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

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Duration5d

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

See wildebeest move across the Serengeti, then descend into the crater where animals gather at a single water source.

A five-day camping safari from Arusha that takes you through Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater with a guide, all meals and accommodation at campsites. You drive the parks on game drives timed to catch sunrise and sunset, follow the wildebeest migration route (best June through September), and descend 610 meters into the crater to see elephants, zebras, gazelles and over 500 bird species in a single ecosystem. The tour ends with a village visit to Mto wa Mbu where a local guide walks you through banana plantations and explains how the community lives.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arusha to Tarangire National Park

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

Day 2 — Tarangire to Serengeti

Breakfast at lodge
Drive to Serengeti National Park via Karatu and Ngorongoro
Arrive in Seronera area for lunch
Afternoon game drive in Serengeti until sunset

Day 3 — Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Tour

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

Day 4 — Serengeti to Ngorongoro

Wake at 5:45 AM for early breakfast and sunrise
Early morning game drive until 11:30 AM
Return to campsite for hot lunch and pack
Game drive en route to Ngorongoro crater
Dinner and overnight at Simba campsite

Day 5 — Ngorongoro 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
Drive to Arusha for overnight

The Experience

How do you see a million animals move across one landscape? You start in Tarangire, 115 kilometers from Arusha, where a full day of game drives takes you past herds of elephants drinking from the Tarangire River—the river the park is named for. The park covers 2,800 square kilometers and holds climbing tree pythons, lions, leopards and baobab trees so massive they can store up to 1,000 liters of water and live for 600 years. You sleep at Jambo campsite and wake early the next morning to drive toward the Serengeti through the highland farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, descending into endless plains that roll to the horizon.

Two full days in the Serengeti put you in the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife zones in the park, where the Seronera River draws species representative of the whole ecosystem. On your second Serengeti day, you wake before dawn for a full day of game drives following the wildebeest migration—a movement of 1.5 million animals that follows rainfall and fresh grazing. The migration pattern shifts: June through September, the herds move north toward the Mara River crossings; January through March, calving happens in the south. Your driver knows where to position you to witness it. You watch sunrise and sunset from inside the park, and the scale of it—the dust, the sheer number of animals moving together—is the thing people come back to describe.

On day four, you wake at 5:45 for an early morning game drive in the Serengeti, then drive toward Ngorongoro Crater, arriving at Simba campsite for the night. The final day starts before sunrise at the crater's edge. After breakfast you descend the steep track into the crater itself—a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Africa's seven wonders, formed millions of years ago when a volcano exploded. It is 610 meters deep, covers 260 square kilometers, and holds approximately 25,000 animals in one enclosed ecosystem. In minutes you see wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elephants and some of the 500 bird species. The crater's density of wildlife means you encounter more animals per hour here than in the other parks. After lunch you climb back out and drive to Mto wa Mbu village, where a local guide takes you through banana plantations growing over 30 species, explains the community's social and economic life, and answers questions about how people live alongside the conservation areas. You return to Arusha the same day.

What’s included

All national park entry fees and taxes.
accommodation at Jambo, Seronera and Simba campsites.
unlimited drinking water during game drives.
a free night at your Arusha hotel before and after the safari.
a guide who speaks English.
pickup from your Arusha hotel.
all meals during the safari.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by MERU SLOPES TOURS AND SAFARIS

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to follow the wildebeest migration and see it move across the Serengeti plains—the timing and route are built around where the herds are. The five-day structure holds all three parks and the crater descent inside one trip, so you don't piece together separate bookings; pickup, accommodation and park fees are settled before you arrive.