Tanzania: Empakaai to Natron
An adventure trek and safari
Three days on foot through the Ngorongoro highlands and down to Lake Natron, followed by five nights of comfortable safari in Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. It is for people who want to feel a place under their boots as well as see it from a vehicle.
Good to know. This is not a luxury journey from start to finish. You camp for three nights on the trek, in tents with simpler facilities than the lodges, and the walking days run from about 40 minutes to eight hours. You do not need to be an athlete, but you should be comfortable walking for several hours. The safari nights that follow are in comfortable lodges and camps.
Night 1
Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha
1 night · Arusha · Best for: landing softly
Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro airport and takes you to a quiet lodge outside Arusha. Nothing to do but arrive, and spend the afternoon by the pool. It is the last proper bed for a few nights, so enjoy it.
- Met at the airport by your private guide
- An easy afternoon by the pool
- Time to repack: soft bags, layers and sturdy boots for the trek
Night 2
Empakaai Crater campsite
1 night · Empakaai Crater · Best for: a crater almost nobody sees · Camping
After a morning drive up through the Ngorongoro highlands, you reach the rim of Empakaai, a deep crater with a soda lake and a forest on its floor. With a ranger you walk down to the crater floor (about 40 minutes), then climb back up for sundowners and a night under canvas.
- Descent to the crater floor with a ranger
- Flamingos on the lake, breeding in September and October
- Sundowners on the rim, then camp
Why it is here: This is the part of Tanzania most visitors never see. It is quiet, it is dramatic, and you earn it on foot.
Night 3
Acacia campsite, Ngorongoro Highlands
1 night · Ngorongoro Highlands · Best for: walking with the Maasai · Camping
The longest day of the trek: around eight hours on foot through the hills with Maasai guides, passing villages and open grassland, with donkeys travelling with you. It is a real day of walking, but at a steady pace and with plenty of stops.
- A full day hiking with Maasai guides
- Passing Maasai villages and herders
- An optional shorter walk to a viewpoint for sundowners
Why it is here: It is the best way I know to see this part of Tanzania, and the Maasai guides make it far more than a hike.
Night 4
Lake Natron Tented Camp
1 night · Lake Natron · Best for: a lake that glows red · Camping
A shorter walk of around four hours towards Lake Natron, dropping down towards the floor of the Rift Valley. After a drive to camp, you walk out to the shores of the lake in the late afternoon, a landscape that looks like nowhere else in Africa.
- A morning hike down towards the Rift Valley
- Late-afternoon walk to the lake shores
- Flamingos, huge skies and Ol Doinyo Lengai in the distance
Night 5
Escarpment Luxury Lodge, Lake Manyara region
2 nights · Lake Manyara · Best for: a proper rest
A morning game drive and a walk with a Maasai guide to a waterfall, where you can swim. Then the drive to the Lake Manyara region, a hot shower, a real bed and a cold drink. Your second day is a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.
- Waterfall walk and a swim
- Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park
- Hippo pools, forest monkeys and, with luck, tree-climbing lions
Why it is here: After three nights of camping, you will be very glad of the lodge. It is also where the safari side of the trip begins.
Night 7
Lion's Paw Camp, Ngorongoro Crater
1 night · Ngorongoro Conservation Area · Best for: the crater floor
You descend the crater walls after breakfast to a wide floor with some of the densest wildlife in Africa. It is one of the few places where there is a real chance of seeing a black rhino.
- Game drive on the crater floor
- Black rhino, lion and large herds
- Flamingos when the soda lake is breeding
Nights 8 and 9
Nanyukie Tented Lodge, Serengeti
2 nights · Serengeti National Park · Best for: cats on open plains
You drive through the conservation area to the Serengeti for two nights of classic safari. The plains are open and easy to read, with cheetah, lion cubs and leopard, and sundowners at the lodge in the evening.
The second day is yours to shape: one long drive, or a morning and an afternoon drive with a hot lunch in between.
- Cheetah, lion and leopard
- Sundowners at the lodge
- Optional sunrise hot air balloon
Optional finish: after a last game drive, you can fly from the Serengeti to Zanzibar for a few nights on the beach, or back to Arusha for your flight home. A sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti can also be added.
Pricing depends on your group size and the camps you choose. Tell me what you have in mind and I will give you a figure.
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