6-Day Great Migration Ndutu Safari (December – April)

Welcome to Tanzania! You will be picked up from the airport by a Sopa Trails representative and driven to your accommodation in Arusha. Depending on your arrival time, you will hopefully have time to relax and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime! Busy Arusha is an essential part of safari life here in northern Tanzania and most travellers pass through at some stage. Accommodation Mid-range: Arusha Planet Lodge Meals & Drinks: at own expense

In the morning, you will be picked from your lodgings in Arusha by our personal safari guide. We will set out for Tarangire National Park on a good tarmac road across gently rolling Maasai plains with scattered acacia trees. As we zip along we’ll pass many Maasais in their colorful dress walking on the roadside, riding bicycles, herding cattle and driving donkey’s carts. Tarangire National Park, well known for its large elephant herds, is also host to a multitude of other creatures. From the open roof of our state of the art safari jeep, we’ll experience the seasonal swamps, savanna and life-giving Tarangire River. Endeavor to encounter a multitude of creatures, from zebra to wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name a few. It is possible to glimpse lions stalking prey or leopards watching, relaxing on the trees above. After our extensive game drive experiencing the varied sights and sounds of the wilderness, we’ll drive to your accommodation for dinner and your overnight. Accommodation Mid-range: Eileen’s Tree Inn Meals & Drink: All meals included, Drinks not included

After breakfast, we will head to the Lake Ndutu region, situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a sublime landscape of the southern Serengeti ecosystem. The drive takes approximately 3 hours, taking us across the beautiful landscape of the Rift Valley Lake Ndutu. It is alkaline like most of the other Rift Valley lakes and is frequently inhabited by a wide array of wildlife. With appetites sated, undertake a game drive in the Ndutu region. The majority of the wildebeest migration can normally be found on the short-grass plains from December to April. After the late afternoon game drive, you will drive to your accommodation for dinner and your overnight. Accommodation Midrange: Ndutu Heritage Camp Meals & Drink: All meals included, Drinks not included

After our hearty breakfast, we will head out to enjoy a full day game drive in the Ndutu region. We endeavor to explore the range of different habitats found here that include swamps, woodland, soda lakes, and the world-famous Serengeti short grass plains. We will see the awesome sight of the great thronging herds of wildebeests and zebras. During a short time frame around January, normally lasting for about 3 weeks, the majority of the wildebeest calves, dropping in the region of half a million young in this awesome act of synchronized birthing. The sea of grass provides little cover and the young wildebeest calves can run minutes after they are born and within 3 days they are normally strong enough to keep up with the herd. As our full day of adventure upon the ‘Endless Plain’ ends, we will depart to our accommodation for dinner and your overnight stay. Accommodation Midrange: Ndutu Heritage Camp Meals & Drink: All meals included, Drinks not included

After breakfast, we’ll head out for an en-route game drive through the Serengeti. We may, with lady luck on our side, spot all of the “Big Five across the ‘Endless Plain’ to the Ngorongoro Crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site formed millions of years ago with the massive explosion of a volcano once higher than Kilimanjaro. It is 610m deep and covers roughly 304sq km. Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25 000 ungulates, the Crater offers the best game viewing. We will arrive at the Crater rim before lunch. With our overview of the spectacular landscape that spreads out before our eyes stored in our memories and memory cards, we descend the bumpy winding track that brings us onto the Crater floor. Very quickly, we will be able to see wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant, perhaps if we’re lucky, the black rhino through the grass. After lunch and a full afternoon inside the Crater, we’ll head to our partner midrange lodge in Karatu for dinner and an overnight stay. Accommodation Mid-range: Eileen’s Tree Inn Meals & Drink: All meals included, Drinks not included

After breakfast, we’ll drive to our final destination on this epic safari—Lake Manyara National Park. This, a relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha. It is so named for the shallow salt lake that covers some seventy percent of the surface area, flooding and drying with the seasons. It is home to thousands of flamingo and in the extraordinary region of 500 other bird species. On our exploration of the park we will see monkey, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. After lunch, we’ll head back to Arusha where we will arrive late in the afternoon our adventure at its inevitable end. You’ll have all the sights and sounds of wild East Africa tucked away in your mind for your adventure in life’s journey. No accommodation (End of tour) Meals & Drink: Breakfast & Lunch, Drinks not included