Tanzania Safari 7 Days: Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Zanzibar
Differences between wildlife sightings in Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti plains
You start in Arusha and move through four northern Tanzania parks over seven days with a private driver and guide. Game drives in Tarangire and Lake Manyara give you the variety; Ngorongoro Crater's depth and animal density is the centerpiece; Serengeti gets two full days to absorb the scale. A domestic flight takes you to Zanzibar at the end. All park fees, transport, meals and accommodation are included, and the itinerary is fixed so you know exactly when you're moving and where you're sleeping.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Arusha
- Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport
- Complete immigration procedures
- Transfer to accommodation in Arusha
Day 2: Drive to Tarangire National Park
- Early breakfast
- Drive through Arusha city
- See Maasai grazing cattle and goats
- Game drive in Tarangire National Park
- Overnight at accommodation
Day 3: Lake Manyara game drive and local activities
- Early breakfast
- Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
- Morning game drive in the park
- Return to camp for hot lunch
- Join local activities at Mto Wa Mbu
- Bike ride or walking safari to village
- Drive back to camp by tuk-tuk
- Transfer to accommodation for overnight
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater full day tour
- Early breakfast
- Depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Descend into Ngorongoro Crater
- Game drive inside the crater
- Lunch at picnic site with hippo views
- Game drive en route to camp
- Short safari walk and visit Maasai houses
- Overnight at accommodation
Day 5: Travel to Serengeti National Park
- Breakfast
- Depart for Serengeti National Park
- Stop at crater viewpoint
- Game drive en route to accommodation
- Optional visit to Maasai Bomas
- Overnight at accommodation
Day 6: Full day game drive in Serengeti
- Full day game drive in Serengeti
- Observe diverse wildlife and birdlife
- Overnight at accommodation
Day 7: Transfer from Serengeti to Zanzibar
- Early breakfast
- Enjoy morning sun on Serengeti Plains
- Transfer to Fort Ikoma airstrip
- Fly to Zanzibar
What’s included
Your seven days include private transportation throughout, all park entry fees and taxes, game drives with a driver/guide at each location, accommodation at each stop, meals, a domestic flight from Serengeti to Zanzibar, and Flying Doctors emergency insurance. You arrange your own international flights to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport, where a representative meets you on arrival and transfers you to Arusha.
- Every day 08:30
Information
Seven-day safari from Arusha through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti with flights to Zanzibar. Includes park fees, meals and accommodation.
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The experience
The itinerary says you'll leave Arusha early, but "early" turns out to mean 5:30am, which nobody really prepares for on the first morning. Your driver is already waiting with coffee and a thermos, though, so you're moving through Maasai land before the heat sets in. Tarangire National Park comes first: 2,850 square kilometers of baobab trees and elephant herds that can run over 100 animals. The landscape is drier than you'd expect, almost sparse, but that's exactly why the wildlife congregates around the water sources. You'll spend the afternoon on a game drive with your guide, who knows where the animals move depending on the season, and by evening you're at your accommodation under a sky so clear it feels like a mistake.
Lake Manyara National Park is different. Greener, more forested, and famous for something most people don't believe until they see it: lions that climb trees. The morning game drive gets you to the park gate early, and the drive through the forest canopy before you reach the lake edge is the kind of detail that sticks with you. After lunch at camp, you have a choice: bike ride to the lake, walking safari through the village at Mto Wa Mbu, or just rest. Most people do the village walk, which is less "cultural performance" and more "here's where people actually live," and then a tuk-tuk brings you back to camp. It's the kind of unscripted afternoon that makes the difference between a safari and a tour.
Ngorongoro Crater is the centerpiece, and the descent alone justifies the whole trip. At 610 meters deep with a floor of 260 square kilometers, it's one of Africa's natural wonders, and on a clear day you can see the entire crater wall from the bottom. The crater holds roughly 25,000 animals: lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, and if you're lucky, the rare black rhino. Lunch happens at a picnic site overlooking hippos in the shallow lake, and the afternoon includes another game drive and a short walking safari where you might see Maasai houses and herders. The light changes constantly, and your guide will point out animals you'd walk past otherwise.
Serengeti National Park gets two full days, which is what lets you understand the scale of it. The park is famous for the annual migration (thousands of wildebeest and zebras crossing the Mara River while crocodiles wait), but even outside migration season, the wildlife density is staggering. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, impala, Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, and bird species that seem to exist just to add color to the landscape. The grassland savanna, river forest, and woodlands each have their own rhythm, and two days means you're not just checking boxes. On day seven, an early breakfast on the plains, then transfer to Fort Ikoma airstrip for your domestic flight to Zanzibar, where the spice island's historical culture and beaches wait for the wind-down part of the trip.
Top questions
Can I be picked up at my hotel?
You can choose: pickup at your hotel, or go straight to the meeting point. When you book, you choose your hotel from 3 pickup locations; if yours isn’t listed, you can type in your address. Pickup is about 30 minutes before departure.
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (1 to 10 years).
What's the difference between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti?
Ngorongoro is a collapsed volcanic crater 610 meters deep with roughly 25,000 animals concentrated in one enclosed area. You descend into it for a full day. The Serengeti is vast open grassland savanna with no boundaries, famous for the annual migration and wildlife spread across a much larger space. Both are included. Ngorongoro is one day, Serengeti is two.
Do I need to be very fit for this safari?
You need at least a moderate level of fitness. Most of the time you're in a vehicle on game drives, but there are walking safaris and the descent into Ngorongoro Crater involves some uneven terrain. The early starts and long days in the vehicle require stamina, but you're not hiking for hours.
What's included in the price?
Private transportation, all park entry fees and taxes, game drives with a driver/guide, domestic flight from Serengeti to Zanzibar, accommodation, and meals. Flying Doctors insurance (AMREF) is also included for medical emergencies.
When is the best time to see the migration?
The migration typically happens June through October when wildebeest and zebras cross the Mara River. Outside those months you'll still see abundant wildlife, but the river crossing spectacle won't happen. The itinerary works year-round.
How long are the drives between parks?
Drives vary: Arusha to Tarangire is roughly half a day; Tarangire to Lake Manyara is a few hours; Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro is a few hours; Ngorongoro to Serengeti is a full day with a crater viewpoint stop. The final transfer to Fort Ikoma airstrip is early morning before your flight.
Is there time to relax, or is it all game drives?
Game drives are the main activity, but afternoons often have options. You can rest at camp, take a village walk, or do a bike ride. Lake Manyara day includes local activities at Mto Wa Mbu. It's not a relaxation trip, but it's not relentless either.
Do I need a visa for Tanzania?
Most nationalities need a visa for Tanzania. You can arrange it in advance or on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Check your country's requirements before booking.
What wildlife will I definitely see?
Elephants, zebras, wildebeest, impala, hippos and various bird species are common across all parks. Lions, leopards and cheetahs are likely but not guaranteed. The rare black rhino is possible in Ngorongoro but uncommon. Your guide will maximize sightings based on animal movement patterns.
Operated by Ndoto Safari. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
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Tanzania Safari 7 Days: Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Zanzibar
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from US$ 5,900 per person
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