4-Day Tanzania Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

Serengeti migration tour: witness 300 elephants and a wildlife-rich crater in Tanzania

A four-day group safari from Arusha visiting Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater with a professional English-speaking guide, all park entry fees, four nights accommodation and meals included. You spend a full day in Tarangire watching elephants and dry-country antelope, nearly two days in the Serengeti with evening and sunrise game drives, and a full day descending into Ngorongoro Crater where roughly 25,000 animals live in one enclosed ecosystem. Airport pickup is included. Flights are not.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. Tarangire National Park8h
2. Ngorongoro Conservation AreaEntry included8h

Day 1: Game drive in Tarangire National Park

• Early breakfast in Arusha
• Full day game drive in Tarangire
• Picnic lunch during game drive
• Dinner and overnight at Sun bright campsite

Day 2: Travel to Serengeti via Ngorongoro

• Breakfast at campsite
• Drive through fertile highlands
• View Ngorongoro Caldera
• Continue to Serengeti National Park
• Evening game drive in Serengeti
• Dinner and overnight at Seronera campsite

Day 3: Serengeti game drive and travel to Ngorongoro

• Early coffee at campsite
• Morning game drive in Serengeti
• Travel to Ngorongoro Crater
• Arrive at crater edge
• Dinner and overnight at Simba campsite

Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater tour and return to Arusha

• Sunrise views over crater edge
• Breakfast at campsite
• Drive down into Ngorongoro Crater
• Game viewing inside crater
• Lunch inside crater
• Ascend crater walls
• Drive back to Arusha
• Overnight stay in Arusha

The experience

The safari opens in Tarangire National Park after an early breakfast from Arusha. A full day of game drives takes you through the only place in Tanzania where herds of up to 300 elephants gather during the dry season, scraping the waterless river bed for underground streams. Wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala and gazelle mass around the lagoons, and the park holds dry-country antelope found nowhere else: the stately fringe-eared Oryx and the long-necked gerenuk. Picnic lunch happens in the park. You overnight at Sun Bright campsite.

Day two moves toward the Serengeti through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing highlands where the Iraqw people grow wheat, coffee and corn. You reach Seronera campsite by late evening and head out immediately for a game drive in central Serengeti, where you watch the sunset before dinner. The Serengeti is Tanzania's largest park (grassy plains, swamps, lakes and savannah), and depending on the season, thousands of wildebeest and zebra migrate across it in search of food and water. An early coffee and another game drive on day three give you a chance to spot the Big Five before you drive to the crater's edge and overnight at Simba campsite, where the orange glow of sunset surrounds you as you settle in.

The final day starts before dawn. Early risers see the sun rise over the crater's edge, then after breakfast you descend the steep track into Ngorongoro Crater itself. The crater is 610 metres deep, covers roughly 260 square kilometres, and holds approximately 25,000 animals: wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elephants and more than 500 bird species. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the seven wonders of Africa. Within minutes of entering you can see multiple species. With luck you might spot an endangered black rhino. After lunch you ascend the crater walls and return to Arusha.

What’s included

• Professional English-speaking guide throughout the four days.
• all national park entry fees for Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
• four nights accommodation at campsites (Sun Bright in Tarangire, Seronera in Serengeti, Simba on the crater's edge).
• all meals during the safari.
• airport pickup from Arusha.
• free WiFi inside the safari jeep.

Information

Lasts 4d, runs every day, 6 start times, from US$ 1,100 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: 05:00, 06:30, 07:00, 07:30, 08:00 and 08:30

GroupUp to 425 private ›

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (19 to 45 years) · Senior (46 to 90 years) · Youth (14 to 18 years) · Child (6 to 13 years) · Infant (under 6)

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 effortInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by MERU SLOPES TOURS AND SAFARIS

Is this one for you?This is a shared group tour with a fixed itinerary and schedule, which is what keeps all three parks and the crater's edge overnight inside four days: the guide, the timing and the transport are arranged, so you move through the parks without building the logistics yourself. It suits travelers who want the major parks and the migration without the cost of a private vehicle, and who prefer sunrise and sunset game drives to a self-paced schedule.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (14 to 18 years); Child (6 to 13 years); Infant (under 6).

What animals will I see on this safari?

Tarangire holds herds of up to 300 elephants, wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle and dry-country antelope like the fringe-eared Oryx and gerenuk. The Serengeti hosts the wildebeest and zebra migration depending on season, and you may spot the Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. Ngorongoro Crater holds roughly 25,000 animals including wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elephants and over 500 bird species, plus the chance to see an endangered black rhino.

How much time do I spend in each park?

You spend a full day in Tarangire National Park on day one, nearly two days in the Serengeti (arriving late on day two, departing day three afternoon), and a full day in Ngorongoro Crater on day four before returning to Arusha.

What is included in the price?

The tour includes all four nights accommodation at campsites, all park entry fees, meals, a professional English-speaking guide, airport pickup from Arusha, and free WiFi inside the safari jeep throughout the tour. Flights and gratuities are not included.

When do the game drives happen?

Game drives occur at sunrise and sunset, which are the times when animals are most active. You have a full day of drives in Tarangire, an evening drive in central Serengeti on day two, an early morning drive on day three before heading to the crater, and a morning descent into Ngorongoro Crater on day four.