This itinerary starts will a visit to Ngorongoro Crater, rated among the top five safari destinations in Africa. You will then have a multi-day stay inside the World's #1 Safari Destination, Serengeti National Park. We then finish the itinerary exploring the little visited Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano. This is a superb itinerary offering a week that will stay in your memory forever.

Day 1: After an early breakfast at your hotel, we drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and proceed to descend down the 600m (2000ft) Ngorongoro Crater wall. At the crater floor you will notice the sheer beauty of the crater and why UNESCO has listed this as a World Heritage Site. You will also notice how densly populated the crater is with safari animals. It is unfortunate however that this destination also has a high number of fellow tourists. All of the "Big 5 Safari Animals" are present here - elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, lions, and leopard. This is among the best safari destinations in the world but it is not large, just 20km in diameter so we will need only a few hours here. All vehicles must exit the crater before 6pm so by that time we will head to our evening's accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight rest.

Day 2: After breakfast, we will travel west, crossing the rest to the NCA. There are optional side trips along the way. One option is to visit Olduvai Gorge Museum - this is an important paleoanthropology site made famous by the research of Drs Louis and Mary Leakey. This option requires advance notice since the entry fee must be paid online by Hike, Talk, Stay Adventures in advance. Another option is to visit a Maasai village for an hour or two. Once we reach the western boundry of the NCA, we cross into the Serengeti. Game viewing will increasingly get better as we approach the Seronera portion of the Serengeti (central Serengeti). We will spend the afternoon game viewing until early evening when we drive to our evening's accommodation for the night.

Days 3, 4, 5: Depending on what time of the year you are traveling we will go on game drives in the portion of the Serengeti that has the best game viewing at that time. If traveling December - March we would spend time in southern Serengeti (Ndutu) where the the migration herds are staying. If you are traveling during the months of July - October we would spend time in Kogatende (northern Serengeti) where the migration herds congregate near the Mara River. Otherwise Seronera (central Serengeti) is the best. If you wish to experience an early morning balloon safari ($600/person additional cost) this is your chance. The ballon safari must be booked in advance. The actual air time is approximately one hour and the price includes an elegent full bush breakfast with sparking wine (and/or juice).

Day 6: This day we will be exiting out of the Serengeti at the far northern portion and drive to the fascinating Lake Natron. This lake is highly alkaline, with a pH very near than of ammonia. Only a type of algea can live in the water but this algae is highly favored by flamingoes so they tend to come in huge flocks. Not far from Lake Natron is Ol Doinyo Lengai (translated from the Maasai language as "Mountain of God"). This is Tanzania's only active volcano. This area is very hot and desolate. But there is a hidden suprise - we will go on a hike to a hidden waterfalls (Ngare Sero Waterfall) in a narrow gorge. This is safe for a refreshing swim. After hiking back to the vehicle, we will go to our evening's accommodation for the night.

Day 7: After breakfast we will explore the area a little more before we drive to Arusha/Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)/Moshi for the end of the itinerary.