12-Day Maasai Land Trekking Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro

After breakfast you drive to Longido Maasai village and meet your Maasai walking guides. You walk through the foothills of Mount Longido, learning about local plants and their traditional uses, with views across northern Tanzania when the weather is clear. The walk takes about five to seven hours. In the evening you share Maasai food and storytelling with the local community.

After an early breakfast you continue into the foothills of Mount Longido, climbing towards higher viewpoints where, on a clear day, you can see Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro and the Rift Valley. After lunch you walk on towards Kitumbeine Maasai village through traditional Maasai country. The distance, about 10 to 20 km, depends on the route agreed for your group.

Today you walk around Kitumbeine to a ridge viewpoint, over rocky, uneven ground that climbs steadily. After enjoying the view you come down part of the way and continue towards the Ngarirat area. Later in the day you explore the surroundings on foot, looking for wildlife and birds around the seasonal wetland, before returning to the village for the night.

You continue towards Gelai through the rugged country of the Rift Valley. With uphill sections and exposed ground, this is one of the harder walking days of the trip, so start early and carry plenty of water. Along the way you may see zebras, giraffes and gerenuk, and many kinds of birds. You reach Gelai Village Campsite for dinner and the night.

After breakfast you head to the Ngare Sero area and walk up to the waterfalls, with time by the natural pools where conditions allow. After lunch you continue to Lake Natron, an important wetland known for its flamingos and its dramatic Rift Valley setting, before going on to your campsite for dinner. Tonight marks the end of the walking part of the trip.

After breakfast you leave Lake Natron and drive to Serengeti National Park, entering through the north of the ecosystem. From the gate you game drive towards the central Serengeti, watching for elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, lions and other wildlife along the way. You reach your campsite in time for dinner.

You start with an early game drive to see the Serengeti at sunrise, when the animals are most active, then return to camp for breakfast before a full day on the plains. Your guide chooses where to go according to wildlife movements, road conditions and the season. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, wildebeest, zebras and giraffes are all possible, with many birds besides. You return after an evening drive.

A second full day in the Serengeti gives you time to explore different areas and to go back to anything you missed. You have a picnic or hot lunch during the day, depending on where the game is, and continue your game drive into the afternoon. In the evening you return to camp for dinner and your last night in the park.

You start with an early game drive before returning to camp for breakfast, then drive towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, game viewing on the way. You stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important sites in the story of human evolution. Then you continue up into the Ngorongoro highlands and arrive at the crater rim for the night.

After an early breakfast you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive. The crater holds a remarkable concentration of wildlife, and you may see lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and, with luck, the endangered black rhino. You have a picnic lunch on the crater floor before climbing out and driving to your campsite.

After breakfast you drive to Lake Manyara National Park for your last game drive, through groundwater forest, open plains, wetlands and the lakeshore. Look for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, monkeys and birds, and for the tree-climbing lions, which are seen only now and then. After the game drive we drive you to Kilimanjaro Airport for your departure.