8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari

Arrival in Arusha – Gateway to the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari

Your unforgettable 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari begins with your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, where a friendly and professional Decisive Safaris Africa Tours Limited driver will be waiting to transfer you to your accommodation in Arusha town. This initial transfer is a warm welcome to Tanzania and marks the start of your incredible journey.

Arusha, affectionately known as “A” Town by locals, is nestled at the foot of Mount Meru, Africa’s fifth-highest mountain. The city’s elevation provides a pleasantly cool climate and lush, green surroundings, offering a serene environment to rest and prepare for the days ahead. Although Arusha itself is not famed for being a tourist attraction, it serves as an essential and comfortable starting point for the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari, offering access to the renowned Northern Circuit parks.

During your stay at the Arusha Planet Lodge, you will enjoy a restful evening with delicious local and international cuisine. This day is primarily for acclimatization, allowing you to adjust after your flight, recover from travel fatigue, and ready yourself for the exciting safari adventure starting early the next day.

With the expert guidance of your safari driver, you will receive a briefing on what to expect during the coming week, including tips for game viewing and photography. This orientation sets the tone for your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari, preparing you to fully immerse yourself in Tanzania’s wilderness and culture.

• Main Destination: Arusha (City)
• Accommodation: Arusha Planet Lodge
• Meals & Drinks: Lunch & dinner included; breakfast excluded; drinking water provided (other drinks not included)

Arusha to Tarangire National Park – Exploring the Elephant Kingdom

On the second day of your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari, an early breakfast will prepare you for the approximately two-hour scenic drive to Tarangire National Park, a jewel of Tanzania’s Northern Circuit renowned for its large elephant herds and iconic baobab trees. Your Decisive Safaris Africa Tours Limited guide will pick you up from your lodge and accompany you throughout this exciting journey.

Tarangire National Park, named after the life-giving Tarangire River that sustains its wildlife, is celebrated for its breathtaking landscapes, which include sprawling savannahs, seasonal swamps, and dense woodlands. The park’s unique ecosystem supports an abundance of wildlife species, especially the majestic elephant families, which congregate here in large numbers during the dry season.

The 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari offers a privileged opportunity to observe not only elephants but also giraffes browsing treetops, elusive bushbucks, hartebeests, zebra, wildebeest, and the formidable buffalo. Predators such as lions—affectionately called Simba by the locals—and leopards frequently shadow these herbivores, creating dramatic wildlife interactions to witness from the comfort of your open-roofed safari vehicle.

Your guide will expertly navigate Tarangire’s game-rich terrain, helping you spot animals while sharing fascinating insights about their behaviors, adaptations, and the ecology of the park. The landscape here is equally mesmerizing, with towering baobabs creating photogenic silhouettes against vast blue skies.

At the end of an exhilarating day of game viewing, you will retreat to the charming Farm of Dreams Lodge for dinner and overnight accommodation. The lodge offers a serene ambiance, comfortable rooms, and exquisite meals prepared with fresh local ingredients, ensuring your comfort as you reflect on the day’s discoveries.

• Main Destination: Tarangire National Park
• Accommodation: Farm of Dreams Lodge
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

Journey to Central Serengeti National Park – Witnessing the Great Migration

The third day of the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari begins with breakfast before setting out towards the fertile highlands that are home to the Iraqw people, known for cultivating wheat, coffee, and corn. As you drive through the scenic Ngorongoro Conservation Area, take in the stunning vistas of the Ngorongoro Crater—a vast volcanic caldera often described as the “Garden of Eden” due to its lush vegetation and diverse wildlife.

Your journey continues into the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s largest and most famous protected area, spanning approximately 15,000 square kilometers. The Serengeti’s vast expanse comprises a mosaic of grassy plains, swamps, seasonal lakes, savannahs, and ancient volcanic formations, providing diverse habitats for a remarkable array of wildlife.

Central Serengeti is a prime area for observing the Great Wildebeest Migration, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena on Earth. Depending on the time of year, you may witness massive herds of wildebeest, zebra, and antelope moving in a ceaseless quest for fresh grazing pastures and water. This migration is a dynamic, ever-changing spectacle that defines the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari.

Enjoy an extensive game drive in the Serengeti, tracking predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards that thrive amidst the abundant prey. As the day draws to a close, make your way to the Seronera Valley, where your luxurious Central Serengeti Luxury Camp awaits. Here, you can relax in a comfortable tented camp equipped with modern amenities, savor delicious meals, and prepare for another day of thrilling wildlife encounters.

• Main Destination: Central Serengeti National Park
• Accommodation: Central Serengeti Luxury Camp
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

Serengeti Migration Tour Across the Mara River – The Heart of the Migration

Day four is the pinnacle of the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari as you embark on a full-day game drive in Serengeti National Park, following the path of the legendary Great Wildebeest Migration. After an early breakfast, your guide will take you to key areas within the Serengeti known for prime migration activity.

This part of the safari offers a rare chance to witness one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles on the planet: the crossing of the Mara River. This dangerous journey involves millions of wildebeest and zebra braving crocodile-infested waters in a desperate dash for greener pastures.

The timing of your visit is crucial. From June to September, the migration peaks here, with the largest numbers crossing the Mara River. Alternatively, from January to March, the Serengeti plains fill with newborn wildebeests during the calving season. Your knowledgeable guide will tailor your game drives to maximize sightings of these events.

Your vehicle’s open roof and panoramic windows allow for exceptional photographic opportunities as you watch the herds traverse riverbanks, leap into the water, and evade lurking predators. The drama and intensity of these moments epitomize the raw beauty of the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari.

After a full day of exploration, you will retire to Tanzania Bush Camps Mara River, located near the river itself. This camp provides an authentic safari atmosphere with comfortable accommodations and excellent amenities, allowing you to relax and recount the day’s epic wildlife experiences.

• Main Destination: Northern Serengeti National Park
• Accommodation: Tanzania Bush Camps Mara River
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater – From Plains to the Crater Rim

After an early breakfast, your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari continues with a morning game drive in the Serengeti, providing further opportunities to spot the Big Five—lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, and leopard—as well as other fascinating wildlife.

The unfenced nature of Tanzania’s national parks allows animals to roam freely across vast areas, creating uninterrupted game viewing experiences. Your guide’s expertise will help you identify elusive creatures and explain their behaviors as you explore.

By midday, you will depart the Serengeti and head towards the Ngorongoro Crater, arriving at the Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge situated on the crater’s rim. This lodge offers stunning views of the crater and is renowned for its cozy atmosphere, exceptional cuisine, and warm hospitality.

As the sun sets, casting a golden glow over the highlands, you can relax and prepare for the next day’s descent into the crater floor—a true highlight of the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari.

• Main Destination: Northern Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater
• Accommodation: Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

Ngorongoro Crater Tour – Wildlife in the “Garden of Eden”

Rise early to enjoy breakfast before descending approximately 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater floor, a natural amphitheater often called the “Garden of Eden” due to its lush greenery and extraordinary wildlife diversity.

The crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and home to an astonishing concentration of animals. Here, on your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari, you have the opportunity to observe all members of the Big Five, including the rare black rhinoceros.

The crater’s ecosystem supports large herds of buffalo, elephants, zebras, and wildebeests, while lions stalk the plains and numerous bird species, including large flocks of flamingos, grace the crater’s lakes and streams.

Your day includes a picnic lunch within the crater, surrounded by breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife, making for an unforgettable dining experience.

After a comprehensive 6-7 hour game drive, you will ascend back to the crater rim and return to Farm of Dreams Lodge for a restful evening. Following dinner, embark on a guided walking tour of the nearby Mto wa Mbu village, where you can experience local life, visit banana plantations, and sample authentic Tanzanian cuisine, enriching your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari with cultural insights.

• Main Destination: Ngorongoro Crater
• Accommodation: Farm of Dreams Lodge
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

 Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha – A Day Among Flamingos and Tree-Climbing Lions

After breakfast, your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari takes you to Lake Manyara National Park, a relatively small but ecologically diverse park named after its shallow soda lake that attracts thousands of flamingos and over 500 bird species.

This park is unique for its variety of habitats, including open grassy plains, dense woodlands, and dramatic cliffs dotted with ancient baobab trees. Lake Manyara is famously home to the rare tree-climbing lions—an extraordinary behavior rarely observed elsewhere—which you have the chance to see during your game drive.

In addition to lions and flamingos, the park offers sightings of monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, elephants, and numerous other mammals, making it a wildlife enthusiast’s delight.

Following your exploration, you will return to Arusha Planet Lodge for your final night of accommodation. Here, you can unwind and reflect on your enriching experiences from the 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari.

• Main Destination: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha
• Accommodation: Arusha Planet Lodge
• Meals & Drinks: All meals included; drinks included except spirits and liquor

Departure from Arusha – Farewell to Tanzania

On the final day of your 8-Day Tanzania Mid-Range Safari, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and lunch at Arusha Planet Lodge before your driver transfers you to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, depending on your flight arrangements.

This marks the end of your extraordinary safari experience, leaving you with cherished memories of Tanzania’s remarkable landscapes, diverse wildlife, and warm-hearted people. Decisive Safaris Africa Tours Limited wishes you a safe journey home and hopes to welcome you back for future adventures.

• Main Destination: Kilimanjaro International Airport / Arusha Airport
• Accommodation: None (Tour ends)
• Meals & Drinks: Breakfast included; lunch and dinner excluded; drinks not included