national parks in the northern circuit including vegetation types like the lush rainforest, savannah, alpine vegetation, and amazing wildlife like buffaloes, bushbucks, warthogs, zebra, red duikers, elephants, giraffe, leopards, hippos, primates like black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys and more. Birdlife is equally great with species like grey crowned crane, flamingos, African fish eagle, harlaubs turaco, secretary birds among others. The park has three distinct areas that are the Meru crater funneling the Jekukumia river in the west, Ngurdoto crated in the south-East and the shallow alkaline Momelle lakes with varying algae colors in the north-East.

Momella Lakes

The Momela lakes are located within the Arusha National Park, they are alkaline lakes whose shallow waters come from underground sources; on their bottom they grow many algae that many water birds that live on their shores feed on. The seven lakes are: Big Momela, Small Momela, El Kekhotoito, Kusare, Rishateni, Lekandiro and Tulusia.

Each lake has a source of spring water separated from the others and also has a different color ranging from green to turquoise; the reason for these different colors depends on different minerals contained in the individual lakes, in fact, even if they are not far one from the others, each of these lakes has a particular composition of minerals, that makes them all different from one another; there are also different algae that grow there, as well responsible for the different colors. These lakes are the perfect habitat for many aquatic birds, both resident and migrant, who are located in the park, such as the greater pink flamingos, the lesser pink flamingos, pelicans, Egyptian geese, guinea fowls, African fish eagles, African jacanas and many others.

Ngurdoto Crater

The Ngurdoto Crater is part of the Arusha National Park and is the caldera of an extinct volcano, that is sometimes called "little Ngorongoro" because, just like Ngorongoro, has become, over time, a sort of "reserve in the reserve". The caldera is shaped like a basin with very steep walls and covered with dense rainforest, it is 3 km wide and 400 meters deep; in its bottom covered with marshy grassland live buffalos, elephants, warthogs, some antelopes, monkeys, baboons, leopards and spotted hyenas; there are also many species of birds such as the head hammer, the spur-winged goose and herons. You cannot descend into the crater because one wants to preserve and protect its ecosystem; but you can walk along a circular route on the crater rim, where you can meet different observation points: on the Northern edge there are the lookout with the best views. From this elevated position you can see all over the park below and, on clear days, you can admire Mt Kilimanjaro.

The caldera is surrounded by a dense rainforest; here there is a higher possibility of the whole of Tanzania to spot, only on the trees, the rare white and black colobus. In the forest also live blue monkeys and baboons who, unlike the colobus, prefer to spend their days on the ground, taking refuge on trees only during the night or if there is any danger that threatens them. With a little luck you can even spot the timid and shy red duiker or tragelafo striatum or the kirk dik-diks; there are also many birds inhabiting this forest, such as the silver cheeks hornbill, bee-eaters and turacos. To the West of the crater lies the Small Serengeti or Ndogo Serengeti in Masai language, this is a prairie area; here you meet zebras, giraffes, warthogs, buffalos, red duikers and some antelopes.

Land Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park

Welcome to one of Africa's most underrated parks. Thanks to its proximity to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park is usually assigned only a day visit as part of a larger northern-circuit itinerary. Yet it deserves much more. It is a place where elephants dot the plains like cattle, and where lion roars and zebra barks fill the night.

But here the wildlife tells only half the story. Dominating the park's 2850 sq km, Tarangire's great stands of epic baobabs should be reason enough to visit. There are also sun-blistered termite mounds in abundance, as well as grassy savannah plains and vast swamps. And cleaving the park in two is the Tarangire River, its meandering course and (in some places) steep banks providing a dry-season lure for animals and thus many stirring wildlife encounters for visitors.

Game Drives in Tarangire National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives are conducted in a 4x4 customized game viewing vehicle with a professional driver - guide. Tarangire is an elephant enthusiast's paradise with up to 6,000 roaming the park. It is impossible to spend time in the park without encountering these iconic animals, feeding at the base of a baobab, strolling through the riverine forests or 'playing' in the mud of the marshlands. They are often present in a conglomeration of herds that could be 300 individuals - an incredible sight for even the most seasoned safari-goer.

Elephants aside, Tarangire is home to one of the greatest concentration of wildlife outside of the larger Serengeti ecosystem. They dry season influx of ungulates sees a profusion of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, hartebeest and buffalo assembled near the river, or around residual pools in the swamps. Such a conservation of prey serves to attract the attention of the park's various resident predators, particularly the ever-attended lions. The lions of the Silale Swamps are particularly renowned, not only for their marshy hunting techniques, but also for their habit of lounging in the boughs of trees. Leopards and cheetah are also present, and even the highly endangered African wildlife dog. Away from the wetter areas of the park, one might be fortunate enough to spot a gerenuk or fringe-eared oryx, making Taranigire one of the few places in Tanzania to see these arid species.

Land transfer from Tarangire to Ngorongoro Crater

Game drives in Ngorongoro Crater

Game drives descend into the Ngorongoro Crater through a lush highland forest, with magnificent birdlife to be spotted among the different tree species. Once on the grassy crater floor, you may discover a large variety of grazing herbivores, up to 25,000 animals, as well as the predators that are attracted by this abundant supply of prey. Depending on the time of year, you may see huge flocks of pink flamingo around the shores of the shallow Lake Magadi, while the surrounding swamp is inhabited by hippo. Safari vehicles are closed, with glass windows and a pop-up roof.

The crater has formed its own ecosystem due to its enclosed nature, and is one place where you can certainly tick all the boxes. Lerai Forest comprised of yellow fever trees and Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake. Roam to the east and you will find Gorigor Swamp and the Ngoitokitok Springs where happy pods of hippo can be found. The north of the Crater is where the bulk of the resident game resides thanks to the drier, open grasslands.

Ngorongoro Crater & Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater is an extinct volcanic caldera in the Eastern Great Rift Valley, northern Tanzania. The caldera measures between 10 and 12 miles across and has an area of 102 square miles. Its heavily forested rim rises 2,000 feet above the caldera’s floor to an elevation of 7,500 feet. Ngorongoro is thought to have formed about 2.5 million years ago from a large active volcano whose cone collapsed inward after a major eruption, leaving the present vast, unbroken caldera as its chief remnant.

The caldera’s floor is predominantly open grassland. It is home to a diverse array of animals including elephants, black rhinoceroses, leopards, buffalo, zebras, warthogs, gnu (wildebeests), Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, and the densest population of lions in the world. The local Masai people also graze their livestock in the crater. Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake ringed by extinct volcanoes, is renowned as a habitat for great flocks of pink flamingos.

Internal flight from Ngorongoro to Serengeti

Northern Serengeti National Park

Kogatende, which is in Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River is a great place to get away from the crowds since it is secluded and inaccessible, sandwiched between the Central Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve to the north.

Travelers who make it to this part of the Serengeti will be rewarded with breathtaking scenery, including green rolling hills, granite outcrops, and acacia woodlands dotting open savanna, incredible wildlife, and, most importantly, massive herds of wildebeest and zebra crossing the croc-infested Mara River during the Great Migration in June and July, and again in September and October - subject to rainfall and migration patterns that change annually. This area of the park is also home to a number of other attractions.

This section of the park is also home to the Serengeti’s highest concentration of elephants, as well as large concentrations of lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena, as well as a variety of resident species including giraffe, topi, eland, and hippo. The Mara River, which flows through the Northern Serengeti before entering Lake Victoria in the west, is without a doubt the centerpiece of this isolated Serengeti region. The river is home to massive hippos and a variety of wildlife, including giraffe, elephant, leopard, and lion.

Game drives in North Serengeti National Park

A game drive in the Northern Serengeti is a raw and immersive safari experience, defined by vast open plains, dramatic river systems, and an exceptional concentration of wildlife. This remote region is best known for the Mara River, where towering banks and crocodile-filled waters form the stage for one of nature’s most powerful spectacles during the Great Migration when crossing from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara. Beyond the migration, the Northern Serengeti offers outstanding year-round game viewing. Large prides of lion patrol the grasslands, while leopards rest in riverine trees and elephants move silently between woodlands. Game drives here feel unrushed and exclusive, with fewer vehicles allowing for longer sightings and a stronger sense of connection to the landscape. Early morning and late afternoon drives reveal the Serengeti at its most evocative, when soft light stretches across the plains and predators become active. Each drive unfolds at its own pace, blending anticipation, silence, and sudden moments of awe that define a truly memorable safari.

Hot Air Balloon safari over the Serengeti

In the crisp air of dawn, the passengers watch the crew partially inflates the balloon with enormous fans before the gas burners are ignited to fill the balloon with hot air. The crew directs clients how to get into the basket moments before take-off. The balloons lift off just before sunrise when the breeze on the plains is still cold. Once airborne, the balloon is blown by the prevailing winds across the broad landscape. Apart from the hiss of the burners, the flight above the plains is magically silent. The pilot controls the height of the craft by regulating the flow of hot air into the balloon. Sometimes the balloon will descend over the plains for a close up view of the wildlife; on other occasions, it rises to clear a tree canopy and rise over the riverine forest. This is an experience never to be forgotten. Enjoy the rest of the day on safari exploring this amazing park.

Northern Serengeti National Park

Kogatende, which is in Northern Serengeti, near the Mara River is a great place to get away from the crowds since it is secluded and inaccessible, sandwiched between the Central Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve to the north.

Travelers who make it to this part of the Serengeti will be rewarded with breathtaking scenery, including green rolling hills, granite outcrops, and acacia woodlands dotting open savanna, incredible wildlife, and, most importantly, massive herds of wildebeest and zebra crossing the croc-infested Mara River during the Great Migration in June and July, and again in September and October - subject to rainfall and migration patterns that change annually. This area of the park is also home to a number of other attractions.

This section of the park is also home to the Serengeti’s highest concentration of elephants, as well as large concentrations of lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena, as well as a variety of resident species including giraffe, topi, eland, and hippo. The Mara River, which flows through the Northern Serengeti before entering Lake Victoria in the west, is without a doubt the centerpiece of this isolated Serengeti region. The river is home to massive hippos and a variety of wildlife, including giraffe, elephant, leopard, and lion.

**Hot air balloon safari is an optional activity and not included in the cost

Internal flight from the Serengeti to Arusha

Private transfer to the hotel

Private transfer to the Airport

Departure flight from Kilimanjaro Airport

Bid farewell to Africa, for now until your next Safari !