6-Day Safari: Discover Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater

Northern Circuit Adventure Tanzania

Discover Tanzania’s wilderness on a 6-day safari adventure. Explore Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, the expansive Serengeti, and the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. Over six days, experience diverse landscapes, wildlife, and unforgettable moments.

Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park
Non-game-viewing travel time: 2½ hours
Distance: 152 km

You will meet our professional driver-guide at your hotel for a brief safari orientation. After breakfast, we will drive to Tarangire National Park for game viewing. The park runs along the Tarangire River and consists mainly of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation features acacia woodlands and giant African baobab trees, with expansive swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act as magnets for wildlife during Tanzania’s dry season.

Tarangire National Park is renowned for hosting some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. Additionally, this national park is home to three rare species: the greater kudu, the fringed-eared oryx, and a few ashy starlings. You will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at your choice of lodge, tented camp, hotel, or budget campsite.


Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park
Non-game-viewing travel time: 35 minutes
Distance: 1 km 
After your breakfast, and then we drive to Lake Manyara National Park. This impressive National Park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park) at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The Park’s varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of Elephants; Manyara is famous for a Tree-climbing lion, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge/Hotel/Tented Camp/Budget Basic Campsite.

Day 3: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
Non-game-viewing travel time: 6 hours
Distance: 205 km

After breakfast, we will depart from the camp or lodge and drive to Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving on the stunning Serengeti plains for a spectacular wildlife viewing experience. Along the way, you will pass one of the world’s greatest prehistoric archaeological sites, Olduvai Gorge, before continuing through the scrublands.

The wooded knolls around Naabi Hill Gate mark the official entrance to the Serengeti, leading to the park’s signature wide-open plains. This stretch truly embodies the meaning of the word “Serengeti,” derived from the Maasai word “Siringet,” which has been beautifully translated as “the land that flows on forever.” Serengeti National Park spans 6,000 square miles of pristine wilderness, offering not only expansive vistas but also the largest mammal migration on Earth, including 1.5 million wildebeest. You will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at your choice of lodge, tented camp, luxury accommodation, or budget campsite.


Leopard

Day 4: Full Day – Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, you will enjoy a full day of game viewing in Serengeti National Park. As Tanzania’s second-largest national park, the Serengeti covers nearly 6,000 square miles of grasslands, plains, savannahs, kopjes, hills, woodlands, and riverine forests. The Grumeti, Mbalageti, and Mara river systems serve as vital water sources and are often excellent sites for wildlife viewing.

Beyond the renowned migration of wildebeest and zebra, the Serengeti is famous for its big predators, including cheetahs, leopards, and large pride of lions, as well as clans of hyenas. Other commonly seen animals include gazelles, buffalo, giraffes, topi, hartebeest, ostriches, and jackals. However, it is the full diversity of wildlife and habitats that you will find truly remarkable.

The greater Serengeti ecosystem extends beyond the national park to include the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Masai Mara in Kenya, and numerous surrounding protected wildlife lands, combining for a total area of almost 17,000 square miles—larger than the combined states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. You will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at your choice of lodge, tented camp, luxury accommodation, or budget campsite.


Alexuta 26

Day 5: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater
Non-game-viewing travel time: 4 hours
Distance: 145 km

Our day begins with a morning game drive in central Serengeti. This is an active time for wildlife, as the temperatures are still cool, allowing for plenty of animal sightings until around 11:30 AM. We will then return to the lodge or camp for brunch. On our way back, we will stop at Olduvai Gorge, a fascinating archaeological site well worth a visit for those interested in history and the Maasai tribes.

In the evening, you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at a lodge, tented camp, hotel, or campsite set on the crater rim. The accommodation offers stunning views of Ngorongoro and the surrounding highlands.


Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater Tour – Arusha
Non-game-viewing travel time: 4 hours
Distance: 190 km

On our last day, we start very early in the morning. Equipped with a picnic lunch, we will descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor in our 4×4 vehicle for game viewing. Let’s explore this “Garden of Eden.” Ngorongoro is a vast and deep volcanic crater, featuring rich pastures, swamps, forests, and permanent water on the crater floor. This diverse environment supports a large population of wildlife, with up to 25,000 larger animals living here.

This is the best opportunity to see the black rhino and many other rare species, such as the black-maned lion. We will enjoy a fantastic day witnessing wildlife at its best. In the late afternoon, we will drive back to Arusha, where you will be dropped off at your lodge or hotel at your own expense. This marks the end of the tour.


Price Includes:
– All park entry fees
– Concession fees
– Flying Doctor Service
– All park camping fees
– Airport pickup
– Ngorongoro Crater service fees
– Accommodation at hotels, lodges, tented camps, or campsites as per the safari program
– Chef services
– Meals as per the itinerary
– English-speaking driver/guide
– Transport in a 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof
– Bottled drinking water (1.5 liters per person per day during the safari)
– One-night complimentary hotel accommodation in Arusha upon arrival, including breakfast
– Camping equipment, including tents, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, pillows, chairs and tables


Price Does Not Include:
– International and domestic flights
– Fees for passports, visas, immunizations, and insurance
– Tips for staff, including driver-guides, chefs, and porters
– Personal expenses such as souvenirs

“Please note that these are sample itineraries. We will tailor your safari according to your preferences.”

“Book your trip today and  experience an unforgettable safari adventure”

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