Route & Itinerary

ITINERARY MAP

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK AND NGORONGORO CRATER | 8 DAYS

This itinerary is subject to change based on weather.

DECEMBER 1 – ARRIVAL IN TANZANIA
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to the Hotel in Arusha. Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania, located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a temperate climate. The city is close to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.
Evening Welcome Reception hosted by the President of Tanzania. Special seating for your group with the US Embassy and Chamber of Commerce.
Accommodations: Gran Melia Arusha - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 2 – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Morning transfer to the Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate (Kiligolf) area for the morning tennis, breakfast and tour. The Estate is situated on 1,040 acres of prime African bushland, nestled between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru. Next, we depart for the airport for a charter flight to the Seronera Airstrip, the gateway to the Serengeti- which will take approximately 30 minutes. Upon arrival, we will board our luxury safari 4x4 vehicles for the Serengeti Four Seasons Lodge.
The world-famous park is well known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the "big five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: The Serengeti is believed to hold the largest population of lions in Africa due in part to the abundance of prey species. More
than 3,000 lions live in this ecosystem. African Leopards- these reclusive predators- are commonly seen in the Seronera region but are present throughout the National Park with a population of around 1,000.
After check-in, we will depart for our first of many game drives. Your group will travel together in private safari vehicles for all game drives and transfers. We will stop at various scenic spots for snacks and sundowners and on occasion, tennis in the bush where our support team will
build out pop-up courts for the occasion. Serengeti Safari Welcome Dinner in the evening hosted by the Four Seasons. Private VIP seating for the group.
Four Seasons Safari Lodge - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 3 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Early morning game drive, followed by breakfast and tennis in the bush. A full day of tennis, spa, and optional conservation activities at the Four
Seasons Lodge, including a ninety-minute walk through the bush, learning about the finer details you would drive right past in a vehicle. Led by
Resident Lodge Naturalist and accompanied by Maasai guides and armed national park rangers for security, learn all about insects, animal tracks, and traditional plant use.
Evening game drive with sundowners and dinner with the Masai Tribe Experience at the Lodge.
Four Seasons Safari Lodge - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 4 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Early morning game drive with bush breakfast in the park. In the afternoon, all guests will witness history as our tennis legends play the first tennis match in the heart of the Serengeti. Surrounded by the Big Five, birds and other animals, and an incredible backdrop, this is indeed the highlight of the week. The Tanzania Tourism Board and Wildlife Authority will build out a special court for the occasion.
In the evening, your group will join the legends and other dignitaries for a special reception in the Wine Cellar to commemorate the event.
Four Seasons Safari Lodge - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 5 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
What better way to take in the stunning Serengeti landscape than from the air? Wake up early (we’ll have a quick breakfast ready for you) for an hour-long, sunrise, a hot-air balloon flight over the savannah, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush.
In the afternoon we venture back to the tennis court where your group will have a chance to volley and take photographs with legends (and perhaps a few of the Big Five guests).
Early evening final game drive with sundowners and tennis, followed by private group dinner at the lodge.
Four Seasons Safari Lodge - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 6 - NGORONGORO CRATER
After an early breakfast, we depart for the Ngorongoro Crater in Northern Tanzania, once a gigantic volcano, is the largest intact caldera in the world. Some maintain that before it erupted, it would have been higher than Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Today, long since having collapsed and eroded, it is an extensive highland area with the famous 600 m deep Ngorongoro Crater as its focal point. Nearly three million years old, the ancient caldera shelters one of the most beautiful wildlife havens on earth.
The jewel in Ngorongoro’s crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest un-flooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20 km across, 600 meters deep, and 300 square km in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder.
Our game drive descends 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, as well as the predators that are attracted by this abundant supply of prey. You may see huge flocks of pink flamingos around the shores of the shallow Lake Magadi, while the surrounding swamp is inhabited by hippos.
The crater has formed its own ecosystem due to its enclosed nature and is one place where you can certainly tick all the boxes- sublime scenery, abundant wildlife, its very own distinctive 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 hippos can be found.
If you are after the ‘The Big Five’, it is all here waiting for you. Black rhino, Tusker elephants, lion, leopard, and hyena along with healthy herds of wildebeest, buffalo, and zebra. Other wildlife includes serval cats, cheetahs, jackals, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, flamingos and bat-eared foxes, as well as approximately 400 species of colorful birds.
We will spend the full day touring the world-famous crater with a stop for lunch to enjoy sites and animals while dining on a four-course meal with wine. In the evening we will travel to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
& Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and Serena Ngorongoro - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 7 - NGORONGORO CRATER/MASAI VILLAGE
Wake up early to views of the Crater and head off on a morning game drive on the Crater floor, abundant with wildlife -view Black rhinos that are protected within its rim, giant tusked elephants, big-maned lions stalking the grasslands, and bright pink flamingos crowding the soda
lakes. In the afternoon we get up close and personal with Maasai as we tour the Maasai Cultural Village. A special pop-up court will be built in the village in honor of our tennis legends, the McEnroe’s who will conduct a clinic for the Masai children.
As we leave the village, we will embark on a sunset game drive and return to the lodge for a farewell dinner with special guests.
& Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and Serena Ngorongoro - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DECEMBER 8 - NGORONGORO FAREWELL
Enjoy a last early morning game drive before departing for the airstrip for the return private charter flight to Arusha and back home or on to one of our extensions to Zanzibar, Uganda for gorilla trekking or Ethiopia.
& Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and Serena Ngorongoro - Breakfast