5-Day Serengeti, Tarangire & Ngorongoro Safari from Arusha

Tarangire's elephants, the Serengeti migration, and the Ngorongoro Crater in one five-day loop

A 5-day guided safari from Arusha covering four parks on Tanzania's Northern Safari Circuit: Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti Plains, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Manyara. You start with game drives at Tarangire, known for three elephant families numbering around one thousand each; spend two nights on the Serengeti watching wildebeest, zebra and antelope migrate across the endless plains; descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO world heritage site, for afternoon game viewing; and finish with a full day at Lake Manyara before returning to Arusha.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Tarangire National Park

• Meet guide at airport or hotel
• Drive to Tarangire National Park
• Morning game drive in Tarangire
• Lunch at lodge
• Afternoon game drive in Tarangire
• Dinner and overnight at campsite

Day 2: Serengeti National Park

• Breakfast at lodge
• Drive through Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• View Ngorongoro Crater
• Arrive at Serengeti National Park
• Lunch at lodge
• Afternoon game drive in Serengeti
• Dinner and overnight at campsite

Day 3: Serengeti National Park

• Breakfast at lodge
• Full day wildlife adventure on Serengeti plains
• Evening drive to crater rim
• Dinner and overnight at campsite

Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater

• Early breakfast
• Descend into Ngorongoro Crater
• Game viewing inside crater
• Picnic lunch at hippo pools
• Afternoon game drive in crater
• Drive to Manyara highlands
• Dinner and overnight at campsite

Day 5: Lake Manyara Game Drive

• Breakfast
• Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
• Game drive in Lake Manyara
• Picnic lunch during game drive
• Drive back to Arusha

The experience

Tarangire National Park opens the safari. Your guide and driver meet you at the airport or hotel and drive 120 kilometres on tarmac road to the park, where the Tarangire River draws wildlife to drink: elephant, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, and if luck holds, leopard and lion. You game drive in the morning, return to the campsite for lunch, then head out again at 2 p.m. as the light shifts over the Rift Valley. Over five hundred bird species live here, so the park rewards both binoculars and a camera.

From Tarangire you travel into the fertile highlands where the Iraqw people grow wheat and coffee, pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a view of the crater itself, and reach the Serengeti by midday. The park covers 15,000 square kilometres of grassy plains, swamps, lakes and savannah: the stage for the great migration of wildebeest, zebra and antelope. You spend two nights here, game driving in the afternoon of day two and all day three, searching for the thousands of animals moving across the landscape in their seasonal search for food and water. The Serengeti holds over three million large mammals and over five hundred bird species, from secretary birds to the kori bustard, the largest flighted bird on Earth.

Day four starts early: breakfast at 6 a.m., then a descent down a winding track into the Ngorongoro Crater, passing through several climate zones as you drop. The crater floor opens quickly with wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant and over five hundred bird species. The endangered black rhino moves through the grass here. You picnic at the hippo pools and spend the afternoon inside the caldera before climbing back to the highlands and driving to Lake Manyara. On the final day, a 130-kilometre drive on tarmac takes you to Lake Manyara National Park, where flamingos gather in numbers that catch the eye, and lion, hippo, elephant, zebra, buffalo, giraffe and monkeys roam the landscape. Game drives fill the day. You picnic during them and return to Arusha as evening falls.

What’s included

• Game drives at Tarangire, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
• park entry fees.
• a personal guide and driver for all five days.
• accommodation at campsites in or near each park.
• picnic lunch on day five.
• transportation from your Arusha hotel or airport at the start.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to6h before

AgesUp to age 18

GroupUp to 7

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Signature Safari

Is this one for you?This is a shared-group tour with a fixed itinerary and schedule, so you travel with other visitors and follow the same game drive times each day. Choose it if you want the four parks and the migration on the Serengeti without arranging your own vehicle and guide, and if camping under the stars between game drives suits your budget and comfort level.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What wildlife might I see on the Serengeti during the migration?

The Serengeti migration involves wildebeest, zebra and antelope moving across the plains in their thousands, searching for fresh grazing and water. You may also see cheetah, lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, hartebeest, topi, eland, crocodile and Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, plus over five hundred bird species including ostrich, secretary bird, marabou stork and the kori bustard.

Can I see black rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater?

The endangered black rhino lives in the Ngorongoro Crater, and you may glimpse one moving through the grass during your afternoon game drive inside the caldera on day four. Sightings are not guaranteed, but the crater's dense wildlife population makes encounters possible.

How much driving is involved on the first day?

The drive from Arusha to Tarangire National Park covers 120 kilometres on tarmac road. Once at the park, you game drive in the morning, return to the campsite for lunch, then head out again at 2 p.m. for an afternoon game drive before sunset.

What is the Ngorongoro Crater and why is it special?

The Ngorongoro Crater is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the seven wonders of Africa. It is a massive caldera, a collapsed volcanic crater, that holds a self-contained ecosystem with over five hundred bird species and dense populations of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant, hippo and other game, making it one of the premier game viewing experiences in Tanzania.

Do I return to Arusha at the end of the safari?

Yes. On day five, after game drives at Lake Manyara National Park, your guide and driver return you to Arusha in the evening, completing the 130-kilometre drive on tarmac road.