Pick up from Arusha and drive to Ngorongoro Crater, where you will descend into the Crater floor (19.2 km diameter, 610m deep, 304 sq. km) for afternoon game drives. The big five (rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant) live in this wonderful caldera. Other wildlife includes zebra, hippo, wildebeest, hyena, and more. Many birds such as flamingo on the soda lake, geese, storks, cranes, vultures, kingfishers, and more.
We break for lunch at the Ngoitoktok spring picnic site, an unforgettable experience. Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden,’ the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A massive, extinct volcano, its towering tree-lined walls drop thousands of feet to a “Noah’s Ark” of animals on the verdant floor below.
This breathtaking oasis provides a haven for predators and prey to live among grasslands, forests, fresh springs, and the large soda lake. Large herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope, and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun.
At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Nowhere else can such diversity in wildlife be experienced in such a short period of time.
After lunch, we continue game viewing and later ascend to the crater rim to drive back to camp,

• Meal plan:
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget: Simba Public Campsite

Breakfast at 07:00 am. Then we depart to Nainokanoka Maasai village, where you will meet your ranger or Maasai warrior who will guide you for the next couple of days. Donkeys carry the luggage for the upcoming trek. The journey begins in the vales of the highland, passing many traditional Maasai bomas (villages) bustling with people and cattle.
After a short distance, wild animals can be seen, such as Thompson and grants, gazelle, zebra, and wildebeest. Where there are many animals, hungry jackals are not far away, and high in the sky, majestic eagles are observing the situation.
You will reach the campsite for the night after 16km, close to the Maasai village Bulati. Dinner and Overnight at Bulati Village.

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget: Bulati Campsite

After breakfast, the journey continues up a hill where you can take a last panoramic view of the grass plains. The trek continues up and down through the bushy landscape, which finally leads you up the slopes of the extinct volcano, Empaakai.
The trek gives you great views of the majestic Ol Doinyo Lengai and down into the impressive Empaakai Crater before reaching the campsite for the night.
A well-maintained track goes to the crater bottom, of which the Empaakai Lake covers one-third. This (alkaline) soda lake is an important source of nutrients for flamingos.
When returning to the camp, dinner will be waiting for you. During the night, you might hear the flamingo.

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget:  Empakai Campsite

Wake up very early, so you don`t miss the beautiful panoramic sunrise above the lake in the Empaakai Crater. Whilst your breakfast, the donkeys are loaded, and you start your 7 km trek on the rim of the crater, heading for Nayobi Village. The loading of the donkeys goes easier every day, as the participants and the animals are getting familiar with each other. Here in Nayobi Village, you will fill your water bottles and have lunch. Nayobi (also spelled Nairobi, like the capital of Kenya) means source of water.

After lunch, you follow a good track over rolling, grassy hills from which you can see Ol Doinyo Lengai from a distance. You trek to the acacia forest campsite for Dinner and Overnight. Look out for porcupine quills on the forest floor!

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget: Acacia Campsite

Breakfast at around 07:00 am. The trek highlights are the great views of Oldonyo Lengai, Lake Natron, and the Rift Valley. A big part of the rugged countryside is covered by the ashes of the last eruption in 2007, which add to the surreal picture of the landscape.
The trek goes deeper down into the dry and hot Rift Valley, where you can see the dried-out ashes from up close. You may even have to scramble down into white gullies that were gauged out of the ground from molten lava that has now solidified and scramble back up on the other side.
The vehicle will pick you up and take you to Lake Natron camp, where you can refresh yourself in the Lake Natron River.

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget:  Lake Natron Viewpoint Campsite

Breakfast at 06:00 am. Visit Lake Natron which is one of the most alkaline lakes in the world. Home to millions of tiny crustaceans, the lake is a haven for thousands of lesser flamingos, and it is one of the most important flamingo breeding grounds on earth. The area around the lake is dry and desolate.
The strangely beautiful landscape is the attraction in this area. After a strenuous walk up the stream, we reach the river’s source in the cascading waterfalls that gush out of the mountains.
It is an excellent swim in the river and under the waterfalls for a nice cool-down from the hot sun. There may be baboons or other wildlife in the gorge.

OR

The other option is to ascend the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai, 2962m (9650ft). This is in the heart of Maasai country and is locally regarded as a sacred mountain. Looking north from its summit crater, Lake Natron’s hot, barren salt flats stretch into the distance; beyond lies the Kenyan border.
To the south stretch the crater highlands, Ngorongoro being one of the prime game parks in Africa. Kilimanjaro dominates the eastern horizon, and to the west, the forested escarpments and hills comprising the western slopes of the Great African Rift Valley. Almost without fail, about every seven years, Lengai erupts, and plumes of smoke billow out of the crater. At other times it is possible to walk down into the crater, almost to the edge of the molten lava.
The ascent of Lengai is demanding on account of the daytime heat, lack of water and shade, steep and unstable slopes of ash, and loose stone.
An early start is recommended, and the best approach is from the west, where you can avoid the morning sun for a while. Descend by mid-morning to the foothills of Ol Doinyo Lengai, where your safari vehicles await you. Transfer back to your camp for some relaxation or continue after lunch on a walk to the waterfalls or the hominid footprints archaeological site.

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
• Accommodation:
  • Budget: Lake Natron Viewpoint Campsite

The day will start very early with a visit to the neighboring Maasai village. You will spend the morning sharing in the daily life of Maasai families, discovering their culture.
You will get to see the Maasai as they go about their daily activities, including milking and cattle handling. After that, you will return to camp for breakfast and then drive to Arusha.
En route, you see many Maasai villages, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, baboons, beehives, and birds such as vultures, ostriches, glossy starlings, kori bustards, and kites. Arriving Arusha late afternoon, where the tour will end.

• Meal plan:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
• Accommodation:
  • Budget: No accommodation on this day.