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
Completely Flexible to Your Preferences
On every day of this safari, your guide discusses with you the best timing for game drives and wake-up times. You choose how to structure each day - morning drive and afternoon rest, full-day drive with bush picnic, or any combination. The Serengeti has no fixed circuit: the guide navigates based on current wildlife intelligence and your personal interests and photography goals.
Daily Itinerary
You will be picked up at your hotel in Arusha at 8:00 am and drive directly 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 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
Enjoy evening game drive and sundowners in the best National Park in Africa. Later start driving back to your camp for dinner and overnight at Tukaone Tented Camp
Today you will venture deeper into the world-famous Serengeti on a full day game drive. Serengeti is the home of the Great Migration and to 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras and all kinds of antelopes including the abundant impalas and Thomson's gazelles. As for Big Cats and large predators, it's the place of choice to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, with many television scenes like the famous river crossings having been filmed in this park. Smaller animals like foxes, mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, rock hyrax and African hares, together with more than 500 species of birds, also inhabit this park.
We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes. On every day of the safari, your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake-up timeEnjoy evening game drive and sundowners in the best National Park in Africa. Later start driving back to your camp for dinner and overnight at Tukaone Tented Camp
Today you will have another full day game drive in Serengeti is the home of the Great Migration and to 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras and all kinds of antelopes including the abundant impalas and Thomson's gazelles. As for Big Cats and large predators, it's the place of choice to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, with many television scenes like the famous river crossings having been filmed in this park. Smaller animals like foxes, mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, rock hyrax and African hares, together with more than 500 species of birds, also inhabit this park.
We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes. On every day of the safari, your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake-up time
Enjoy evening game drive and sundowners in the best National Park in Africa. Later start driving back to your camp for dinner and overnight at Tukaone Tented Camp
Your Balloon Safari adventure starts early morning when you depart your lodge or camp. It is still dark and you may be fortunate to see nocturnal animals on the way to the launch site. When you arrive, you will meet your pilot and witness your balloon being inflated and prepared for launch.
After a thorough safety briefing and demonstration of boarding and landing position you board your balloon and lift off! Rising as the sun arises your balloon floats in whatever direction the winds of the day are heading over this wonderful area. A balloon offers an opportunity to see the Serengeti from a unique perspective. You will notice wildlife trails made by generations of animals impossible to see from the ground
After landing, you celebrate in the traditional way with a champagne toast (well, an excellent sparkling wine) before heading off to a special ‘Out of Africa’ breakfast.
After breakfast, you are taken to the rendezvous point to meet with your driver guide and continue your game drive while heading to Ngorongoro Area
Later start driving to your accommodation in Ngorongoro. Arrive Ngorongoro conservation area around 5pm at Farm of Dreams Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Hot Air Balloon Safari - What to Expect
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
Manyara Treetop Walkway takes you on a sky-high adventure through the beautiful forest of Lake Manyara. Walk among the treetops and experience untouched nature and wildlife from a unique perspective.
Stretching along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment it is home to giant big 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, pink-hued flamingos etc. In the 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 landscape | Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, fringe-eared oryx | Tarangire River, seasonal swamps, baobab savannah, dry miombo woodland | Elephant herds of 50-100+ at the river; kori bustard and saddle-billed stork |
| Serengeti | World's greatest wildlife migration; highest big-cat concentration on earth; balloon safari | 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 balloon flight over the 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; Treetop Walkway canopy experience; flamingo-fringed soda lake | Tree-climbing lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, flamingo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest | Groundwater forest, alkaline soda lake, acacia woodland, Rift Valley escarpment | Lions resting in acacia branches; Treetop Walkway canopy perspective |
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 $3,590 per person |
What's Included
Included in Your Price
Not Included
Best Time to Visit
All four parks offer excellent game viewing year-round. The Serengeti's Great Migration river crossings peak July - October in the northern Serengeti, while the calving season (Jan - Mar) offers extraordinary newborn wildlife spectacle on the southern plains. The balloon safari operates year-round. Tarangire and Manyara are at their most dramatic in the dry season (June - October) when wildlife concentrates around water sources. The Ngorongoro Crater's enclosed ecosystem is excellent in every month.
| Park | Best Season | Highlight | Year-Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Elephant herds at the river; excellent predator viewing | Large elephant herds and excellent birding every month |
| Serengeti | Jul - Oct (migration crossings); Jan - Mar (calving) | River crossings; calving season; year-round big cats; balloon safaris | Resident lions, cheetahs, leopards present every month |
| Ngorongoro | Year-round | Black rhino, resident lion prides, flamingo on crater lake | Closed ecosystem: excellent wildlife density every month |
| Lake Manyara | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Tree-climbing lions; Treetop Walkway; flamingo flocks Nov - May | Tree-climbing lions and rich birdlife year-round |