7 days highlights between Kilimanjaro and Serengeti

Day 1: Arrival

Transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to your hotel near Arusha National Park.

Accommodation: African View Lodge or similar

Day 2: Coffee Tour

On the slopes of Mt. Meru, one of the best Arabica coffees in East Africa is grown – one of Tanzania’s most important exports. 95% of these aromatic beans are grown on local smallholder farms. During your “coffee walk” you will experience the daily life of Meru farmers in the region and learn interesting facts about coffee cultivation, harvesting and processing. On your way to the Usa River, you will pass a forest where you may have the opportunity to observe the impressive Colobus monkeys.

Accommodations: African View Lodge or similar.

Day 3: Tarangire National Park

Game drive in Tarangire NP, where huge baobab trees form a spectacular background. The Tarangire River and the swamps in the southern part of the park attract many animals, especially in the dry season. The park is especially known for its large herds of elephants bearing impressive tusks.

Accommodation: Tarangire View Camp or similar

Day 4 & 5: Serengeti National Park

You will drive up the escarpment of the Rift Valley and cross the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before continuing to the Serengeti National Park. The road winds through impressive mountain forests, along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, before descending onto the short grassy plains of the Serengeti. Along the way you will enjoy fantastic views of the Ngorongoro caldera, some mighty volcanoes and the vast plains interrupted only by “kopjes” – “heads” – as these granite rocks, polished by erosion into rounded shapes, are called. The Serengeti is a paradise for cattle breeders. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and other animals such as zebra and Thompson’s gazelle roam this unique ecosystem on their annual migration, always followed by lions and hyenas in pursuit of prey. On a game drive in the Serengeti National Park, you are likely to see elephants, buffalo, giraffes, ostriches and many other species. If you are lucky, you may see a cheetah or even a leopard resting in a tree during the day. Crocodiles and hippos can be found in or near the rivers.

Accommodation: Serengeti View Camp or similar.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater

Morning game drive in the Serengeti on the way to Ngorongoro Crater. Afternoon game drive in the crater, which is called the “Garden of Eden” and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. Here you have a good chance to see all the “Big 5”. Besides elephants, buffalos, leopards and many lions, there are also more than 20 rhinos living in the crater, sharing the area of only 260 square kilometers with countless wildebeests, antelopes, zebras and almost all other species of East African fauna.

Accommodation: Octagon Lodge or similar.

Day 7: Departure

Morning at leisure. Continue to Arusha Airstrip (Kilimanjaro Airport + 20 USD per person). Return flight or onward flight, e.g. to Zanzibar.