This tour takes you to the main highlights on a safari in Tanzania: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Lake Manyara National Park, where you have the chance of seeing all of Africa’s iconic animals on a short, compact safari. At the same time, you not only experience staying at a hotel, but at a tented camp, too, where you are really at one with the magnificent African nature. The tents have proper beds, an en suite bathroom, and a toilet. This will be a highlight of your tour.
Day 1: Warm Welcome to Tanzania
As you exit Kilimanjaro International Airport, your guide from the best Tanzania tour company will greet you with a warm “Karibu Tanzania, Welcome to Tanzania!” From this moment, you’ll understand the difference that traveling with seasoned safari specialists makes. Your guide will transfer you directly to your selected accommodation in Arusha, where you can relax and acclimate to the African atmosphere. This evening, perhaps enjoy dinner at your lodge while anticipating the wildlife adventures that await in the coming days.
The true advantage of your private safari becomes apparent tomorrow, the luxury of your own dedicated 4×4 vehicle and expert guide means you can experience Tanzania at your own pace, lingering at wildlife sightings as long as you wish.
Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, your Tanzania safari holiday adventure truly begins as you depart for Lake Manyara National Park. This gem sits along the dramatic 400-meter deep Great Rift Valley, between Tarangire and Ngorongoro.
What makes Lake Manyara special is its remarkable diversity of landscapes packed into a relatively compact area. Your private game drive will take you through dense rainforest where hundreds of baboons and blue monkeys frolic among ancient mahogany trees. The groundwater forest transitions to acacia woodland where elephants browse peacefully, sometimes just meters from your vehicle. The alkaline lake itself covers 75 percent of the park and hosts thousands of flamingos (depending on water levels), creating a spectacular pink fringe along the shoreline. Lake Manyara is also famous for its unique tree-climbing lions, an unusual behavior you might be lucky enough to witness.
By afternoon, you’ll arrive at your accommodation near Lake Manyara, where you can relax and reflect on your first day of wildlife encounters.
Days 3-4: The Legendary Serengeti National Park
The excitement builds today as you journey to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. Your Serengeti National Park safari experience represents the pinnacle of wildlife viewing in Africa, This is the Tanzania of documentaries and dreams.
The Serengeti’s fame is well-deserved, hosting not only the spectacular Great Migration but also the continent’s highest concentration of predators. Your expert guide knows exactly where to find the park’s 4,000+ lions, 225 cheetahs, 1,000 leopards, 3,500 hyenas, and hundreds of wild dogs, creating opportunities for remarkable predator sightings and potential hunts.
Over two full days, your private safari vehicle will traverse the central regions of the Serengeti, where year-round resident game ensures exceptional wildlife viewing regardless of migration patterns. The distinctive kopjes (rocky outcrops) that dot these plains create perfect vantage points for lions and cheetahs, while the acacia-lined watercourses provide essential shade for elephants and hiding spots for leopards.
Each morning begins with an early game drive when wildlife is most active, followed by a midday rest at your camp during the heat of the day, and afternoon exploration as animals become active again. Your guide’s intimate knowledge of animal behavior and territories ensures optimal positioning for both wildlife viewing and photography.
Evenings in the Serengeti offer their own magic, perhaps sundowners watching the savanna transform in the golden light, followed by dinner under a canopy of stars so bright they seem close enough to touch.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater, Nature’s Perfect Wildlife Sanctuary
Today brings another highlight of your Tanzania vacation, exploring the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. This massive caldera formed two million years ago when a volcano collapsed upon itself, creating a natural enclosure that now protects an extraordinary concentration of wildlife.
Descending the steep crater walls, you enter a remarkable 100-square-mile ecosystem hosting the highest density of predators in Africa. The crater floor creates a microcosm of East African habitats, grasslands, swamps, forests, and lakes, each supporting different wildlife communities.
This natural “zoo” allows for incredible wildlife viewing opportunities, including rare black rhinos, massive-tusked elephants, and lion prides that have adapted to hunting in daylight hours. The crater’s compact size and open visibility mean you’ll likely encounter hundreds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and diverse antelope species in a single day.
After approximately five hours exploring this natural wonder, you’ll ascend the crater rim and transfer to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Day 6-7: Fond Farewells to Tanzania
On your final morning, enjoy breakfast at your lodge before your guide transfers you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight. Depending on your flight time, you might have opportunity for last-minute souvenir shopping or simply relaxing at the lodge.
Not ready for your Tanzania safari holidays to end? Consider extending your journey with a few days on one of Tanzania’s paradise islands, Zanzibar, Pemba, or Mafia, where pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters provide the perfect complement to your wildlife adventure.
