Day 1: Transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania

As a group you will all be welcomed by the safari guides as you depart from Arusha International Airport. Next, have a stop at Mto WA Mbu, a bustling multicultural village where banana plantations and artisan markets line the road. Also, enjoy a local Tanzanian meal and refreshments and then continue Lake Manyara National Park hence, covering over 140km in approximately 4 hours. Your group safari at Lake Manyara begins intimately and you will all be driven through the park as your guide points out troops of blue monkeys crashing through the canopy above you.

Also, emerge at the alkaline lake’s edge and see thousands of flamingos forming a shimmering pink haze in the distance. Additionally, see the tree-climbing lions in the baobab trees in this park. The scenic views in Lake Manyara are breathtaking as you will also observe the towering Rift valley escarpments and the sunset down the aqua waters of the Lake. And this is a great photographic opportunity for capturing these great memories on your 5 day Tanzania Northern Circuit group safari.

In the evening, transfer to Lake Manyara Serena safari camp where each of you is to be welcomed with a refreshment and then transferred to your room. After freshening up, go for a group dinner prepared near the pool area covered with lights. So, enjoy as you share about the most memorable moment of the day.

Day 2: Trip to Ngorongoro Highlands from Lake Manyara

Breakfast will be served at the elevated area at the Lake Manyara Serena Safari Camp. Next, enjoy your meal as you take in stunning views of nature. Have another group tour morning game drive through the lake Manyara national park. Explore the area and see other species ice hippos and giraffes wandering through the grasslands. Later, take an afternoon meal at the Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, check out and enter your safari vehicles for a trip to Ngorongoro. The journey from Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Crater takes approximately 3 hours and covers over 180km.

Along the way, view part of the commercial lifestyle of the local people as you will get to pass through the Karatu plantations. On this day, you will transfer to Retreat Lodge at Ngorongoro, relax at this lodge as you all wait for dinner to be served. Take this time and bond as a group by sitting at the pool area that is one of the luxurious amenities provided at this lodge.

Day 3: Full Day Ngorongoro Crater Group Safari

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, about 19 km wide and home to over 25,000 large animals. Also, it is a renowned bird watchers paradise. Have a morning meal at the seating lounge of the Retreat at Ngorongoro. Then, spend the whole day exploring all the corners of Ngorongoro and un- turning its hidden gems. First, drive across open grasslands, past the Lerai Forest of yellow-barked acacias, and alongside the Makat Soda Lake. Here, the wildlife viewing in Ngorongoro is intense and constant because it is guaranteed to see the “Big Five animals in Tanzania”.

In the afternoon, have your arranged group lunch at Ngoitokitok picnic site that is nearby a hippo pool. Later, continue your journey following a forested track to the crater. The latter has its rims painted by the pink flamingos and other birds like the cormorants and the pelicans. Also have a sundowner experience in Ngorongoro where watch the sun set down the crater as you enjoy champagne. Lastly, this day ends with dinner served at the lodge before you all go to rest at the lodge.

 Day 4: Trip to Serengeti for a group safari from Ngorongoro.

Each of you should be done by breakfast by 10:00am and then check out of the Retreat at Ngorongoro lodge. Next, board the safari vehicles to Serengeti. The trip to Serengeti from Ngorongoro takes approximately 5 hours and you will have a picnic and scenic stop over at the Naabi Hill. The landscape transforms dramatically. The dense forests give way to the iconic, endless golden plains dotted with kopjes. Your first game drive in Serengeti as a group begins en route to your Serengeti Serena lodge. So, you might spot giraffes in Serengeti gliding between acacia trees, herds of Thomson’s gazelles, and the common spotted hyenas usually seen loping across the plains.

You will first check in to the Serengeti Serena lodge and after dinner you will go for a night game drive and in the dark times, it is very quiet so you can easily hear the sounds of the wilderness like the buzzing of the insects, the grunts of the hippos and leopards could be seen hunting their prey at this time, after the drive you will all go back to your rooms and rest.

Day 5: Transfer from Serengeti to Arusha and departure

Have a morning breakfast in the open Serengeti grasslands followed by game drives in the park. Today, the focus will be more around the Seronera Valley. So, witness the wildebeest migration crossings at the Mara River area of Serengeti. Also, you might encounter Maasai herders with their cattle, giraffes grazing near the rim, and perhaps elephants near the Lerai Forest during the game drives.

The witnessing of the great migration traverses will be after another lunch picnic. But this time, it will be near the Kopjes where you will all get to relax as you take in both the delicious meal and the fresh breeze from acacia trees. So, observe the drama and terror as the wildebeest herds fight for survival from land predators and the Nile crocodiles in the water. After this unique thing to do in Tanzania experience, checkout of the Serengeti lodge for a transfer back to Arusha airport. This concludes your 5 day Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara group safari.

Since it is a 5 day group safari in Tanzania, this experience is best done from December to February. So, this is a shorter dry season that is less popular among tourists. Therefore, the group would have a more intimate feel of the wilderness of these iconic destinations. Also, the weather is more comfortable for walking safaris in Serengeti, which are good and genuinely fun in groups.

Also, this period goes hand in hand with the wildebeest calving season, usually around the Ndutu Area. Hence, this gives this group expedition an added advantage. So, for people who do not have a problem with too many crowds, they can come between July and September. This is a longer dry season, famous for the dramatic crossings along the Mara River. Also, tree-climbing lions and elephants usually gather around Lake Manyara. Hence, it’s easier to spot the animals, and photography is also made beautiful because of the vibrant sunsets during this time.

Nevertheless, months from March to May are the worst times to go for this 5 day group safari in Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. Additionally, the weather is challenging because of the heavy rains and these Tanzania parks can be hardly accessible as there could be flooded sections in Lake Manyara near the hot springs. Also, the route around the Naabi hill can be muddy and hardly passable. In Ngorongoro, if the group is taking a morning game drive to the crater, the views at the crater rim could be obscured by the fog in those months.