The Ngorongoro Highlands is a unique area for a walking holiday -
forested rolling hillsides and craters, above the Great Rift Valley escarpment in Tanzania. After glimpsing the world famous Ngorongoro Crater we travel further into this World Heritage Site to the spectacular Empakaai Crater. The first two days are spent exploring the craters, walking through the savannah and hills of this amazing area and staying at another of its famous craters, on our way back to the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world's best wildlife watching destinations, the spectacular setting of the crater, which is 20km in diameter and with walls 600m high acts as a natural barrier that the animals tend to stay within. We spend a night in one of the crater-rim lodges before descending the next day in four-wheel drive vehicles to the floor of the crater to spot game. We are sure to see many of the more common animals and will not leave disappointed. We leave the crater and travel to almost the Serengeti before turning north and heading through the western Serengeti plains to the remote Gol Mountains. This is the start of our three day walk through the Gol Mountains, part of the internationally designated Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Loliondo Game Reserve.
Walking over rolling grasslands and savannah we head west over a few days of peace and solitude to the shores of Lake Natron, home to countless flamingos. There is also the optional ascent of volcanic Oldoinyo Lengai (2878m) for those wishing to climb to its summit, and from here we travel south along the bottom of the Great Rift Valley to spot game in Lake Manyara National Park, before spending our last night in a lodge overlooking the park from the top of the escarpment (with optional bush dinner and night game drive). A final game drive in the park the next morning as part of the drive back to Arusha and our flight home confirms we have experienced as much of this amazing part of the world as possible - this holiday has it all!
Why not extend your trip and enjoy East
Africa for a little longer either by combining any of our trips, or
by adding a safari or beach extension detailed on our
Trip Extensions
page.
| Itinerary |
10 day trip |
|
Day
1:
Fly from UK to Kilimanjaro airport,
arrive mid-evening, drive to Arusha hotel
Day
2:
Drive
to Ngorongoro Highlands to our camp overlooking Empakaai
Crater
Day
3:
Explore Empakaai Crater, 5-6hr walk in the highlands to Olmoti
Crater camp
Day
4:
5-6 hour walk from camp to our lodge on the rim of the
Ngorongoro Crater
Day
5:
Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater, drive to Mosonik camp in Gol
Mountains
Day
6:
Walk for 5 hrs walk in the Gol Mountains wilderness to our
camp at Sanjan
Day
7:
Walk 5-6 hrs down the Great Rift Valley escarpment, camp near
Lake Natron
Day
8:
Climb Oldoinyo Lengai or walk to a nearby waterfall, lunch at
Lake Natron,
afternoon
game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, overnight at
lodge
Day
9:
Morning game drive in the park, drive to Arusha hotel, evening
flight home Day
10:
Arrive back in the UK
mid-morning |
| Sunday 18 January - Tuesday 27 January 2009 |
Trip Ref - NH180109 |
| Friday 12 June - Sunday 21 June 2009 |
Trip Ref - NH120609 |
| Friday 11 September - Sunday 20 September 2009 |
Trip Ref - NH110909 |
If you
want to travel on a different date, and/or with your own
group of family or friends, just go to Make my own adventure to create your own adventure
trip.
General
Information | How to
Book | Group
Size | Trip
Extensions
|
 |
|
