Have a wonderful early breakfast at your hotel in Arusha and let the adventure begin on the road to Lake Natron (famous for its flamingo herds).  If this is your first trip to Africa, you’ll learn that the journey is half the fun!  Watch for donkeys, cattle and all sorts of new flora and fauna on your way to Lake Natron.  You’re likely to start spotting animals along the way; watch for giraffes, zebra, and warthogs.  Watch the scenery change as you safari (yes. safari is a verb in Swahili!).  As the day warms up, stop for a packed picnic lunch.  Pause for goat herds crossing the road in front of you, and drive through a river or two.  As you approach Lake Natron, you will see Ol Doinyo Lengai, the famous “Mountain of God” rising above you.  For the Maasai people, this mountain is the home of God.  It is also the only active volcano in the world that erupts natrocarbonatite lava.  Watch for kingfishers and other interesting birds at your lodge.

Visit Lake Natron briefly as you depart, then continue on your way.  Today you will have a fascinating drive through the Rift Valley, as you climb up the Rift Valley and head over it towards the Serengeti.  It’s a full day’s drive, and dry and dusty along the way, but with fascinating scenery as you go up and up and up.  Watch for raptors and other birds high up in the mountains.   Your guide will point out interesting fauna and flora along the way. Enter the Serengeti via Klein’s gate (a moment to remember if this is your first trip to the Serengeti), and enjoy a game drive towards your accommodation.  Excitement builds from the moment you see the signs welcoming you to the Serengeti, and animals are often near the gate waiting to welcome you in!

Savour your last morning game drive in the Serengeti as you head down towards the Naabi hill Gate.  As you leave the Serengeti, you may want to walk the trail at the gate and enjoy your last views – and see what birds you can spot here!  Then head down towards Lake Eyasi, which fills with shallow water during the rainy season.  Your guide will help you identify the birds that come from far and near to breed in these waters.  See if you can spot a honeyguide; the birds that are said to help the Hadza tribes locate bee’s nests in trees.  Go out on a ‘hunting’ adventure on foot with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers, one of East Africa’s oldest tribes who still live by hunting and gathering.  You will get to see their skill with bow and arrow, and how they follow tracks, and possibly even how they track mice by listening for movement under the sand.

This day will be spectacular.  After breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game drives.  You will see the large numbers of animals living in this (relatively) small space, a World Heritage Site.  The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera formed when the Ngorongoro volcano exploded some 2 million years ago.  Some 25,000 animals live in the Crater, including Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebra, eland and many other species.  You may even have a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.  Your guide will point out birds as you explore, but you won’t need his or her help to find the masses of pink flamingos that congregate on lakes inside the crater!  The pink spectacle explodes all around you.  Stop for a delicious picnic lunch under the yellow fever trees, and then continue your game drives all afternoon.  Imagine the Maasai walking their cattle down into the crater for grazing for the day, and then back out again before nightfall!

Spend the morning exploring Lake Manyara, with lots more opportunities to find the tree-climbing lions!  Stretch your legs at the boardwalk and hot springs, and watch all the hippos in the Lake.  Go for a walk high above the treetop canopy on a suspended walkway and see what more birds (and butterflies) you can spot as you look down on the forest canopy from above.  How many different colors of birds can you spot?  The malachite kingfisher is a glorious burst of color, as are the different types of bee-eaters.  As you game drive down the lake, you are already heading towards Tarangire National Park, your next stop.  The drive itself is fascinating as you watch the scenery change along the way from the Rift Valley Walls to the dryer land towards Tarangire, home of the elephant herds, Baobabs, and termite mounds.  You will see (and possibly drive over) sand rivers, and see the land change to slightly more cultivated land with small houses scattered across the landscape.  During the afternoon, you may even have the chance for a short game drive inside Tarangire.  Make sure you have your bird books handy – although you may or may not need them thanks to your guide’s expertise.  Still, it’s often fun to be able to look up the birds you see, and learn more about them. Many guests have said that Tarangire is really their favorite of all the national parks they visit; you might just find yourself among them!

Enjoy a morning game drive in Tarangire.  Watch elephants thundering down the hillside towards you, or Zebra kicking up the river water with their hooves.  Watch giraffe running through the acacia, and see if you can spot a lion, just waiting for someone to come near.  See how many different varieties of birds you can spot, as your guide is quick to point them out if you are interested. After another picnic lunch and a last short game drive, when your mind is full of elephants, lions, and giraffes, it is time to head back on the road to Arusha for your departure.  If you have time after lunch, you may be able to stop at one of the local cooperatives near Tarangire and admire the products made by local people.