Tanzania Safari - The Great Migration in the North of the Serengeti and Lake Natron

Tanzania Safari - The Great Migration in the North of the Serengeti and Lake Natron

Tanzania is the land of the safari, the documentary Africa, the most famous Parks and protected areas in the world: the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Tarangire, the Lake Manyara, the Selous Reserve, the Ruaha. A quarter of the national surface is Park or Reserve, in no other African country is it possible to find such a variety of environments and habitats and such a wealth of fauna.

The famous Great Migration of the Serengeti has as protagonists about one and a half million wildebeests and half a million zebras, in the constant search for pastures and water. This is the "greatest natural phenomenon" that affects different areas of the vast Serengeti ecosystem.
Attending the Great Migration is simply the best you can experience on a safari in Africa

Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha - Lake Manyara

Stop At: Lake Manyara National Park Tanzania
Morning departure from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park, Fotosafari. Lake Manyara, under the Rift Valley escarpment, is home to extremely varied environments, despite its small size (330 square kilometers, of which 200 are occupied by the lake). They range from the dense forests fed by the resurgences that emerge at the foot of the Rift Valley, to the savannahs, to the marshy areas on the lake. Numerous animal species, including large colonies of baboons, vervet monkeys and other species of monkeys, elephants, giraffes and as many as 380 species of birds. Here, during the period from December to March, large flocks of pink flamingos settle, which then migrate towards Lake Natron between June and October. Among the predators are numerous leopards and lions; the latter, annoyed by the humidity of the soil and by insects, have acquired the habit (quite rare among these big cats and found only in a few other areas) of climbing on the branches of trees.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodges 1: Marera Valley Lodge;

lodges 2: Acacia Farm Lodge

Day 2: Karatu - Ngorongoro crater

Stop At: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Tanzania
Fotosafari in the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is a unique environment, without equal in the world. It is what remains of an ancient volcanic cone, whose summit collapsed about 2.5 million years ago, giving way to the current caldera: a truncated cone, which houses a "frying pan" with a diameter of 16 / 20 km, with raised edges of about 600 m with respect to the bottom, inside which a savannah has developed where more than 25,000 large animals live. All the typical species of the region, with the exception of the giraffes (which do not find nourishment here) live in the Ngorongoro Crater. The edge of the Crater reaches an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level and offers breathtaking views. The outer slopes of the walls are covered by a thick blanket of primary forest. In the evening we reach the central Serengeti.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge 1: Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp (Seronera);

lodge 2: Kiota Camp

Day 3: Fotosafari in the Serengeti National Park

Stop At: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
These days are dedicated to the Serengeti, the most famous of Tanzania and one of the most famous in the world. The Serengeti ecosystem is home to more than 1,500,000 wildebeests, about 300,000 zebras, 500,000 Thompson's gazelles, more than 2,700 lions, 1,000 leopards, 500 cheetahs, huge herds of elephants, elands, impalas, water antelopes, giraffes, ostriches, genette, and the streams are populated by crocodiles and hippos; there are more than 400 species of birds. The 15,000 square kilometers of the Serengeti National Park constitute only the largest portion of a larger ecosystem, which also includes the Ngorongoro Plains (the flat area northeast of the Ngorongoro Crater, which plays a very important role in the famous migration and is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area) and the Maasai Mara (located further north, in Kenya). Here the orography, the composition of the soils and, consequently, the type of vegetation, allow sightings of animals without equal in Africa. The subsoil, constituted (above all in the southern part) by volcanic rocks, prevents in most of the Serengeti the growth of tall trees and the prairies prevail, therefore the open environment favors the sightings. The wildebeest and zebras of the Serengeti, always looking for new pastures and water, are the actors of the largest migratory movement of wild animals in the world: it is the famous Great Migration of the Serengeti, which between July and October involves the northern sector of the Park.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge 1: Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp (Migration);

lodge 2: Chaka Camp

Day 4: Fotosafari in the Serengeti National Park

Stop At: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The wildebeest and the zebras of the Serengeti, always looking for new pastures and water, are the actors of the largest migratory movement of wild animals in the world: it is the famous Great Migration of the Serengeti that between July and October reaches the northern sector of the Park . The ungulates gather in large numbers along the course of the Mara River, infested with ravenous Nile crocodiles, which they will have to cross.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge 1: Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp (Migration);

lodge 2: Chaka Camp

Day 5: North of the Serengeti - Lake Natron

Stop At: Lake Natron, Lake Natron, Arusha Region
In the morning, last photo game in the north-eastern portion of the Serengeti before leaving the Park and reaching the Lake Natron region along a track in very bad condition that offers magnificent views. Along about fifty km and about 25 wide, Lake Natron is a strongly alkaline lake that occupies a depression created by the Rift Valley, in a region of lava desert of rugged beauty, in the extreme North of Tanzania. Natron is a habitual nesting area for millions of pink flamingos that, fond of cyanobacteria present in very high concentrations in the waters of the lake especially during the dry season (June-October), crowd its banks. The extremely arid area is dominated by the perfect cone of the Oldoinyo Leng'ai, the sacred volcano to the Maasai people who consider it the home of the God Leng’ai. With an altitude of almost 3000 m, the Oldoinyo Leng'ai is the only volcano in the world to emit natro-carbonatite lava, rich in sodium carbonate, with very low viscosity and temperature, given that it flows between 500 and 590 ° C. During the emission of lava, this appears as a sort of very fluid, dark-colored "river", which some have compared to a flow of mud; after emission, when in contact with water, the natro-carbonatitic lava changes rapidly towards white, causing the top of the volcano to appear covered with snow. The last eruption of December 2007 / January 2008 made the ascent to the summit of the volcano even more difficult and difficult, since it completely erased the ephemeral path that at times could be followed and eliminated small flat areas where you could stop to catch your breath. From that moment we don't organize more trekking on the Oldonyo Leng’ai. In the afternoon there will be an excursion on foot along the Engare Sero stream that flows into a narrow rocky gorge, up to a beautiful waterfall where it is possible to swim. It is not a difficult trek, but you walk at times with your feet in the water (which rarely reaches the knee): it is therefore necessary to wear a swimsuit and non-slip shoes. The track to reach the Natron from the Serengeti is steep and stony, imposes reduced speeds. The accommodations at the Natron are few and rather spartan. We suggest to include this stage to all travelers who want to live a different experience than the classic safari.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania
The perfect cone cone of the Oldoinyo Leng’ai, the sacred volcano to the Maasai people that considers it the abode of the God Leng'ai. With an altitude of almost 3000 m, the Oldoinyo Leng’ai is the only volcano in the world to emit natro-carbonatite lava,
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge: Natron River Camp

Day 6: Lake Natron - Tarangire National Park

Stop At: Lake Natron, Lake Natron, Arusha Region
In the morning hike to the shores of Lake Natron, through a harsh and almost lunar landscape. Go along the scenic trail that crosses a valley bordered by volcanic peaks resulting from earthquakes following the Rift billing up to Mto wa Mbu and proceed to Tarangire Park. Afternoon photography.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge 1: Tarangire Sopa Lodge;

lodge 2: Kichuguu Camp


Day 7: Tarangire National Park

Stop At: Tarangire National Park, Tarangire National Park, Arusha Region
With its 2,600 square kilometers the Tarangire National Park constitutes an environment different from the other Northern Parks. Approximately thirty km in an east-west direction and about a hundred km in a north-south direction, the Tarangire is the "park of the giants": it hosts colossal baobabs and large herds of elephants, as well as lions, leopards, antelopes, gazelles, wildebeest, zebras, buffaloes and about 500 species of birds (between resident and migrant), the highest concentration in Tanzania. The fulcrum of life is the river of the same name, which during the dry season becomes, together with the Silale Marsh, the only source of water available and attracts large numbers of animals.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: lodge 1: Tarangire Sopa Lodge;

lodge 2: Kichuguu Camp


Day 8: Tarangire - Arusha / Kilimanjaro Airport

Stop At: Arusha Tanzania, Arusha, Tanzania
Return to Arusha for lunch and transfer to the airport: Kilimanjaro Airport / Arusha Airport
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.