10 Days Bird Watching Safari in Tanzania

Day 1: Arrival

Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro airport, you will be welcomed by our representative and transported to your hotel in Arusha. Spend evening at leisure of your hotel or relax and prepare for your safari through northern Tanzania

Day 2: Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park is one of the smallest and easily accessible national parks in Tanzania. It is situated between Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro, and is home to a diverse range of small game, as well as larger animals such as giraffes, elephants, Black and White Colobus monkeys, water buffaloes, and bushbucks. Additionally, the park boasts over 400 species of birds. Visitors have the opportunity to observe wildlife amidst the stunning scenery of Mount Meru, Momella lakes, waterfalls, swamps, and steep cliffs. 

One of the park’s main attractions is the Ngurdoto crater, which spans almost two miles in diameter. The views from the crater’s rim are magnificent, and visitors may even spot a variety of wildlife grazing on the crater floor. For those who enjoy walking safaris, Arusha National Park is the perfect destination. Visitors may also partake in a unique canoe safari on the Momella lakes. Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation. 

Day 3 – 4: Tarangire National Park

You will depart Arusha in the morning and heading to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is widely regarded as one of the premier locations in Africa for observing large herds of elephants in close proximity. This is due not only to the presence of thousands of these majestic animals roaming the park, but also to the fact that they are not disturbed by the presence of vehicles or humans. In addition to the park’s impressive baobab trees, another major attraction is the presence of tree-climbing pythons in the acacia woodlands. 

While Tarangire is also home to buffaloes, zebras, and a variety of bird species, orix are relatively scarce. Leopards, which tend to sleep in trees during the day, are rarely seen in daylight hours. From the elevated vantage point of an open-roofed safari vehicle, visitors can take in the breathtaking landscape of the savannah, which is adorned with massive baobab trees, as well as swamplands and wooded areas. Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation.

Day 5: Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast you will head to Lake Manyara, an alkaline lake, rich with plant and bird life. Lake Manyara National Park is situated amidst the Great Rift Valley escarpment to the East and the lake Manyara to the West. This park is a natural habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including baboons, elephants, zebras, hippos, flamingos, giraffes, various primates, and several types of antelope. 

The elusive tree climbing lions add to the excitement and thrill of a safari in this park. Additionally, Lake Manyara is renowned for its lush vegetation, more than 400 bird species, and a large alkaline lake that serves as the seasonal breeding ground for numerous colonies of flamingos. The park’s diverse habitats provide a home to a variety of wildlife, including different species of mammals, reptiles, and birds. 

A major attraction of the park is the 400m canopy walk, which commences with a short board-walk and gradually ascends from ground level through the Manyara forest. Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater

In the morning after an early breakfast, you will be one of the first vehicles descending the 600 meters (2,000ft) into Ngorongoro Crater for superb game viewing with picnic lunch boxes. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which boasts the Ngorongoro Crater as its crown jewel, is a wildlife area of exceptional features. The crater itself is home to 30,000 animals and is the only place in Africa where one can almost certainly see the Big 5. 

Additionally, Ngorongoro is one of the few places where the endangered African black rhino can be observed. As this area is not an official national park, the Maasai people reside here without any boundaries, and visitors have the opportunity to encounter them in their natural habitat. At the crater floor, visitors can also witness large groups of lions, while at Lake Magadi, they can observe big herds of water buffalos and hippos in their own pool while enjoying a picnic lunch. 

The bird life is also impressive, with over 500 species recorded, including thousands of greater and lesser flamingos, sandpipers, storks, and vultures. Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation.

Day 7 – 9: Serengeti National Park

After breakfast you will head to Serengeti National Park, which is unequivocally the most renowned wildlife reserve in the entirety of Africa. Despite its name originating from the Maasai term for endless plains, the Serengeti offers a diverse range of habitats and landscapes. It is a complex ecosystem that encompasses areas of acacia forests, river vegetation, soda lakes, and granite mountains.

The most notable spectacle hosted within this park is undoubtedly the Great Migration, where over 2 million wildebeests and zebras embark on a journey from Maasai Mara in Kenya towards Southern Serengeti in search of verdant pastures. The Serengeti is home to a variety of animal species, including wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, ostrich, cheetah, hyena, leopard, lion, jackal, and vultures. The park has also recorded over 500 species of birds, with several of them being endemic to this area. Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation.

Day 10: Departure

Today, after breakfast, you will check out from your accommodation and we will transport you to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight home, or to hotel in Arusha or Moshi in anticipation for some other adventure like climbing Kilimanjaro or visiting Zanzibar island.