6-day honeymoon safari

Six days across the four great parks of the north, planned for two people who do not want to be organised at. Private vehicle, quiet rooms, a bush breakfast after the morning drive, and a guide who knows when to talk and when to park by the river and say nothing.

• Elephant herds and baobabs in Tarangire
• Lake Manyara forest, flamingos and the escarpment view
• Two nights in the central Serengeti
• A dawn descent into the Ngorongoro Crater
• A private dinner or bush breakfast arranged quietly

Day by day

The itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1

   Arusha to Tarangire National Park

   Your guide collects you after breakfast for the drive south west to Tarangire. The park is baobab country and holds some of the largest elephant herds in the north, with the river drawing wildlife in through the dry months. An afternoon game drive, then a lodge with a view and a long evening.

   Overnight Tarangire area lodge

2. 2

   Day 2

   Tarangire to Lake Manyara

   A short transfer to Lake Manyara, where groundwater forest gives way to floodplain and a shallow soda lake. Blue monkeys and baboons in the forest, elephant and buffalo on the grassland, flamingos on the water and, if the day goes your way, lions resting in the acacias. The escarpment viewpoint on the way out is worth the stop.

   Overnight Lake Manyara or Karatu lodge

3. 3

   Day 3

   Lake Manyara to the central Serengeti

   The road climbs through the Ngorongoro highlands and then the country opens out and keeps opening. The transfer doubles as a game drive: wildebeest and zebra on the short grass, and often a first predator before camp. An afternoon drive around Seronera, then dinner under a very large sky.

   Overnight Central Serengeti camp

4. 4

   Day 4

   A full day in the Serengeti

   The day is yours to shape. Out at first light for the cats, back to camp through the hot middle of the day, and out again in the afternoon, or one long drive with a picnic if the sightings are far out. A dawn balloon flight and a bush breakfast can be arranged for this morning.

   Overnight Central Serengeti camp

5. 5

   Day 5

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro

   A final morning drive on the plains, then the scenic road east through the conservation area, with lunch on the way and Maasai herds beside the track. You reach the crater rim in the late afternoon, which is the right time to be there: the light drops into the bowl and the whole thing goes gold.

   Overnight Ngorongoro rim lodge

6. 6

   Day 6

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   Descend at first light, ahead of the day-trip vehicles, for a morning on the crater floor: black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and flamingos on the lake. Picnic lunch by the hippo pool, then the climb out and the drive to Arusha for your onward flight, or the hop to Zanzibar if you are carrying on to the coast.

   Overnight Trip ends in Arusha

Yours, not ours

Make it yours

This is the version we start from. Here is what usually changes. Tell us which one and we will work it through with you.

• How many days Add a night in the Serengeti, or drop one and go straight for the crater.
• The camps Simple and comfortable, mid-range lodges, or canvas with a view and a bath.
• Add-ons A balloon at first light, a walking safari, an afternoon in a village.
• Pace for children Later starts, shorter drives, and a pool at the end of the day.
• Zanzibar extension Three or four nights on the coast once the last game drive is done.

Parks on this trip

Worth adding

Optional, priced separately, and easy to slot in when we build your itinerary.

• Balloon safari over the Serengeti

  An hour above the plains at dawn, then a bush breakfast where you land.

Questions about this kind of trip