7 Days - Tanzania Big 5 Safari & Materuni Waterfalls Escape

Jambo and welcome to Tanzania!

Upon arrival, your driver-guide will greet you warmly and transfer you to Arusha, the gateway to Tanzania’s legendary northern safari circuit. Take some time to settle in before setting out on a guided town tour to discover the character and culture of this vibrant city.

Explore local craft markets, where talented artisans showcase traditional carvings, paintings, jewellery, and other handmade creations. Continue through the city’s lively streets and visit notable landmarks while gaining an authentic glimpse into everyday life in Arusha. Your guide will share insights into the city’s history, culture, and role as one of Tanzania’s most important safari hubs.

In the evening, return to Njiro Legacy Hotel to relax and enjoy a delicious dinner. Settle into your comfortable accommodation and rest well ahead of the exciting safari adventure that awaits you tomorrow.

After a hearty breakfast, your safari adventure officially begins as you journey south from Arusha to Tarangire National Park, renowned for its enormous elephant herds, ancient baobab trees, and diverse wildlife. Spend the day exploring its scenic landscapes on a private game drive, following the Tarangire River and surrounding wildlife-rich areas.

Keep watch for lions, graceful giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and an impressive variety of birdlife as your experienced guide follows the day’s wildlife activity. Around midday, pause at a scenic spot within the park for a delicious packed picnic lunch, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the African wilderness.

Continue your game drive through the afternoon before departing Tarangire and travelling toward the peaceful highlands of Karatu. Arrive at Farm of Dreams Lodge, where you can unwind, enjoy a delicious full-course dinner, and rest comfortably ahead of tomorrow’s journey into the legendary Serengeti.

After breakfast, set out toward the iconic endless plains of the Central Serengeti, leaving the highlands behind as the landscape gradually opens into vast golden grasslands. Enter the legendary Seronera Valley, one of the Serengeti’s most wildlife-rich areas, where granite kopjes, riverine habitats, and open plains create an ideal environment for predators and their prey.

Throughout your game drive, keep watch for lions and other big cats resting among the rocky kopjes, elusive leopards hidden in the woodland, and sweeping herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles moving across the plains. Your experienced guide will follow the day’s wildlife activity, maximizing your opportunities for memorable sightings.

Pause during the game drive for a delicious bush picnic lunch surrounded by the wilderness. Continue exploring through the afternoon before arriving at Friends Camp Serengeti, where a warm dinner and an authentic tented safari experience await beneath the vast African night sky.

Enjoy a full day of immersive game viewing across the wildlife-rich Seronera region, one of the Central Serengeti’s most rewarding areas. With your experienced guide, explore the winding riverbanks and open plains in search of elusive leopards, watch large herds of wildebeest and zebras grazing across the grasslands, and look out for elephants moving through the savannah.

Your route will follow the day’s wildlife activity, allowing you to explore at a relaxed pace while making the most of the Serengeti’s remarkable diversity. Around midday, pause at a scenic spot in the bush for a delicious picnic lunch, surrounded by uninterrupted wilderness.

Continue your game drive through the afternoon before returning to Friends Camp Serengeti. Unwind at camp, enjoy a freshly prepared dinner, and share the day’s memorable sightings before settling into another peaceful night beneath the Serengeti skies.

Begin with an early morning game drive through the Central Serengeti, taking advantage of the cooler hours when wildlife is often at its most active. As the morning unfolds, begin your journey toward the legendary Ngorongoro Conservation Area, leaving the Serengeti plains behind for the dramatic landscapes of the highlands.

Descend approximately 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater, a vast volcanic caldera and remarkable self-contained ecosystem home to an extraordinary concentration of wildlife. Explore the crater floor in search of black rhinos, lions, elephants, hippos, wildebeest, and zebras, while flamingos and other waterbirds gather around the crater’s lakes.

Pause within the caldera for a delightful picnic lunch surrounded by breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife. After further exploration, ascend the crater walls and continue to Karatu, where you will return to the welcoming Farm of Dreams Lodge for a delicious dinner and a comfortable night’s rest.

After breakfast, set out to discover the diverse ecosystems of Lake Manyara National Park, a scenic wilderness nestled between the Great Rift Valley escarpment and the shores of the lake. Explore its lush groundwater forests and open plains, watching for the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, large troops of baboons, elephants, giraffes, herds of buffaloes, and abundant birdlife.

Pause during your game drive for a scenic picnic lunch, with sweeping views across the Rift Valley and surrounding landscapes. After your final exploration of the park, continue east toward Moshi, a lively town situated at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.

In the evening, arrive at Maridadi Hotel, where you can unwind in comfortable surroundings, enjoy a mouthwatering dinner, and relax ahead of tomorrow’s Materuni adventure.

Conclude your Tanzanian adventure with a cultural journey into the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Hike through a traditional Chagga village, passing through lush coffee farms and learning about the local way of life before reaching the spectacular Materuni Waterfalls.

Take time to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and, if you wish, cool off in the refreshing waters near the falls. Afterwards, savour a traditional local lunch accompanied by freshly prepared Tanzanian coffee, offering a delicious taste of the region’s culture and hospitality.

Later, bid farewell to the mountains and begin your transfer to the airport or your preferred drop-off location, according to your onward travel plans.

We hope you have enjoyed your safari adventure with Serengeti Steppe and leave Tanzania with memories to last a lifetime.