5-Day Private Safari in The Serengeti from Arusha: Big Five

Five days hunting the Big Five across four parks, with a private guide and a tented lodge in the Serengeti.

This 5-day private safari from Arusha covers Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Tarangire National Park with a certified English-, Italian-, or French-speaking guide, all accommodation, and daily game drives. The Ngorongoro Crater alone holds over 25,000 large mammals and is where the Big Five appear together in a single day; the Serengeti offers full-day game viewing of migrating herds and thousands of grazing animals; and Olduvai Gorge displays the 1.8 million-year-old skeleton and 3.7 million-year-old hominid footprints that anchor human evolutionary history. Children from age 5 are welcome, and pickup from your Arusha hotel is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Game drive at Lake Manyara National Park

• Meet private guide and complete formalities
• Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
• Game drive spotting flamingos and lions
• Watch baboons and other wildlife
• Overnight at Karatu resort or lodge
• Enjoy boxed lunch with local favorites
• Dinner with local musicians at resort

Day 2 — Visit Olduvai Gorge and Serengeti

• Breakfast at safari lodge
• Drive through Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Explore Olduvai Gorge prehistoric remains
• Continue drive into Serengeti National Park
• Overnight at luxury tented lodge
• Boxed lunch during travel
• Dinner with Tanzanian flavors

Day 3 — Full day game viewing in Serengeti

• Breakfast with sunrise views
• Full day game drive in Serengeti
• Picnic lunch under acacia tree
• Overnight at luxury tented lodge
• Five-star dinner service

Day 4 — Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater

• Breakfast with nutritious options
• Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Game drive spotting Big Five animals
• Lakeside lunch watching hippos
• Overnight at luxurious safari lodge
• Dinner under savanna skies

Day 5 — Game drive and transfer from Tarangire

• Drive to Tarangire National Park
• Morning game drive spotting elephants and birds
• Transfer to Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport

The Experience

Can you really see all five of Africa's most dangerous animals in one day? The Ngorongoro Crater is where it happens. A UNESCO World Heritage site formed 2–3 million years ago when a volcano collapsed on itself, the crater now spans over 260 square kilometers and holds more than 25,000 large mammals. Your certified guide drives you into this natural arena on day four, and the odds of spotting buffalo, elephants, rhino, lions, and leopards together are high enough that the park is called "Africa's Eden." The crater's walls rise around you as you move through the grassland, and the scale of the place — the animals, the geology, the history compressed into one bowl of earth — is what makes this stop worth the five days.

The first two days build toward that moment. Day one takes you to Lake Manyara, where the alkaline soda lake draws pink flamingos, herons, and yellow-billed storks, and where tree-climbing lions unique to this park rest in acacia branches. The baboon troops here are the largest on earth, and their antics fill the game drive with movement and noise. Day two is a 4.5-hour drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Olduvai Gorge, where you stand in front of the remains of a 1.8 million-year-old skeleton — one of the distinct links in the human evolutionary chain — and a complete series of hominid footprints over 3.7 million years old. The guide walks you through the geology and the significance, and then you continue into the Serengeti for the night in a luxury tented lodge, where the savanna sounds carry through canvas walls.

Day three is the full Serengeti: a complete day of game viewing with a picnic lunch, watching great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephants and giraffes, and thousands of eland, topi, hartebeest, impala, and Grant's gazelle. In June, the migrating herds collect in the western corridor preparing to cross the Grumeti River, but even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti's game viewing is among the most active in Africa. Day five takes you to Tarangire, where the river attracts huge numbers of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and antelope — particularly in the dry season between June and October — and where over 550 bird species (the most diverse in Africa) include the Kori Bustard, the heaviest flying bird on earth. Large herds of elephants roam the savannah grasses or shelter under the baobab trees dotted across the park. After a morning game drive, you transfer to your Arusha hotel or directly to Kilimanjaro Airport.

Your guide is a fully certified expert in spotting wildlife and provides narrative on the history, landscape, and culture of each park. Accommodation is at 4-star resorts and luxury lodges — a tented lodge in the Serengeti where you fall asleep to the night sounds of the savanna, and a lodge in Karatu on the first night. Pickup from your Arusha hotel is included, and the itinerary is built around your schedule as a private group, not a shared departure.

What’s included

• All five days of accommodation at 4-star resorts and luxury lodges.
• daily game drives with a certified private guide.
• park entry fees for Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti, and Tarangire.
• picnic lunches on days two and three.
• hotel pickup in Arusha on day one and transfer to your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport on day five.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Roam Wild Adventure

Is this one for you?Choose this private safari to set your own pace through four parks and the Ngorongoro Crater over five days, with your guide responding to wildlife sightings and your interests rather than a fixed group schedule.

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Top questions

What are the Big Five animals I might see on this safari?

The Big Five are buffalo, elephants, rhino, lions, and leopards. The Ngorongoro Crater is where all five appear together most reliably — the crater holds over 25,000 large mammals in an area of 260 square kilometers, and it is not unusual to see all five in a single day.

What is Olduvai Gorge and why does the tour stop there?

Olduvai Gorge holds the remains of a 1.8 million-year-old skeleton thought to be one of the distinct links in the human evolutionary chain, and a complete series of hominid footprints estimated to be over 3.7 million years old. The stop connects the safari to the deep history of human origins in East Africa.

When is the best time to see the migrating herds in the Serengeti?

In June, the migrating herds collect in the western corridor of the Serengeti, preparing to cross the Grumeti River. Even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers great herds of buffalo, elephants, giraffes, and thousands of eland, topi, hartebeest, impala, and Grant's gazelle.

What kind of accommodation do I stay in during the safari?

You stay at 4-star resorts and luxury lodges throughout the five days. On night two, you sleep in a luxury tented lodge in the middle of the Serengeti, where you can listen to the night sounds of the savanna; on night one, you stay at a 4-star resort or safari lodge in Karatu.

Is there an optional add-on to visit a Masai village?

Yes, an optional excursion to a Masai village is available. You have the chance to meet and chat with the local guides and communities, interact with the tribe, and learn about their culture.

What languages does the guide speak?

Your certified guide speaks English, Italian, or French, depending on your preference at booking.