This 5-day Tanzania safari takes you to three of Northern Tanzania’s top wildlife destinations: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park. Starting at Kilimanjaro International Airport and ending in Arusha, the journey combines game drives across the Serengeti plains, wildlife viewing on the crater floor and a visit to Lake Manyara beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Along the way, look out for lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras and wildebeest, with a chance of spotting the endangered black rhino in Ngorongoro Crater. The safari includes four nights in lodges and covers some long road journeys as you travel between the parks.
Safari Highlights
- Serengeti National Park: Search for lions, cheetahs, leopards and large herds of grazing animals.
- Central Serengeti: Explore open plains and rocky kopjes during game drives.
- Wildebeest Migration: Look for migrating herds, depending on the season.
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Travel through the scenic volcanic highlands.
- Olduvai Gorge: Visit this historic archaeological site, subject to the itinerary and available time.
- Ngorongoro Crater: Descend to the crater floor for a game drive in search of lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos and black rhinos.
- Lake Manyara National Park: Look for elephants, baboons, monkeys and a variety of birds.
- Safari Accommodation: Spend four nights in lodges while exploring Tanzania’s northern circuit.
Detailed Safari Itinerary
Day 1, Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and Transfer to Karatu
On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, meet your safari driver-guide and begin the journey to Karatu. You’ll travel through the Arusha region, passing through small towns and countryside before reaching the greener hills around Karatu, with views towards the Ngorongoro Highlands along the way. The drive takes around 3 to 4 hours, depending on traffic and stops. Once you arrive at your lodge, check in, settle into your room, and enjoy the rest of the evening before your safari begins the following morning. An early arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport gives you more time to complete the drive and settle in before dinner.
Accommodation: Kifaru Safari Lodge
Meals: Dinner
Day 2, Karatu to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge
After an early breakfast, leave Karatu and drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area towards Serengeti National Park. The road climbs through the Ngorongoro Highlands before descending towards the vast open plains of the Serengeti. Along the way, you can stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important archaeological sites associated with early human evolution. If you have arranged a visit, take time to see the museum and learn about the discoveries made in this part of Tanzania before continuing towards the Serengeti. As you enter the plains, keep your eyes open for wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and giraffes. Your guide will also look for lions and cheetahs as you make your way towards central Serengeti, with wildlife viewing along the route. Enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing to the Seronera area. Here, open grasslands, rocky kopjes and patches of acacia woodland provide plenty of places to look for wildlife. Lions are regularly seen in this part of the park, while other sightings depend on where the animals are moving that day. Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon, relax and enjoy dinner.
Accommodation: Seronera Wildlife Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Day 3, Morning Game Drive in Serengeti and Transfer to Ngorongoro
Start the day with an early morning game drive in central Serengeti, when the plains are still cool, and wildlife is beginning to move around. Your guide will look for lions returning from a night of hunting, cheetahs scanning the grasslands and leopards resting among trees or rocky outcrops. As you drive through the reserve, you’ll also encounter grazing animals such as wildebeest, zebras and gazelles. Depending on the season, you may come across large herds moving across the plains as part of the Great Migration. After your morning game drive, enjoy a packed lunch before beginning the drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As you leave the Serengeti behind, the open plains give way to rolling hills and the cooler volcanic highlands. Continue to your lodge near the Ngorongoro Crater rim, arriving in the late afternoon or evening. Settle in and enjoy dinner before your crater safari the following morning.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Herds of zebra and wildebeest Great Migration
Day 4, Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Transfer to Lake Manyara
After an early breakfast, head to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend to the crater floor for a morning game drive. The steep crater walls surround a landscape of open grasslands, marshes, freshwater springs and woodland, creating excellent conditions for wildlife viewing. Your guide will take you through different parts of the crater in search of lions, buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and hippos. Elephants also roam the crater, while the endangered black rhino is one of the animals to look out for during your drive. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site before continuing your game drive. With so much wildlife sharing the crater floor, there is plenty to look for as you explore, although sightings naturally depend on the animals’ movements. Later, climb back up to the crater rim and continue to Lake Manyara. The drive takes you through the Ngorongoro Highlands before descending towards the Great Rift Valley. Arrive at your lodge in the evening, where you can relax and enjoy dinner.
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Day 5, Lake Manyara Game Drive and Return to Arusha
After breakfast, head into Lake Manyara National Park for your final game drive. The park offers a change of scenery from the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, with dense groundwater forest, open grasslands, woodland and lakeshore habitats beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. As you explore, look for elephants moving through the forest, troops of baboons along the road, blue monkeys among the trees, and buffaloes, giraffes and zebras in the more open areas. Lake Manyara is also known for its tree-climbing lions, so keep an eye on the branches as you drive through suitable habitats, although spotting one takes some luck. The lakeshore is a good place to look for waterbirds, including pelicans, storks and flamingos when water levels and feeding conditions are favourable. After your game drive, leave the park and travel to Arusha, where your guide will drop you off at your agreed location. If you are catching an international flight from Kilimanjaro International Airport that evening, allow enough time for the drive from Lake Manyara to the airport and for check-in. Your departure time should take the morning game drive and the road journey into account.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch.
Inclusions and Exclusions
Safari Inclusions
- Arrival transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
- Ground transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle.
- English-speaking safari driver-guide.
- Four nights of accommodation in the selected safari lodges.
- Meals as indicated in the daily itinerary.
- National park and conservation area entrance fees
- Ngorongoro Crater vehicle descent fee
- Drinking water during safari activities
- Return transfer to Arusha or the agreed departure point.
Safari Exclusions
- International and domestic flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Personal travel and medical insurance.
- Personal expenses, including laundry, souvenirs and additional drinks.
- Tips and gratuities for the safari guide and lodge staff.
- Optional Olduvai Gorge museum visit unless included in the confirmed itinerary.
- Additional activities not specified in the booking.
- Accommodation before or after the safari.
- Any services not included in the final booking confirmation.
