Day 1: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania

Arrive in Arusha and transfer to your accommodations, tucked into nine lush acres with gorgeous, wildlife-filled vistas from its fertile slopes. Mount Meru Hotel

Day 2: Arusha to Lake Manyara

After breakfast you’ll depart for Lake Manyara National Park, passing through African villages and coffee and banana plantations en route. The national park is located at the base of the Rift Valley Escarpment with a seasonal shallow soda lake that attracts numerous animals. A small but scenic park, it is richly populated, home to lions lazing in sausage trees, herds of elephant, large troops of baboons, pods of wallowing hippo and clouds of pink flamingo – although the number of birds here fluctuates depending on the water level, so it’s best to check if this is your main reason for visiting. After lunch at the Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, enjoy a game drive in the park and then return to the lodge for the night. Standing high on a bluff, the Serena has some of the best views around and offers easy access to the national park. The infinity pool is a focal point, with a pool bar encouraging you to soak up the views for longer. Comfortable rooms are housed in traditional, yet quite quirky, whitewashed rondavels dotted throughout the pretty grounds. Stay: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 3: Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro

Enjoy a morning game drive around the shores of Lake Manyara. Then depart for Ngorongoro, stopping for lunch en route at Gibb's Farm – a 1920s coffee farm that has been sensitively restored to become a peaceful guesthouse that sits in beautiful floral gardens. Afterwards, you will have the privilege to visit the Iraqw tribespeople for the chance to learn about their culture, beliefs and even join them for a spot of dancing, before travelling on to the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. This unique low-rise stone lodge is the only lodge on the western edge of the crater and seems to rise out of the natural environment. It has one of the best positions for glorious sunrises. During your stay here you’ll have access to your own rock-enclosed balcony with uninterrupted crater views. Stay: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 4: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Descend 600 metres down the rim to explore the stunning crater and its wildlife on a full-day game drive. Discover landscapes of forest, lakes and open grassland and hope to spot a large number of wildlife – the crater is home to the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa after all. Enjoy a picnic lunch then return to the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge late in the afternoon. Stay: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 5: Ngorongoro to Central Serengeti

Today you will visit Olduvai Gorge – a steep-sided ravine that is one of the world’s richest and best preserved archaeological and paleontological sites – before entering the world famous Serengeti National Park that offers the chance to spot the Big Five, big cats and some unforgettable sights. After lunch, enjoy a game drive in the park and overnight at the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. With panoramic views across the Serengeti plains and a series of charming domed rondavels blending into the hillside landscape, this is one of Serena’s most picturesque lodges. Although there are 66 rooms, the African-style rondavels are so well spaced out in the acacia groves that there’s an air of privacy, and there’s no mistaking that you’re right in the middle of the bush. Stay: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 6: Central Serengeti

This morning you may like to take an optional balloon flight over the Serengeti, offering some amazing views of the Serengeti’s vast open plains. Then enjoy morning and afternoon game drives, looking out for the big cats and much more! Stay: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 7: Central Serengeti to Serengeti Western Corridor

Today you will drive to the western corridor of the Serengeti. This huge park is broadly divided into four areas, with the annual great migration passing through the areas at different times of year. The western corridor is possibly the most famous area of the Serengeti and you’ll get to appreciate the vastness of the park on a game drive en route to your next destination for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive. Tonight you will stay at the Serena group’s most exclusive safari accommodation – Kirawira Serena Tented Camp. This colonial-style camp aims to emulate the classic ‘Out of Africa’ experience. It’s a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and has just 25 tents that are raised on timber platforms. Kirawira has superb views over the plains and offers a different insight into the wonderful safari experience. Stay: Kirawira Serena Tented Camp. B, L, D.

Day 8: Serengeti Western Corridor to Arusha

Today you will set off for the Grumeti airstrip, where you will fly by light aircraft to Arusha, gaining a different perspective of Tanzania’s landscape. This is a wonderfully classic way – following in the footsteps of the adventurers of the 1920s – to complete your Classical Tanzania safari. On arrival in Arusha you will then have lunch and transfer to the airport for your return flight home. Marking the end of your safari experience