Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro: 5-Day Camping Safari & Maasai Visit

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/6

Duration5d

GroupUp to 24

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Wildebeest thunder in serengeti sunrise and maasai laughter by campfire

You’ll wake up to cold Serengeti mornings and fall asleep listening to distant animal calls under canvas skies. Watch wildebeest herds thunder past your jeep, sip hot tea at sunrise, stand on Ngorongoro’s rim feeling impossibly small, then swap stories with Maasai locals as dusk falls. It’s not always comfortable — but you’ll carry these moments home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Pick up from Arusha hotel at 8:00am
Drive 3 hours to Tarangire National Park
Full day game drive in Tarangire
Drive to Jambo lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 2 — Tarangire to Serengeti National Park

Breakfast at campsite
Drive via Karatu and Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Arrive Serengeti Seronera area for lunch
Afternoon game drive in Serengeti until sunset

Day 3 — Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Tour

Early breakfast at campsite
Full day game drive following wildebeest migration
Return to Seronera campsite for dinner and overnight

Day 4 — Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater

Wake early for sunrise and breakfast
Early morning game drive until 11:30am
Return to campsite for hot lunch and pack
Game drive en route to Ngorongoro Simba campsite
Dinner and overnight at Simba campsite

Day 5 — Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

Early breakfast and sunrise views over crater
Drive down into Ngorongoro Crater for game viewing
Lunch inside crater
Ascend crater walls and visit Mto wa Mbu village
Short village tour with local guide
Drive to Arusha for overnight

The Experience

You know that sound when the jeep door thunks shut at dawn and the air smells like dust and coffee? That’s how our first morning started after leaving Arusha — still a bit groggy, bouncing along toward Tarangire. Our guide, Joseph, pointed out the baobab trees right away. He called them “the upside-down trees,” which I’d read somewhere but hearing him say it made me actually look. Elephants drifted in and out of the haze near the river. At one point we stopped so close I could see their skin creases — it looked almost soft from a distance but up close it’s more like old leather. There was this moment where everything went quiet except for birds and the low hum of insects; I didn’t expect to feel so small.

The drive into Serengeti took longer than I thought (those roads are no joke), but rolling down the window as we hit the plains — endless yellow-green stretching forever — made me forget about time. Lunch was simple: rice, chicken, vegetables packed by someone’s auntie back in Arusha (at least that’s what Joseph said). By afternoon we were chasing shadows of wildebeest herds. The migration is wild — you see it on TV but standing there with dust in your teeth while thousands of animals move together is something else entirely. We tried to count zebras until someone gave up around fifty.

One night at Seronera campsite, a hyena padded past our tents just outside the firelight. Someone (not me) dropped their flashlight in panic. The next morning came early: sunrise over Serengeti is all pinks and golds with cold air biting your nose until the sun finally warms things up. Joseph brewed tea on a little stove; I swear nothing has ever tasted better than that first cup with hands wrapped tight around the mug.

Ngorongoro crater felt different — quieter somehow, even though there were more jeeps circling for lions or rhinos (we got lucky with both). The air was cooler up there; you could smell damp grass and hear cowbells from Maasai cattle somewhere above us on the rim. Later we stopped at Mto wa Mbu village where our local guide, Rehema, showed us banana groves (over thirty kinds?!) and laughed when I tried to pronounce “ndizi” properly. Still can’t get it right.

What’s included

Your journey includes private transportation from Arusha with hotel pickup and drop-off, all national park entry fees and taxes covered upfront, unlimited drinking water plus free WiFi inside your safari jeep throughout each day’s drive. Every meal is taken care of—breakfasts before sunrise game drives, hot lunches back at camp or picnic-style on route—and you’ll sleep at established campsites inside Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro areas before returning to Arusha by evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by MERU SLOPES TOURS AND SAFARIS