Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Switching to safari vehicles and drive west across the Great Rift Valley, passing through Mto Wa Mbo (‘Mosquito Creek’) and entering the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. Passing into the park, we drive around the Crater’s rim down onto the plains of the Serengeti. A luscious green after the rains and brown and burnt in the droughts, this is home to a vast variety of grazing animals, predators and birdlife. Flatter and larger than the Masai Mara, the Serengeti is enormous. In fact, the name derives from the Masai word Siringitu, meaning ‘the place where the land moves on forever’. Here, game viewing is a fabulous activity and spending your nights sleeping in the designated but unfenced campsite where lion and hyena roam freely, is an enthralling and extremely memorable experience.
We leave the plains, game driving en route and, after lunch, we begin to ascend the outer wall of the Ngorongoro Crater. It is here that we spend the night camping on the rim, where wildlife runs free and where you will definitely need a warm jacket to combat the cold night air.The Ngorongoro, at 326 square kilometres in area, is Africa’s largest intact crater as well as a World Heritage Site. The spectacular view from the rim that is 2400 metres above sea level makes the site from the Crater floor even more enjoyable at approximately 600 metres below sea level. All of the major mammals can be seen here, except for the giraffe (who cannot manage the steep slopes leading downward to the floor of the Crater). We descend the almost vertical dirt roads for a morning of game driving and stop for lunch at the top of the Crater for one last magnificent view over the Ngorongoro before heading back to our camp at Arusha.
Making our way down the steep dirt road of the Ngorongoro Crater to view some game. There is plenty of wildlife to be seen here, except for giraffes who find the slopes too steep. We then go back to the top of the crater for a last chance to take in the spectacular view. Back at camp we pack up and have lunch before heading back to Arushsa and our campsite at Meserani Snake Park, where we will stay for the night.
Trip Highlights: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater
Accommodation: Serengeti National Park – Bush Camp, Ngorongoro Crater – Simba Camp
Meals included: Breakfast x 3, Lunch x 3, Dinner x 3
Distance Covered: +/-250kms each way
Approximate Driving Time: Full days including game drives
