Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, our representative will meet you and transfer you to your lodge in Arusha. Orientation and welcome dinner.

Accommodation: Tulia Boutique Hotel & Spa or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner.

Day 2: Bird Watching in Arusha National Park (30km from Arusha City – 45mins drive)

Spot flamingos, African fish eagles, and more with guided walks and game drives. Spend the full day at Arusha National Park game and bird viewing. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Momella Lake, famous for huge flocks of colorful flamingos and stunning views of majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Game drive around the different habitats in this truly beautiful park. There are black and white colobus monkeys (unique to this park in northern Tanzania), Sykes and vervet monkeys, shy forest duikers, leopards, and substantial herds of antelope. Guided by an armed ranger, you will hike the slopes of Mount Meru in dense forest or at the crater rim of Ngurduto Crater. Birds can be spotted everywhere in this beautiful national park, and species to look out for include silvery-cheeked hornbill, Hartlaub’sturaco, and various water birds including yellow-billed stork and many more. Overnight at hotel. All meals included.

Accommodation: Tulia Boutique Hotel & Spa or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 3: Full-Game Viewing in Arusha National Park

Over 400 species recorded in such a small park is quite an impressive count. The Momella Lakes are great for waterbirds: flamingos, pelicans, little grebes, a variety of herons and ducks are all common. Augur buzzard, Verreaux’s eagle and other cliff-associated raptors can often be seen flying above Ngurdoto Crater. Migratory birds are present from November to April.

Accommodation: Tulia Boutique Hotel & Spa or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 4: Bird Watching in Tarangire National Park

From Arusha National Park you travel towards Tarangire, Tanzania’s third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, and up to 6,000 elephants. Even at the entrance to Tarangire National Park you will hear and see many birds. Superb starling are of course ubiquitous, while birds that can be spotted in the national park include yellow-necked francolin, lilac-breasted roller, buffalo weaver, ostrich, white-backed vulture, red-billed hornbill, magpie shrike, Fischer’s lovebird, and many birds of prey. Overnight at lodge. All meals included.

Accommodation: Sangaiwe Tented Lodge or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 5: Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park has lots of endemic and near-endemic species, and birds everywhere you choose to go. Also plenty of elephants and other wildlife! Tarangire National Park holds three endangered bird species of Tanzania: Rufous-tailed weaver, Ashy starling and Yellow-collared Lovebird. The swampy floodplains in Tarangire’s southern and eastern part are important grounds for the Eurasian migrants. Tarangire’s woodlands are inhabited by Hoopoes, Hornbills, White-bellied Go-away-bird and Brown parrots. Commonly seen birds are also Lilac-breasted rollers, barbets and mousebirds, striped swallows and starlings, swifts, hammerkops, bee-eaters, cordon bleus and owls.

Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge – Karatu or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 6: Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast, we depart for to Lake Manyara. Nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is recognized for its incredible beauty. You can see many game animals such as buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippos, and others. The vast majority of the national park area is taken up with the lake itself, so naturally this corner of Tanzania is known for water birds. At the lakeside you can spot greater and lesser flamingo, great white pelican, great white egret, cormorants and plovers in vast numbers – all alongside lazing hippos and trotting warthogs! Overnight at Marera Valley Lodge in Karatu. All meals included.

Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge – Karatu or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 7: Bird Watching in Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park offers a great overview to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded and you might be able to witness 100 in one day. The park supports a big collection of water-associated birds, including pelicans. When the water level is right, thousands of pink-hued flamingos flock to the lake to breed and feed. Unfortunately, access to the shore is restricted and you might not be able to see them. More than 50 species of bird of prey have been recorded including crowned eagle and African hawk eagle. Migratory birds are present from November to April.

Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge – Karatu or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater Tour

In the morning, drive to Ngorongoro Crater. After arrival you will descend into the crater for a wonderful game drive (with a picnic lunch) inside the Ngorongoro Crater, often described as one of the wonders of the world. It is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and a natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s densest animal populations. It is one of the few places where the rare black rhino can be observed in their natural setting. Picnic will be taken at Lake Magadi, famous for water birds. There are plenty of birds at the crater bottom, taking advantage of the staggering range of vegetation that can be found in this relatively small area. Ostrich and kori bustard roam the flat grasses, black kites swoop from up high, and turacos quickly dart from tree to tree. With a bit of luck the “Big Five” can be spotted during only one game drive. Overnight at lodge. All meals included.

Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge – Karatu or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 9: Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Maasaiboma and Olduvai Gorge Visit)

After breakfast drive to visit Maasaibomas and Olduvai Gorge.The Maasai are one of Africa’s most intriguing tribes. Although they live outside the crater itself, they are allowed to graze their animals around the crater rim or bring them down the crater for water during the dry months of the year. Visiting the Maasai people involves attending traditional dance performances, taking photos, buying souvenirs and meeting the elders. Experience the Maasai ways of life. Olduvai Gorge is an archeological site, Dr. Leakey and his wife discovered the earliest human fossils who lived over 3 million years ago. In evening drive to your accommodation in Serengeti National Park for overnight stay.

Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camps or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 10: Bird Watching in Serengeti National Park

Three days in the Serengeti, observing migratory species and resident birds. Guided by experts, traverse different habitats for the best sightings.The Serengeti is the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world and boasts many species of plain animals from hare to the elephant. The name Serengeti comes from the Masai word “Siringet” referring to an endless plain. There are various pockets of water in the Serengeti where birds such as sacred ibis, goliath heron, yellow-billed stork, Egyptian geese, plovers, and other water birds gather. Aside from this, there are over 450 species of bird residents in the area, including kori bustard, lappet-faced vulture, marabou stork, grey heron, hamerkop, secretry bird, various sparrow hawks, many eagles, helmeted and crested guinea fowl, cuckoos, kingfishers (including pied and malachite) bee-eaters, rollers, hornbills, shrikes, bulbuls, sunbirds, finches…..simply too many to name! Overnight at camp at Serengeti. All meals included.

Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camps or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 11: Bird Watching in Serengeti National Park

After breakfast depart for a full day game drive in Serengeti National Park. More than 500 bird species have been recorded in Serengeti National Park. The park is a significant part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, which is one of Africa’s Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) and hosts five bird species found nowhere else. Of these, grey-breasted spurfowl is common around Seronera, while Fischer’s lovebird and rufous-tailed weaver (a fascinating bird placed in its own genus) are visible in woodland, but Usambiro barbet and grey-crested helmet-shrike are less easily seen. Migratory birds are present from November to April. Enjoy picnic lunch then continue with game viewing before drive back to your accommodation for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camps or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 12: Bird Watching in Serengeti National Park

Enjoy another full day game viewing in this great Serengeti, The Serengeti Biodiversity Program has documented some 540 species of birds. In particular, keep your eyes open for the ‘Serengeti specials’: bird species endemic to the region and therefore cannot be found elsewhere on the planet. These special birds include the grey throated spurfowl, Schalow’s wheatear, red throated tit, rufous-tailed weaver, grey-crested helmet shrike, and Schalow’sturaco. Some other birds you may recognize and try to find are the secretary bird, African fish eagle, Fischer’s lovebird or countless vulture species.

Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camps or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 13: Transfer from Serengeti to Lake Natron for Bird Watching

After breakfast you will drive to Lake Natron for bird watching. Discover the unique ecosystem of Lake Natron, home to lesser flamingos. Enjoy photography sessions and guided tours. In the world of bird lovers, this Tanzanian lake is known for the highest number of Lesser Flamingos – the largest population of these birds in the world breed here. According to some estimates, over 80% of Lesser Flamingos living on our planet are born on Natron. As you might know, the reason for the pinkish color of flamingo plumage is that they eat food containing a lot of carotenoids. There are a lot of them in the microscopic algae eaten by Artemia crustaceans (brine shrimp), which, in turn, become the main diet of flamingos.

Accommodation: Africa Safari Lake Natron or Similar.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 14: Transfer from Lake Natron to Kilimanjaro International Airport for Departure

After breakfast you will drive to Arusha 180km – 4hrs, where you will betransferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure, filled with memories and photographs of Tanzania’s incredible avian life.