Budget Tanzania Tour 

Walking Safari in Arusha National Park
Accompanied by a park ranger, we will choose from a number of routes, depending on what this small but beautiful park has to offer today and how far you might want to walk. Your park ranger might show you the deep holes dug by aardvarks, or explain how an acacia tree emits a warning scent to other acacias! Be on the lookout for zebra, duiker, giraffe and hippo. The black-and-white colobus monkey is a favourite in this park, while in the skies, egrets and sacred ibis can often be observed. Even the trees have a story to tell. You might meet the aptly named strangler fig, which sucks the life out of other trees. pends years sucking the life out of its victim – perhaps an unsuspecting juniper. You might encounter warthog and buffalo, often seen together, with the former possessing a good sense of sight and hearing, while the buffalo relies on smell to alert to impending danger. A perfect symbiosis.

You might also have the chance to visit one of the park’s picturesque waterfalls, such as Talulusia, as it plummets 30 metres down to a rocky base. After our walking safari, we will enjoy our well-earned lunch, before our afternoon activities.

Canoeing Safari in Arusha National Park
As colourful dragonflies buzz around this small lake, a birdwatcher’s paradise you will take to the water for a different type of adventure. But it’s not insects, but hippos which are the big attraction here. Very territorial, they will let you know with a threatening bellow if your canoe gets too close! In the distance, magnificent Mount Meru might show its summit above the clouds. Perhaps a few flamingos might put on a little air display, taking off, circling seemingly pointlessly and then returning to the water surface. Everywhere, a sense of calm prevails…yet the thought of the giant three-tonne hippos being out there, somewhere, leaves us with a sense of nervousness.

Afternoon Game Drive in Arusha National Park
It may be small, but Arusha National Park can boast numerous highlights, which your morning activities will have demonstrated! But this afternoon, we will relax in our vehicle as your driver-guide shows you the rest of what this little gem has to offer.

And its areas are impressively different, with Mount Meru towering above the Momela Lakes, the montane forest area and the perfectly formed crater of Ngurdoto. In some ways, this is a Tanzania in miniature!

But Tarangire is also home to buffalo, lion, wildebeest, zebra and gazelle and the park can rival Serengeti for sheer animal densities. What might you see today? Perhaps a solitary male lion stretched out beneath a tree, perhaps a trio of male cheetah enjoying some lazy bonding-time in the sun. Maybe some graceful Grant’s gazelle or zebra bounding away from the road or a couple of giraffe munching happily from the choicest acacia branches. For Tarangire specialities, look out for kudu and oryx.

Here as in other parks, it pays not to ignore the small animals. It’s so easy to be mesmerized by the power and majesty of an elephant or the elegance of the giraffe. Ask your guide to find you an agama lizard, especially a male one who changes colour in front of you according to the temperature! Or a hyrax, known as pimpi, an insignificant-looking creature of around 30cm in length…who astonishingly is related to elephant!

Not many trees will pass you by without something of avian interest catching your eye. A memorable flash of colour might be a lilac-breasted roller or blue-eared starling. Ostrich are plentiful and it’s hard not to chuckle at the sighting of the well-named, studious-looking secretary bird as it awkwardly pads across the grasslands. The park is also famous for its splendid baobab trees, rolling savannah and acacia woodland. It can be dusty – wear a scarf over your mouth – but this is a minor inconvenience for sighting wildlife in such abundance.

Enjoy the tranquillity as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park ‘home’. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell!

Perhaps your guide and ranger will explain the importance of the rhino-horned dung beetle, or exchange bird calls with the sulphur-breasted bull shrike. Maybe you’ll taste a desert date, a popular snack for monkeys! And all the time, you’ll feel the tension that only a walking safari can bring: the desire to find large mammals conflicting with the need to stay safe!

In silence, in single file, you’ll make your way through the bush, perhaps stumbling across a giraffe chomping on high branches or a herd of elephants grazing gently. Don’t worry, your ranger is an expert: your safety is his chief concern. After our walk – and, of course, our lunch – we set off to Ngorongoro where we will spend the night.

This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.

The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colourful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor.

Meal plan
Breakfast is served at Ngorongoro Simba Campsite. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by our safari chef for you to take out on safari and enjoyed after your morning game-drive, before we return you to the airport for your flight home. As today is your departure day, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

Departure Instructions
Please note that the Budget Tanzania Tour – 6 Days safari ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.30 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.40 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.

Post Tour Extension
After your exhilarating time on safari, you may want to extend your Tanzanian holiday with time on Zanzibar’s wonderful beaches. Please contact us for details.