Safari Overview
Enjoy and experience major parks in northern circuits in Tanzania tree cheetahs in Tarangire, Wilderness of Lake Manyara and Serengeti, 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 Six Days Is the Sweet Spot
Three days in the Serengeti - rather than the standard one or two - transforms what you see. With more time on the plains, your guide can follow individual prides, wait for cheetah hunts to unfold, and work the kopjes and river courses that most rushed itineraries drive past. The extra Serengeti days, combined with full days in Tarangire and Manyara, make this the northern circuit itinerary that experienced safari travellers most frequently recommend.
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 drive to the Serengeti National Park, which is one of Africa’s premier game parks. Driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area toward the Serengeti National Park you will begin to experience the vastness of this territory and marvel at the multitude of animal and bird life while cruising through this acacia spotted savannah.
Expect to see a lot of animals including Lions, wildebeest, hyenas, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Buffalos, Leopards, Giraffes, Impalas, Zebras and various species of birds and many more
The Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Serengeti is a year-round destination and each season has its own special highlight with the most famous being the annual wildebeest migration - a once in a lifetime experience. Dinner and overnight at Tukaone Tented Camp
Very early Morning and evening game drives through the Serengeti plains. These vast, seemingly unending plains are inhabited during the migration by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra.
As far as the eye can see, you’ll spot thousands upon thousands of animals in herds; wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant and the most respected group of animals: the predators.
You will have the chance to spot lean cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself; the lion. Dinner and overnight at Tukaone Tented Camp
Morning game drive inside Serengeti and after early hot lunch, start driving towards Ngorongoro conservation area. Arrive Ngorongoro conservation area around 5pm at Farm of Dreams Lodge for dinner and overnight.
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) 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
The Four Parks - What Makes Each Unique
| Park | Defining Feature | Key Wildlife | Landscape | Best Sighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Greatest elephant density in northern Tanzania; spectacular ancient baobab trees | Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, fringe-eared oryx | Tarangire River, seasonal swamps, baobab savannah, dry miombo woodland | Elephant herds of 50-100+ animals at the river; kori bustard and saddle-billed stork |
| Serengeti | World's greatest wildlife migration; highest big-cat concentration on earth | Lion, cheetah, leopard, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, crocodile | Endless short-grass plains, kopje granite outcrops, acacia woodland, seasonal rivers | Great Migration river crossings (Jul - Oct); dawn lion hunts on the open plains |
| Ngorongoro | World's largest intact caldera; closed ecosystem with year-round wildlife abundance | Black rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, elephant, zebra, wildebeest, flamingo | Volcanic crater floor, open short-grass plain, crater lake, Lerai Forest acacia fringe | Endangered black rhino; lion pride encounters at close range on open crater floor |
| Lake Manyara | Tree-climbing lions unique to this park; flamingo-fringed soda lake; Rift Valley escarpment | Tree-climbing lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, flamingo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest | Groundwater forest, alkaline soda lake, acacia woodland, Rift Valley escarpment wall | Lions resting in acacia branches; thousands of flamingos on lake shore |
Wildlife encountered across all four 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 |
|---|---|
| Per Person | From $2,540 per person |
What's Included
Included in Your Price
Not Included
Best Time to Visit
All four parks on this itinerary offer excellent game viewing year-round. Tarangire and Manyara are at their most dramatic in the dry season (June - October) when wildlife concentrates around permanent water. The Serengeti's Great Migration river crossings peak July - October, while the calving season (Jan - Mar) on the southern plains offers extraordinary newborn wildlife encounters. The Ngorongoro Crater's enclosed ecosystem never has a true off-season.
| Park | Best Season | Highlight | Year-Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Elephant herds at the river; excellent predator viewing | Large elephant herds present every month; excellent birding year-round |
| Serengeti | Jul - Oct (migration crossings); Jan - Mar (calving) | River crossings; wildebeest calving season; year-round big cats | Resident lions, cheetahs, leopards present every month of the year |
| Ngorongoro | Year-round | Black rhino, resident lion prides, flamingo on crater lake | Closed ecosystem: excellent wildlife density every single month |
| Lake Manyara | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Tree-climbing lions; flamingos peak Nov - May after rains | Tree-climbing lions, forest elephants, and rich birdlife year-round |