11-Day Big Five & Beyond Safari in Kenya and Tanzania

You'll enjoy a morning game drive in the Serengeti before heading to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You'll descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a wildlife paradise home to the Big Five, black rhinos, hippos, and large prides of lions. You'll explore the diverse landscapes, from open grasslands to acacia forests, and enjoy a picnic lunch by a hippo pool. A World Heritage Site, the crater hosts almost every species found in the region except the giraffe (they can’t negotiate the steep incline down). There are cheetah, hippo, plains species, and a myriad of birds. Here is one of the few remaining places it’s possible to encounter the highly endangered black rhino. It is also possible to see elephants (mostly lone or “bachelor” bulls, contented prides of lions, a resident herd of wildebeest, and zebras.

The day will be spent visiting Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is famous for its elephants and, in the dry season, is home to huge herds of buffalo and significant numbers of zebra and wildebeest. There are long vistas and a baobab-studded landscape, which makes for a very different environment from the other parks. Red dust, palms, and baobabs set the scene for glorious sunrise and sunset photos. During the dry season, the Tarangire River is the only source of water for miles around, attracting herds of elephants, wildebeest, and zebras. This park is a good place to see the elusive leopard, and there are over 550 species of birds that breed here, the most in any habitat in the world.