Best time to visit: Year around

The views from the Ngorongoro Crater (1,968 ft) rim are spectacular but the real treasure lies on its 20km (12.4 mi)-wide floor. It's been compared to Noah's Ark and the Garden of Eden - but has the added advantage of actually existing. The Local Maasai tribespeople have grazing rights here, and you may well come across them tending their cattle.

DAY 1: Arrive Namanga or Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to Arusha for lunch. Afternoon departure for Lake Manyara Hotel, situated on the brink of the Great Rift Valley overlooking the soda lake and National Park. Game drive in the park which covers a relatively small area with five distinct vegetation zones ranging from an area of ground water forest to characteristic scrubland on the precipitous face of the Rift Valley wall. See a variety of wildlife including buffalo, elephant, leopard, lions (sometimes even seen on trees), giraffe and pink flamingoes. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Hotel.

DAY 2: Morning departure for Ngorongoro Crater, Africa's "Garden of Eden", via the famous Olduvai Gorge, site of famous archaeological digs, where the Leakey family discovered the remains of prehistoric man, mammals and other fossils dating back millions of years. Afternoon open. Full board and overnight at Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Crater Lodge, Sopa Lodge or Serena Lodge.

DAY 3: After breakfast descend 2,000 ft to the crater floor, the second largest caldera in the world, in a Land rover. Be ready for a full day game drive. The soda lake, forest and grassland provide a home for numerous animal species such as the rhinoceros, zebra, eland, lion, wildebeest, gazelle and flamingoes. Picnic lunch in the crater. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Crater Lodge, Sopa Lodge or Serena Lodge.

DAY 4: Morning departure for Arusha with a stop over at Mto wa Mbu to visit the local market. Lunch in Arusha with options for a visit to the famed Cultural Heritage center, or Maasai curio market depending on available time. Afternoon transfer to Namanga or Kilimanjaro Airport.