Safari Overview
3 Days Safari featuring Tarangire, lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater
Enjoy and experience major parks in northern circuits in Tanzania tree cheetahs in Tarangire, Wilderness of Lake Manyara, cultural learning and crater activities in Ngorongoro. This is the real safari within short time of period if you don’t have much time for the longer safari. This tour gives you highlights to Big 5 and more while visiting three parks. Every park is very unique and gives you wide experience of Wildlife, nature and environment.
Why 3 Days Changes Everything
Adding Lake Manyara to the 2-day Tarangire/Ngorongoro combination is the single best-value upgrade available. The tree-climbing lion behaviour alone is extraordinary - documented only here and in a handful of other locations on earth. The park's birding is world-class. And the landscape - Rift Valley escarpment, groundwater forest, acacia woodland, soda lake - is unlike anything else in Tanzania.
Daily Itinerary
Leave your Hotel in Arusha at 8:30 am and drive about 2 hours to get to Tarangire National Park, enjoy game drive all day inside the park, expect to see a lot of animals inside the park. Famous for its large elephant population, it is also home to zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, waterbuck, baboons, and dwarf mongoose, impala, buffalo, antelope & fringe-eared Oryx. Predators include lion, cheetah & leopard. The swamps are shared by flocks of birds; green wood hoopoes, lovebirds, tallish herons, white bellied go-away birds & giant kingfishers. On drier ground you will find the kori bustard & the heaviest of the flying birds; the ostrich.
After a full day game drive you will drive for about 45 minutes to get to your accommodation for dinner and overnight at Farm of Dreams Lodge
Today you will be rewarded with a full day game drive in the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
You will visit a Maasai Village in the Ngorongoro Highlands (optional at extra cost) where you will meet the Elders, Warriors, women & children & learn about the culture, beliefs & traditions of Tanzania’s last nomadic tribe.
The Crater is famous for Africa’s best game viewing as there is an ever-present abundance of wildlife due to the permanent water supply on the crater floor. You will descend 610 metres into the Crater where your safari truly begins. Spot the endangered black rhino, wildebeest, buffalo, zebra, eland, Grant’s & Thomson’s gazelle & giant tusked elephants plus lions & leopards, cheetahs as well as scavengers such as spotted hyenas, jackals & wild dogs. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area later evening you’ll start heading back to your lodge for dinner and overnight at Farm of Dreams Lodge
Today you will visit Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Stretching along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment it is home to giant fig trees, acacia woodlands, mahogany trees & grassy flood plains. The contrasts of this area are simply breathtaking with its open plains, huge escarpment, Soda Lake, dense woodlands & distant volcanic peaks coming together in an area best described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.
Animals such as buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes, mongoose, dik dik & zebra herds congregate on the grassy plains while the acacia woodland is home to the legendary tree-climbing lions & tusked elephants.
Lake Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s bird life with more than 400 species being recorded. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans & storks.
In the late afternoon you will return to Arusha for your final evening or airport for your next destination
The Three Parks - What Makes Each Unique
| Park | Defining Feature | Key Wildlife | Landscape | Best Sighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Africa's greatest elephant concentrations; ancient baobab landscape | Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, fringe-eared oryx | Dry-season savanna, red earth, Tarangire River, termite mounds | 200+ elephants at the river crossing; dry season July - Oct |
| Ngorongoro | World's largest intact caldera; closed ecosystem with year-round wildlife | Black rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, elephant, zebra, wildebeest | Volcanic crater, open short-grass plain, crater lake, acacia fringe | Endangered black rhino; lion pride encounters on open floor |
| Lake Manyara | Tree-climbing lions unique to this location; dramatic Rift Valley scenery | Tree-climbing lions, flamingo, elephant, buffalo, hippo, mongoose | Rift Valley escarpment, groundwater forest, acacia woodland, soda lake | Lions in fig trees at eye-level; thousands of flamingo on the shoreline |
Wildlife encountered across all three parks on this safari:
From Price
Minimum price only, based on 2 people sharing. Final pricing depends on season, availability and requested customizations.
| Package | From Price |
|---|---|
| Price for 2 People | From $980.00 per person |
What's Included
Included in Your Price
Not Included
Best Time to Visit
All three parks offer excellent game viewing year-round. Ngorongoro's enclosed ecosystem never truly has an off-season. Tarangire reaches its spectacular peak during the dry months when wildlife concentrations at the river are at maximum. Lake Manyara's flamingo numbers fluctuate by season but are present year-round.
| Park | Best Season | Highlight | Year-Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Jun - Oct (dry) | Elephant mega-herds at the river | Good wildlife all year; wet season = lush, birding superb |
| Ngorongoro | Year-round | Black rhino, resident lion prides | Closed ecosystem: excellent wildlife density every month |
| Lake Manyara | Jun - Feb | Tree-climbing lions; flamingo flocks | 400+ birds year-round; hippos always in lake shallows |