Ngorongoro Crater Safari from Arusha: Big 5 Game Drive & Maasai

Six hours in a crater where lions, elephants and rhinos still roam the same ground

You get picked up early from your Arusha hotel, spend six hours driving through the Ngorongoro Crater in a pop-up jeep with a multilingual guide, see the big 5 and Maasai villages, eat breakfast and lunch on the company, and return by evening. No arranging transport, no hunting for a guide, no guessing whether you'll actually spot wildlife: the crater's size and animal density make a single day realistic.

Step-by-step itinerary

Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Return

• 5:00 am pick up from Arusha Tourist Inn
• 7:00 am breakfast at campsite
• 6+ hours game drive in Ngorongoro Crater
• 1:00 pm lunch at picnic site
• 3:00 pm exit crater to Arusha Town

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or airport pickup and drop-off from Arusha, breakfast at a campsite on the crater rim, six hours of game drive in a four-wheel pop-up safari jeep with a professional multilingual driver, entry to Ngorongoro Crater National Park, lunch at a picnic site inside the crater, drinking water and wine throughout the day, and the option to visit a Maasai village in a traditional Boma. Walking safari can be arranged on request, and dietary requirements are accommodated.

Times

• Every day 05:00 05:30 07:00

Another time? ›

Information

Days and times Every day Departures at 05:00, 05:30 and 07:00 Another time? ›

Group Up to 6 3 private ›

Live guide English, Spanish and French Other languages ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point. You can choose from 12 pickup points.

Book up to 12h before

Ages Adult (18 to 60 years) · Senior (61 and older) · Youth (14 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 13 years) · Infant (under 5)

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

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort Wheelchair accessible Accessible transport Infant seats available Public transport nearby Not recommended during pregnancy Not recommended with heart problems Not recommended with back problems Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Serengeti Safari Booking

The experience

There's something that pulls at you when you realize you might see a black-maned lion before lunch. The Ngorongoro Crater safari from Arusha starts at 5am (early enough that the animals are still moving), and you're picked up from your hotel or airport and driven toward a landscape that hasn't changed much in a hundred years. By 7am you're eating breakfast at a campsite on the crater rim, and then you drop into the caldera itself in a four-wheel pop-up safari jeep, the kind where the roof slides back so nothing blocks your view or your camera.

The crater is a closed ecosystem, which means the big 5 (lions, buffalo, black rhinos, leopards, elephants) are concentrated in one place, and a 6-hour game drive gives you real time to find them instead of just hoping. Your driver speaks English, Spanish or French, and knows where to look. You'll see wildebeest and zebra moving across the volcanic grassland, hippos in Lake Makat (a soda lake the Maasai call the salt lake), and if you're patient, a leopard in the acacia trees. The park is also one of the few places in Tanzania where you can encounter Maasai families living in their traditional circular homesteads called Bomas, still herding cattle on the crater floor the way they have for centuries.

Lunch happens at a picnic site around 1pm (included, with water and wine), and then you start the climb back up and out. By 3pm you're heading back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon. The whole day is shared with other travelers in your group, which keeps costs down and means you're not the only one gasping when a rhino walks past ten meters from the jeep.

Traveler reviews

5.00 ★★★★★ Exceptional 8 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (14 to 17 years); Child (5 to 13 years); Infant (under 5).

What time does the safari start and end?

Pickup is 5am from your Arusha hotel or airport. Breakfast is at 7am, then six hours of game drive starting around 8am. You leave the crater at 3pm and return to Arusha in the late afternoon.

Will I see the big 5 in one day?

The Ngorongoro Crater is the only national park in Tanzania where all five (lion, buffalo, black rhino, leopard and elephant) are present year-round. A six-hour drive gives you a realistic chance, though wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.

Is the jeep comfortable for six hours?

You travel in a four-wheel pop-up safari jeep with a pop-up roof so you can stand and photograph. It's designed for game drives, not for comfort on long roads, and the terrain inside the crater is uneven.

What's included in the price?

Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off, breakfast, lunch, drinking water, wine, park entry, the game drive, and a professional English-, Spanish- or French-speaking driver. Walking safari is available if you request it in advance.

Can I visit a Maasai village?

Yes. The crater is home to Maasai families living in traditional Bomas (circular homesteads), and your guide can arrange a visit during the game drive.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

The transportation is wheelchair accessible, but the game drive jeep and the terrain inside the crater are not suitable for wheelchair users. Infants can sit on an adult's lap, and specialized infant seats are available.

What should I bring?

Sunscreen, a hat, binoculars, a camera with a good zoom, and layers. It's cooler at the crater rim. Drinking water is provided.