4-Day Tanzania Safari: Serengeti, Tarangire & Ngorongoro

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/14

Duration4d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

The Ngorongoro Crater holds all the Big Five in one enclosed space, and you descend 600 meters to drive its floor.

A four-day lodge safari from Arusha covering Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, with two nights at a tented lodge in the Serengeti and full-day game drives led by an English-speaking guide. The itinerary descends into the Ngorongoro Crater on the final day, where predators, elephants, zebras and endangered black rhinos share a closed ecosystem. Pickup from Arusha is included; minimum age is 15.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Breakfast in Arusha
Drive to Tarangire National Park
Full day game drive in Tarangire
Picnic lunch in the park
Dinner at Farm of Dreams Lodge

Day 2 — Tarangire to Serengeti National Park

Breakfast at lodge
Drive to Serengeti via Karatu and Ngorongoro
Arrive at Seronera area in Serengeti
Dinner at Matawi Tented Luxury Lodge

Day 3 — Full day game drive in Serengeti

Sunrise game drive in Serengeti
Return to camp for hot lunch
Afternoon game drive in Serengeti
Dinner and overnight at Matawi Lodge

Day 4 — Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

Breakfast at lodge
Drive to Ngorongoro Crater
Descend to crater floor for wildlife drive
Picnic lunch in crater picnic area
Drive back to Arusha in late afternoon

The Experience

Four days means two full days in the Serengeti itself. You start at Tarangire National Park on day one, where the river and swamps draw the largest elephant herds in Africa during the dry season—the park also holds three rare species: the Greater Kudu, Fringed-eared Oryx and Ashy Starlings. After a picnic lunch and a full game drive, you head toward the Serengeti via the highlands of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, descending into the endless plains of central Serengeti by evening.

Days two and three are built around the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife zones in the park, where the Seronera River draws the species you came to find. You start at sunrise and drive until midday, return to the lodge for lunch, then head out again in the afternoon. The Serengeti holds over 500 bird species—from ostriches and secretary birds on the grassland to black eagles soaring above the savannah—so the game drive is not only about the mammals. You stay at Matawi Tented Luxury Lodge, which has private bathrooms and a bathtub.

On day four, you drive to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend onto its floor for a wildlife drive. The crater is a closed system where few animals leave and few enter, so the concentration of wildebeests, zebras, hippos, elands, elephants and topis is dense. Predators here include lions, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals and leopards; the endangered black rhino also lives here. After a picnic lunch at one of the crater's designated areas, you drive back to Arusha in the late afternoon.

What’s included

Accommodation at Farm of Dreams Lodge and Matawi Tented Luxury Lodge with private bathrooms.
full-day game drives at Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
picnic lunches on days one and four.
an English-speaking guide throughout.
and pickup from Arusha with return transport on day four.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Meijo Safaris

Is this one for you?Most Tanzania safaris from Arusha split time across four or five parks in short bursts; this one gives you two full days in the Serengeti itself, which is what lets you see the seasonal movements and predator behavior that a single afternoon cannot show. The Ngorongoro Crater on the final day closes the loop—a different ecosystem entirely, where the Big Five are concentrated in one place.