INTRODUCING Lake Manyara National Park & Ngorongoro Crater & Tarangire National Park
OPTIONS:
Of all the animals Tanzania has to offer, few leave as deep an impression as the African elephant. The largest land mammal on earth, elephants live in complex family structures that mirror our own in ways that are difficult to dismiss: they mourn their dead, protect their young fiercely, communicate across vast distances, and remember.
Over three days this tour takes you through three parks where elephants are not just present but central, and where spending proper time with them begins to feel less like wildlife viewing and more like a genuine encounter.
Each option follows the same itinerary and differs only in accommodation type.
Our Safari Tips and Safari FAQ pages cover everything you need before you travel. The Wildlife section gives useful background on the animals you will encounter, and the Photo Gallery holds images taken by guests in the field.
For questions or a quick price quotation, including fully tailor-made programmes, please get in touch. We are happy to help.
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: Arusha – Lake Manyara
The first afternoon is spent in Lake Manyara National Park, a compact and rewarding park tucked beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment where elephants move freely between forest and open ground. Buffalo, giraffe, hippo and more than 400 bird species share the habitat, and the park’s tree-climbing lions, resting on acacia branches six or seven metres above the ground, have a habit of stopping even the most elephant-focused visitors in their tracks. Overnight: Lodge, Hotel, Luxury Tented Camp or Basic Camp
DAY 2: Ngorongoro Crater
Down into the Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast, where the elephant herds that roam the crater floor have been studied for decades. Enclosed within the walls of this vast volcanic caldera, they are among the most closely observed elephants in Africa, and watching a matriarch move her family across the crater floor with quiet authority is something that stays with you. The crater also offers excellent Big Five sightings and one of the most concentrated wildlife experiences on the continent. Picnic lunch before the afternoon drive towards Tarangire. Overnight: Lodge, Hotel, Luxury Tented Camp or Basic Camp
DAY 3: Tarangire – Arusha
Tarangire is the finale, and it delivers. This is where elephant numbers are at their most impressive, with large resident herds present throughout the year and concentrations during the dry season that can run into the hundreds as animals gather around the Tarangire River. Wildebeest, zebra, eland, buffalo and the rare oryx converge here too, with predators following close behind, but it is the elephants, framed against the ancient baobabs, that define this park and make it unlike anywhere else. After lunch, the drive back to Arusha.
End of tour!
