Pick up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and drive to Tarangire National Park. Named for the river that nourishes the wildlife of a vast ecosystem, Tarangire is home to elephant, zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, buffalo, eland, waterbuck, lion, giraffe, oryx and an unsurpassed diversity of birds.Take your first game drive before retiring to your beautifully designed lodge, hidden among ancient baobab trees and giant rock kopjes within the park.

Overnight: Tarangire River Camp (LD)

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena or Sopa Lodge (D)

Morning game drive, weave through the baobabs and acacias to the best places for viewing wildlife in Tarangire. Note the large ground-dwelling birds and many raptors in the dry, open areas of the park, and watch for rare wild dogs patrolling the landscape. Return to your lodge for breakfast before departing to the highlands. Arrive at your well-placed lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, with grand views of the ancient volcanic basin 2,000 feet below.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (BLD)

Spend a full day exploring the woodlands, lakes and wide-open plains of the Crater floor. Ngorongoro offers unsurpassed viewing of rare black rhinoceros, which are undisturbed by vehicles and allow viewing at close range. Some of its other 25,000 residents include lion, elephant, hyena, wildebeest, buffalo, hippo, ostrich and an abundance of pink flamingos on Lake Magadi. Return to your lodge this afternoon and take in more wonderful views from your private terrace, excellent meals around a glowing fire, and cultural programs with local Maasai people.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (BLD)

The legendary Serengeti Plain is your destination today, a vast rolling plain whose sparse vegetation allows for some of the best wildlife viewing in the world. The annual migration of wildebeest and zebra is one of the park’s great attractions, but throughout the year the Serengeti is excellent for seeing predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah, along with elephant, giraffe, hyena, hippo, rhino, and many varieties of antelopes and birds. Arrive at your lodge for a delicious lunch. Later this afternoon, take your first game drive in this famous preserve.

Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge (BLD)

A thrilling day of game viewing will take you to prime areas for seeing the fullest possible variety of animals. Visit hippo pools in the Seronera Valley, forests where leopard and colobus monkeys live in the treetops, kopjes where lions laze in the shade, and riversides where large animals congregate to drink. Return to your lodge for excellent meals and time to relax on your private balcony, swim in the infinity pool, and perhaps take in a Maasai cultural program or guided nature walk.

Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge (BLD)

Begin the day with a last game drive across the Serengeti Plain. Depart after breakfast to your final safari destination, Lake Manyara. Game view in this small but abundant park centered on a Great Rift Valley lake dotted with flamingos and a wide variety of other animals. Overnight in a beautiful lodge overlooking the lake’s glittering waters.

Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge (BLD)

After breakfast depart Lake Manyara Park for Arusha. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant followed by airport transfer for your flight back home.