Simba Safari Serena Experience

After landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport, we meet and greet you and guide you to your transfer to Arusha Serena Hotel on the shores of Lake Duluti. Check in and enjoy the afternoon at leisure – you might begin exploring Arusha at your own pace or simply relax and make use of the hotel’s facilities.Set amid coffee plantations, the hotel is designed in the style of the historic coffee farm that once stood here, with cottage-style rooms arranged within landscaped grounds. Overnight in Arusha.

You have the morning at leisure, after which we hold a safari briefing followed by lunch. In the afternoon we depart Arusha by safari vehicle, travelling through the Maasai Steppe – a landscape of picturesque villages and maize, coffee and banana plantations – to Makuyuni. We continue to the Tarangire National Park gate to complete formalities, then enter the park and begin game viewing en route to our lodge, arriving in time for dinner.Tarangire is known for its ancient baobab trees and one of the greatest concentrations of elephants in Africa, with other wildlife including the elusive leopard. Over 400 bird species have been recorded here. The Tarangire River provides water year round, creating lush greenery that contrasts with the sunbaked earth.We stay at Tarangire Sopa Lodge, surrounded by baobabs. The lodge offers 75 spacious rooms, each with sliding glass doors opening onto a balcony with wide views of the landscape. Overnight in Tarangire.

We begin with a morning game drive in Tarangire National Park, boarding our safari vehicle to search for its large lion prides and elephant herds. We follow baobab‑lined tracks and explore the Silale Swamp before returning to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we drive north through the park to Makuyuni, then continue along a scenic escarpment to our next base – Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge – perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with far‑reaching views over Lake Manyara. The lodge draws on the area’s rich birdlife, with flowing lines inspired by avian forms and Maasai boma motifs, and colourful frescoes that reflect migration patterns. Overnight in Lake Manyara.

After breakfast, we set out on a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, returning to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we travel north west through highland countryside of wheat and coffee plantations into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then continue towards the Serengeti. We begin spotting wildlife as we near the park gate – after completing entry formalities, we enjoy game viewing en route to our lodge. We arrive at Serengeti Serena Lodge to check in and have dinner. Set on the saddle of a tree clad ridge with panoramic views across the Serengeti, the lodge is designed to blend into the landscape and is centrally located adjacent to the Western Corridor and the Grumeti River, with Makonde carvings decorating the rooms and the domed dining room.The Serengeti National Park is home to the Big Five – elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo – and the annual migration of over one million wildebeest with attendant predators. Overnight in Serengeti.

After breakfast at the lodge, we set out on a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park – renowned for its immense wildlife and the Great Migration of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles. We explore varied habitats, from riverine forest and woodlands to rocky kopjes and open volcanic grasslands, watching for predators and plains game along the way.We return to the lodge around midday for lunch, then head back out for an afternoon game drive. With luck, we may encounter members of the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros – along with plentiful birdlife and reptiles. In the evening, we enjoy dinner at the lodge. Overnight in Serengeti.

After breakfast, we leave the Serengeti for Ngorongoro, game viewing across the plains as we travel. We stop en route for a picnic lunch, then continue to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge – set high on the rim of the crater – arriving in time for dinner. Built from local stone and cloaked in indigenous vines, the lodge is designed to blend into the landscape 600 metres above the crater floor. Ngorongoro Crater – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa’s best known wildlife areas – shelters around 25,000 large mammals within its plains, lakes and forests. Overnight in Ngorongoro.

After breakfast, we descend through the early morning mist into Ngorongoro Crater – around 2,000 feet – carrying a picnic lunch for a full day of exploration. As the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, the crater floor spans diverse habitats, from forest and swamps to lakes, springs, open grassland and sandy dunes, offering outstanding wildlife viewing. We return to the lodge in the late afternoon; you then have time at leisure before we come together for dinner. Overnight in Ngorongoro.

After breakfast we depart, travelling southeast past Lake Manyara and Mto wa Mbu Village, then through the highlands and Karatu district with views of wheat plains and coffee plantations. We descend the escarpment to join the main road to Arusha, crossing the Maasai Steppe with its rural villages and maize, coffee and banana plantations. On arrival in Arusha, we stop for lunch, then continue with a transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight.