Tour Overview
This is the classic Tanzanian northern circuit, and five days is the shortest sensible way to cover all three of its headline parks without the itinerary becoming a series of transfers.
Each stop does something different. Tarangire is elephant country, where the dry season concentrates enormous herds along the river beneath ancient baobabs. The Serengeti is the open plains, resident big cats and, in season, the migration. The Ngorongoro Crater is a contained ecosystem of remarkable density, where a single morning can produce lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, flamingo and black rhino.
Two of the five nights are spent in the Serengeti, which is what separates this from the compressed one-night-per-park itineraries sold at similar length. Departures are private, capped at eight guests, in a pop-roof 4x4 with a guaranteed window seat for everyone.
Route Overview
| Start | Arusha (Day 1) |
| Day 1 | Tarangire National Park |
| Day 2 | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 3 | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 4 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area |
| Day 5 | Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha |
| End | Arusha (Day 5) |
Tour Features
Organised exclusively for your group — not shared with strangers.
Request changes to destinations, accommodation or dates.
Can start on any day, subject to availability.
Solo bookings are accepted for this private safari.
Children of all ages are welcome on this tour.
All safaris led by experienced, certified Kenyan guides.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
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1
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Depart Arusha after breakfast for the two-hour drive south-west to Tarangire, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. Tarangire is defined by two things: baobabs, some of them well over a thousand years old, and elephants. In the dry months the herds gather along the Tarangire River in numbers found almost nowhere else in the country, and it is not unusual to watch two or three hundred move through the same valley in an afternoon. The park also holds a very high concentration of breeding birds.
Tarangire National Park
Mid-range lodge or tented camp, Tarangire
Lunch, Dinner
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2
Day 2: Tarangire to the Serengeti
A morning departure north-west through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping at the crater viewpoint on the rim for a first look down into the caldera you will descend into later in the trip. The road drops onto the short-grass plains and continues into the Serengeti with a game drive en route, reaching the central Seronera area in the late afternoon.
Serengeti National Park
Mid-range lodge or tented camp, Central Serengeti
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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3
Day 3: Full day in the Serengeti
A full day with a picnic lunch, so the day is shaped by the wildlife rather than by mealtimes. The Seronera valley's mix of river, acacia woodland and granite kopjes supports resident lion and one of the densest leopard populations in Africa, along with cheetah on the open ground. From June to October your guide will follow the migration herds where they are within reach. Optional hot-air balloon safaris over the plains can be arranged at extra cost.
Serengeti National Park
Mid-range lodge or tented camp, Central Serengeti
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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4
Day 4: Serengeti to the Ngorongoro highlands
A last morning drive in the Serengeti, then east toward the highlands, passing Olduvai Gorge where fossil discoveries fundamentally changed the understanding of human evolution. An optional museum visit can be arranged. You climb through the forest belt to your lodge on the crater rim, arriving with time to watch the afternoon light move across the caldera floor.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rim
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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5
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater and return to Arusha
An early descent onto the crater floor for a morning game drive ahead of the crowds. Within the caldera walls live around 25,000 large animals, among them big-tusked bull elephants, lion prides, hippo pools, flamingos on Lake Magadi and black rhino. After a picnic lunch beside the lake you ascend and return to Arusha, arriving late afternoon for onward arrangements or an airport transfer.
Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha
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Breakfast, Lunch
What's Included
- 4 nights accommodation in mid-range lodges and tented camps
- All meals as specified (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
- Professional English-speaking Tazama driver-guide throughout
- All game drives in a customised 4WD safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- All park entry fees and conservation levies
- Ngorongoro Crater descent fees
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Unlimited bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Emergency evacuation cover (AMREF Flying Doctors)
- All government taxes and levies
- International flights
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Personal items, laundry and souvenirs
- Alcoholic and soft drinks unless stated
- Tips and gratuities for your guide (suggested USD $10 per person per day)
- Optional activities such as balloon safaris and cultural visits
- Tanzania tourist visa (USD $50, on arrival or online)
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