Arusha: 6-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Game Drive Safari

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/38

Duration6d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Six days hunting the Big Five across Tanzania's northern parks

You're picked up in Arusha and driven through four major parks over six days—Lake Manyara's tree-climbing lions, Ndutu's migration and leopard populations, the Serengeti's endless plains, and Ngorongoro Crater's Big Five concentration. Park fees, meals, lodging in tented camps and lodges, and a private driver-guide are all included, so you arrive and the safari begins.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arusha to Lake Manyara game drive

Pick up from Arusha accommodation
Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
Full day game drive in Lake Manyara
Lunch inside Lake Manyara National Park
Overnight at Africa Safari Karatu lodge
Dinner at Africa Safari Karatu restaurant

Day 2 — Transfer to South Serengeti via Ngorongoro

Breakfast at Africa Safari Karatu
Drive through Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Lunch en route to South Serengeti
Afternoon game drive around Lake Ndutu
Dinner at Africa Safari South Serengeti lodge
Overnight at Africa Safari South Serengeti

Day 3 — Full day game drive at Lake Ndutu

Breakfast at Africa Safari South Serengeti
Full day game drive around Lake Ndutu
Lunch in the bush during game drive
Dinner at Africa Safari South Serengeti lodge
Overnight at Africa Safari South Serengeti

Day 4 — Full day game drive in Serengeti

Breakfast at Africa Safari South Serengeti
Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park
Lunch in the bush during game drive
Dinner at Africa Safari South Serengeti lodge
Overnight at Africa Safari South Serengeti

Day 5 — Full day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater

Breakfast at Africa Safari South Serengeti
Full day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater
Lunch in the bush during game drive
Dinner at Africa Safari Karatu restaurant
Overnight at Africa Safari Karatu lodge

Day 6 — Return transfer to Arusha

Breakfast at Africa Safari Karatu
Drive back to Arusha
Drop off at Arusha accommodation or airport

The Experience

The driver pulls up at your hotel or the airport in Arusha before dawn breaks, and from that moment the jeep becomes your home for the next six days. You're heading two hours south into Lake Manyara National Park, where the first surprise waits in the acacia trees—lions that climb them, draped across branches like house cats, something you won't see anywhere else. The park is small but packed: 400 bird species, thousands of flamingoes turning the alkaline lake pink, buffalo and giraffe on the grassy banks. Lunch happens in the middle of it all, the view of the water stretching out while you eat.

Day two moves you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area—Maasai land, where the landscape shifts and wildlife appears in the gaps between conversations with your guide. By afternoon you're at Lake Ndutu in the South Serengeti, and if you're traveling between November and April, you're in the middle of either the Great Migration or the Calving Season. Lions are common here. The riverbank holds one of the world's densest leopard populations, which means your camera stays ready. You sleep in a tented lodge that night, the sounds of the savannah close enough to feel real.

Days three and four are full-day game drives—one around Ndutu, one across the Serengeti itself. The Serengeti spans 14,763 square kilometers and hosts six million wildebeest during migration, plus 200,000 zebras, 300,000 Thomson's gazelle, and the predators that follow them. Buffalo, elephant, hippo, hyena—they're all here, and your guide knows where to look. The fifth day takes you into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest intact volcanic caldera, where the Big Five are concentrated by the natural rim. Standing at the lookout with the clouds hovering and the mountain breeze, you understand why people say this is one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. On day six, your driver brings you back to Arusha—a three-hour drive that gives you time to process what you've seen.

Everything is handled: park entry fees, transport in a safari jeep with a rooftop hatch, an experienced driver-guide who stays with you the whole time, overnight stays in unique lodges and tented camps on a full board meal plan, and airport pickup and drop-off. You don't arrange park logistics, meals, or timing—the fixed itinerary does that. The only thing you bring is moderate fitness and a willingness to sit in a jeep for hours at a time, which is exactly what makes seeing this much wildlife in six days possible.

What’s included

Your six days include airport pickup and drop-off in Arusha, transport in a private safari jeep with rooftop hatch, an experienced driver-guide for the entire duration, entry fees to Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Ndutu, and Serengeti National Park, five nights in tented lodges and unique accommodations near the parks, and full board meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—throughout the tour.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Beach & Safari

Is this one for you?Right for travelers with six days and moderate fitness who want the northern circuit parks without arranging transport, park logistics, or meals themselves. Expect long days in the jeep—game drives run from early morning through afternoon—which is what lets you cover four parks and see the Big Five in one trip.