NORTHERN WONDERS:
TANZANIA'S NORTHERN CIRCUIT (9 days/8 nights)

DAY 1: ARRIVE NAIROBI
Upon arrival, transfer to the Norfolk Hotel for an overnight stay.

DAY 2: NAIROBI - LAKE MANYARA
After breakfast, transfer to Wilson Airport for your scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. After customs and immigration formalities, you will continue by scheduled flight to Manyara airstrip, via Arusha Airport. Here you will be met and transferred to the Tree Lodge for a two-night stay. Lake Manyara National Park has abundant wildlife, including tree-climbing lions. The extraordinary birdlife has made the park world-renowned among ornithologists, who come to view the masses of pink flamingos and great birds of prey. Safari activities include morning and afternoon game viewing drives invehicle, incredible bird watching and afternoon sundowners. (B,L,D)

DAY 3: LAKE MANYARA
Spend today exploring the wildlife haven around Lake Manyara. Set in the heart of the Great Rift Valley and surrounded by steep rock escarpments, the Lake is a key stop for a myriad of migrating and permanent resident birds, including vultures, owls, and a dazzling abundance of waterbirds, most notably the pink flamingoes who often descend upon the waters in their thousands. Egrets, storks and more can also be spotted here. The park is famed for its tree-climbing lions and population of elephants. Other mammals that live here include buffalo, zebra, warthog, hippo, and many more. Olive baboons are at their most populous in Lake Manyara. The hot springs near your camp are heated in deep fissures in the Rift Valley rocks. (B,L,D)

DAY 4: LAKE MANYARA - SERENGETI
Following breakfast, depart for your return transfer to Manyara airstrip to connect with the scheduled morning flight to Seronera airstrip, where you will then transfer by road to Klein's Camp, situated just outside the northeast corner of the Serengeti National Park. This scenic road transfer takes four-and-a-half hours. Hidden among the Kuka Hills and commanding breathtaking views of the valleys along migratory routes of wildebeest and zebra, Klein's Camp is composed of eight intimate cottages of local rock and thatch. Only 16 guests stay here at a time, so you are guaranteed a quiet and intimate stay. Safari activities include morning and night game viewing drives invehicles and guided bush walks. Spend the next two nights at Klein's Camp. (B,L,D)

DAY 5: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Spend a full day exploring this incredible land. Acacia woodlands, grassy plains and riverine forest dominate the landscape, a sharp contrast to the surrounding plains. The Grumeti River begins in the eastern Serengeti and heads west, finally spilling into the great expanse of Lake Victoria. The riverine forest lining the banks is most dense in this corridor. Accommodation in this area lies in the path of the famous annual great migration of zebra and wildebeest making their way to Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve. The migration passes by during the months of May to July every year. Animals in the Grumeti area include lion, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, cheetah and Maasai giraffe. The pan on the edge of the camp is home to pods of grunting hippo. These amphibians float lazily on the surface by day and after dark move onto the grassy plains to feed. The area also boasts one of the highest densities of cheetah in Africa, and is also renowned for its superb bird watching. (B,L,D)

DAY 6: SERENGETI - NGORONGORO CRATER
After breakfast, you will transfer to the airstrip to catch the Regional Air Services scheduled flight to Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is nearly three million years old. This ancient caldera of the once-volcanic Ngorongoro shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth. Safari activities include full and half-day tours to the crater, excursions to Olduvai Gorge, Shifting Sands and a traditional Maasai "manyatta" (home). Spend three nights at the Crater Lodge. (B,L,D)

DAYS 7 & 8: NGORONGORO CRATER
Spend two full days exploring the magical realm of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a World Heritage Site, which is seething with migratory animals during the wet season (November to May). This extraordinary realm of peaks, craters, valleys and lakes is the permanent home of an estimated 30,000 animals, with an overwhelming population of zebras and wildebeest. Others include lion, elephant, rhino, hippo, and the many small herbivores that are the primary prey of the larger carnivores. There is a small but growing population of black rhino living on the crater floor. Four hundred species of birds have been spotted in the conservation area, including over 100 species that are not found in the Serengeti. Guided walks follow the crater rim, providing breathtaking views. You may like to visit a local Maasai village or the volcanic ash dunes of the Shifting Sands near Olduvai. The Olduvai Gorge itself is extraordinary: it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Africa, and is known as the 'cradle of mankind'. The Leakey family made some of their most important archaeological discoveries here, finding some remains of early humans dating back 3.6 million years. (B,L,D)

DAY 9: NGORONGORO - NAIROBI
Depart from Ngorongoro for the two-hour road transfer to Lake Manyara airstrip to connect with the Regional Air Services scheduled morning flight to Kilimanjaro Airport via Arusha, where you will connect with the Air Kenya Service to Nairobi. Arrive at approximately 14:30 at Wilson Airport and transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where you may connect with your international departure flight.

You may like to extend your tour with time in Zanzibar, Mnemba Island, or one of the other stunning Indian Ocean resorts. Please contact an Absolute Africa travel specialist to discuss the possibilities.