Moshi: 7-Day Lodge Safari Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Four Parks in Seven Days: A Lodge Safari Through Northern Tanzania

You're picked up in Moshi or Arusha and spend seven days crossing four parks in a private 4x4 with a professional guide. You lodge each night, eat all meals, and watch the Serengeti's migration plains, descend into Ngorongoro Crater at dawn, and end at Lake Manyara's bird colonies. All park fees, transport, and insurance are included. You return to your hotel or airport on day seven.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Tarangire National Park

• Pick up in morning
• Briefing
• Drive to Tarangire National Park
• Game viewing from safari vehicle
• Check in at lodge

Day 2: Tarangire to Lake Natron

• Breakfast
• Leave Tarangire area
• Travel to Mto wa Mbu village
• Drive along Rift Valley Escarpment
• Arrive at Masai village Ngare Sero
• Walk to nearby waterfall with Masai guide
• Dinner and overnight at campsite

Day 3: Lake Natron to Serengeti

• Early start
• Travel dirt tracks to Serengeti
• Arrive Serengeti grassy plains
• Game viewing in Serengeti
• Overnight at camp

Day 4: Full day Serengeti game drive

• Breakfast
• Full day game drive in Serengeti
• Spot wildlife in Seronera area
• Overnight at camp

Day 5: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation

• Morning game drive in Serengeti
• Lunch
• Travel to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Check in at lodge on crater edge
• Enjoy sundowner at sunset

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater to Mto wa Mbu

• Early morning descend into crater
• Game viewing in crater
• Picnic lunch in crater
• Travel to Mto wa Mbu
• Overnight at lodge

Day 7: Lake Manyara to Moshi or Arusha

• Breakfast
• Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
• Game viewing in Lake Manyara
• Leave park
• Return to Moshi or Arusha
• Drop off at hotel or airport

The experience

The pickup happens in the morning from Moshi or Arusha, and within hours you're watching elephant herds move across Tarangire's savannah from an open-roof 4x4. The park's baobab trees and seasonal swamps hold giraffes, zebras, and if you're lucky, the big predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs), though they don't show themselves often. By late afternoon you're at a lodge, rested and ready for what comes next. That rhythm sets the tone for the whole week: drive, watch, lodge, repeat, but each park is completely different.

Day two takes a harder road. After breakfast you head toward Lake Natron along the Rift Valley Escarpment on a gravel track that bounces and climbs, with Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Masai's holy mountain, visible in the distance. The landscape shifts from green to hot and dusty as you reach Ngare Sero, a typical Masai village where you'll walk to a nearby waterfall with a local guide as the sun drops. It's the kind of day that reminds you this isn't a smooth highway tour. The bumps are part of it, and the isolation is the point. Then comes the Serengeti itself. An early start gets you out of the Rift Valley on dirt tracks, and by midday the grassland opens up: endless, actually endless, with animals dotted across it like the land itself is breathing. This is where the annual migration happens, millions of wildebeest and zebras moving between December and May, and even outside those months the park holds more wildlife than most people see in a lifetime.

You spend two full days in the Serengeti, one dedicated entirely to game drives in the Seronera area, where leopards are shy and nocturnal but the morning light is when animals move most. The lodge sits on the Ngorongoro Crater's edge after you leave: a view that stops conversation at sunset. Then comes the crater itself. You descend 600 meters at daybreak into a collapsed volcano where the Big Five live in a compressed space: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, plus warthogs, wildebeest, zebras, hippos, and over 500 bird species. A picnic lunch happens inside the crater, and the afternoon drive out takes you to Mto wa Mbu. The final day is Lake Manyara, a bird-lover's park with over 400 species, baboons, blue monkeys, and flamingos on the alkaline shoreline. Then the drive back to Moshi or Arusha, or straight to the airport if that's where you need to be.

What makes this a lodge safari rather than a camping one is the bed each night, not a tent cot, but a real lodge with running water and electricity. The 4x4 has a pop-up roof, a refrigerator, and charging stations, so you're not roughing it in the way some safaris demand. Your guide speaks English, knows where to find animals, and the insurance is included if something goes wrong. Meals follow the itinerary, water is unlimited, and park fees are already paid. Seven days is long enough to feel the rhythm of the parks, short enough that you're not exhausted by the end.

What’s included

Your seven days include lodge accommodation each night, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), unlimited mineral water, a private 4x4 with pop-up roof, refrigerator and charging stations, all park entrance fees, all mentioned activities (game drives, Masai village walk, crater descent), a professional English-speaking guide, unlimited mileage game drives, all government taxes, and Flying Doctors emergency evacuation insurance. Hotel pickup in Moshi or Arusha is included, as is drop-off at your hotel or airport on day seven.

Information

Lasts 7d, runs every day at 09:00, from US$ 3,208.85 per person, with a live guide in English, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00Another time? ›

GroupPrivate5 group tours ›

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 24 pickup points.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (17 to 90 years) · Youth (13 to 16 years) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Bujo Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers with a week to spend and no interest in arranging transport, park fees, or logistics themselves. The lodge standard means real beds and meals each night, not camping gear, and the seven-day pace is what fits all four parks without rushing any of them.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★Exceptional1 verified traveler review

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 16 years); Child (6 to 12 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What's the best time to see the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti?

December to May, with the calving season in January and March being peak.

Do I need a visa to enter Tanzania?

Most nationalities need a visa. Check with your embassy. The tour operator can advise on requirements.

Is the gravel road to Lake Natron really that bumpy?

Yes. It's a spectacular but rough drive along the Rift Valley Escarpment. Not suitable for anyone with back or joint issues.

Can I see the Big Five in the Ngorongoro Crater?

With luck, yes. Lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard all live in the crater, though sightings are never guaranteed.

What's included in meals?

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner according to the itinerary. Mineral water is provided daily.

Is there WiFi at the lodges?

Not mentioned in the itinerary. Assume limited or no connectivity. Bring offline entertainment.

Can infants travel on this safari?

Yes, infants can sit on an adult's lap. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels.

What happens if I want to leave early?

Contact the operator before booking. Early departures may incur fees or forfeit unused portions.

Is travel insurance recommended?

Yes. Flying Doctors insurance (AMREF) for emergency evacuation is included, but comprehensive travel insurance is wise.