Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro in Tanzania

“On the left side of the jeep, there was a lioness, and on the right side of the jeep, two unsuspecting wildebeests were walking.”

Our journey took place in the month of May. The goal of this trip was to visit three parks in 9 days. The itinerary included Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro National Park. If you have more time, you can also consider adding Lake Manyara to your itinerary since it’s conveniently on the way.

Day 1 AMSTERDAM – ARUSHA
We departed from Amsterdam to Arusha, Tanzania, with KLM. We landed in Arusha in the evening, where we were greeted by the team from Roy Safaris who would accompany us during our journey. We spent the night at the Kibo Palace in Arusha, ready to head to our first park the next morning.

Day 2 TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
After a two-hour drive, we arrived at Tarangire National Park, known for its abundant elephants and rich birdlife. We didn’t stay inside the park but just outside it. As soon as we entered the park, we encountered some braying zebras standing by the roadside, as if they were waiting for us. Further along, we also spotted some kudus, giraffes, a lilac-breasted roller, a black kite, and, of course, a herd of elephants with a few baby elephants. In the afternoon, we saw more elephants and various raptors.

Day 3 TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Early in the morning, we were awakened by a family of warthogs grazing and playing right in front of our tent. In the park, we once again encountered several elephants, a Verreaux’s eagle, two resting lions on a sandbank in the Tarangire River, and some buffaloes. At a waterhole, we counted a hundred pelicans, and nearby, an osprey was being harassed by two Marabou Storks. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly when a herd of elephants, including baby elephants, came to drink from the Tarangire River. The clumsy way the baby elephants drank from the water was endearing! On our way out of the park, we also encountered some ostriches.

Day 4 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
In the early morning, we set out for Serengeti National Park, which would be a relatively long journey. Along the way, we passed Lake Manyara and had to navigate the treacherous Ngorongoro Pass—a narrow, sandy road where two-way traffic is allowed. It can be quite alarming to suddenly come face to face with a truck after a hairpin turn. As we drove through the mountains, we passed several Masai warrior villages. In the late afternoon, we finally entered Serengeti National Park. Shortly after the entrance, we saw two golden jackals playing with a piece of plastic—quite an amusing sight! Now, it was another 80 kilometers to our lodge, the Serengeti Serena Lodge. The drive to our lodge provided us with some incredible sightings, including a tribe of hyenas, vultures (including the Lappet-faced vulture), a family of cheetahs with three cubs that inspected our jeep and almost jumped inside, and, towards the end, a leopard resting in a tree. It resulted in some stunning photos! What a day!

DAY 5 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
After a superb breakfast at the fantastic Serengeti Serena Lodge, we set out to explore the Serengeti. Just a few meters in, we had to stop for a herd of about 600 zebras! Further on, we encountered a lioness that had just killed a wildebeest and was recovering from her meal. We left our lioness and continued driving. Soon, we came across a herd of wildebeests. Our guide estimated there were about 400 of them. The migration was clearly underway. In the afternoon, we often had to weave our way through herds of wildebeests and zebras. We also spotted several battleur eagles, a leopard, a hyena, and some hippos fighting in a waterhole.

DAY 6 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Today, we opted for a full-day game drive, hoping to witness a live kill during our journey. Given the large number of wildebeests and zebras in the area, this seemed likely. After an hour of driving, we encountered a lioness with two cubs. We followed her for a while before continuing our journey. After our midday lunch, our guide immediately spotted a cheetah on a termite mound. It started to rain gently, and in the distance, we saw another jeep. When we reached the jeep, it turned out that this might be our lucky day because on the left side of the jeep, there was a lioness, and on the right side of the jeep, two unsuspecting wildebeests were walking. At one point, there was only about 10 meters between the lioness and the wildebeests, at which point, the lioness seized her opportunity and pounced from her cover. What followed was pure adrenaline! The wildebeests sprinted with the lioness in pursuit…and she narrowly missed. Reviewing the camera footage afterward, we saw just how close it was. A missed opportunity!

Further along, we encountered an enormous herd of wildebeests with a group of lions not far away. This had the potential to be interesting, so we decided to wait and see if any action would unfold. Unfortunately, nothing happened, and we drove back to our lodge disappointed.

DAY 7 NGORONGORO NATIONAL PARK
Today was our last day in the Serengeti, as we would be traveling to Ngorongoro National Park in the afternoon. Just after leaving our lodge, we spotted a lioness in the distance that had captured a wildebeest calf. Unfortunately, the action was a bit out of reach for our camera lenses. Upon exiting the Serengeti, we also saw a majestic lion sitting on a rock, surveying the surroundings. It provided us with some beautiful images! After a long journey, we arrived in the late afternoon at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, located at an elevation of around 2300 meters, overlooking the crater.

DAY 8 NGORONGORO NATIONAL PARK
Early in the morning, we were up and descending into the crater to explore. It took about half an hour to reach the bottom. In the crater, we immediately spotted a lone cheetah, several buffaloes, and a little further away, a group of lions. We also saw hyenas with black-backed jackals nearby. After about two hours, we finally witnessed why this crater is truly worth visiting—the black rhinoceros! We were lucky enough to see three of them grazing just a few meters from our jeep. After enjoying a quick lunch in the crater, we continued our journey and had some more remarkable sightings, including a martial eagle devouring its prey, another encounter with the three black rhinoceros, some buffaloes engaged in a standoff with hyenas, and a black kite. The only downside of the day was that the sun remained hidden behind thick clouds.

DAY 9 ARUSHA – AMSTERDAM
Today, we departed

in the early morning for Arusha to catch our flight back to Amsterdam. Along the way, we took some photos of Mount Kilimanjaro before heading to the airport.”