Tanzania Highlights

After a delicious breakfast, you will be met by your Asilia driver or driver-guide, depending on the itinerary you have chosen. The driving safari will take you through the bustling town of Arusha before heading in a westerly direction, passing small settlements and perhaps a trading market. When passing through the small town of Mto wa Mbu, look out for bicycles laden with large clusters of bananas. A game drive through Lake Manyara National Park offers an immediate immersion into the bush and wildlife of Tanzania. The park centres around a large alkaline lake which attracts a variety of birdlife throughout the year, including greater and lesser pink flamingo between November and April, as well as pelicans, storks, herons and the flightless hippo. On the grassy plains and amongst the acacia woodlands, keep an eye open for lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. Enjoy a picnic lunch a cold drink in the shade, before continuing your journey towards Ngorongoro.

From here, the road begins to climb and the elevation changes as you ascend the steep walls of the Great Rift Valley, through the town of Karatu and into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The steep road ascends the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater through lush and dense tropical jungle, until you arrive on the crater rim road with a spectacular viewpoint over the crater. If the weather is clear, this is a mandatory stopping point for photographs and the opportunity to stretch the legs. Heading in a clockwise direction around the crater rim, make your way almost to the opposite side and into the welcoming space of Entamanu Camp.

If you have chosen the upgraded flying safari, your driver will transfer you through Arusha town to the small, but busy, Arusha Airport. The hub of Tanzania’s Northern Circuit, this airport is a constant hive activity throughout the daylight hours. It’s a short flight to Manyara Airstrip where you will be met by a safari guide from The Highlands. Enjoy the scenic drive up and out of the Great Rift Valley, following the same route as the driving safari until reaching the viewpoint. From here, your journey takes you in an anti-clockwise direction around the crater rim, eventually heading away from the crater rim and into the green rolling highlands of Ngorongoro. Pass by goat herders and waving school children as you circumnavigate the base of Ol Moti Crater, arriving on its northern slopes and the warmth of The Highlands. There’s a late lunch waiting for you with the remainder of the afternoon at your leisure to enjoy the views from your veranda.