Tanzania · Safari

7-Day Serengeti Safari with Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Migration

7 Days Round trip from Arusha Easy pace

Wildebeests preparing for the Great Migration, Serengeti

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Spend at least four nights in the Serengeti following the Great Migration
02 Explore Lake Manyara National Park, home to more than 350 bird species
03 Search for big cats in the Serengeti's Central Area
04 Visit Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera

Concentrate most of your time in the Serengeti to follow the unique spectacle of the Great Migration. Spend at least four nights in the park, usually two in the Central Area, with the largest concentration of big cats, and the other two where the migration is according to the time of year, whether in the South, North, or West. This safari also takes you through Lake Manyara National Park and the remarkable Ngorongoro Crater for a well-rounded wildlife experience in Tanzania.

The game drives along Lake Manyara provide stunning photo opportunities of giraffes and buffaloes in the foreground, with the lake and its flamingos in the background.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 7 Days

Tour type Shared

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park Game Drive

Get picked up from your hotel in Arusha at 8 am and begin a beautiful journey across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a full-day game drive. Although small in size at 205 square miles, the park has breathtaking scenery and is well known for its lush acacia forest, giant figs, and mahogany trees, as well as its growing population of baboons and blue monkeys. Permanent residents of this park also include giraffes, elephants, impalas, and huge numbers of buffaloes. The lake is also home to a large number of hippos. Some unique features of this park include the tree-climbing lions, flamingos along the lakeshore, as well as the Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle.
The game drives along Lake Manyara provide stunning photo opportunities of giraffes and buffaloes in the foreground, with the lake and its flamingos in the background.
During this day, some extra tours are possible, including a bike tour or a boat excursion.
In the afternoon, transfer to the camp.

Day 02

Journey to Central Serengeti via Ngorongoro Highlands

After an early breakfast, depart towards the most famous national park in the world, the Serengeti. The drive itself, although long, is spectacular. You will travel up the crater highlands, making a quick stop at the rim for an out-of-this-world view of Ngorongoro Crater. This will be an unforgettable moment for anyone seeing it for the first time.
On the way to the park, you will have the option to stop for a visit to Olduvai Gorge, a famous place where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the remains of the first man who walked on Earth.
This tour includes a short lecture describing the archaeological digs and geological characteristics of the gorge, as well as a visit to the museum.

Day 03

Flexible Full Day in Central Serengeti

Spend a full day in Serengeti National Park. We are completely flexible with your preferences, and this day will be organized according to your wishes.
On every day of the safari, your guide will discuss with you the best timings, including the game drives and wake-up time. For example, on this day, you could do a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation, and finish with an afternoon game drive, or you could enjoy a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch.

Day 04

Following the Great Migration Across the Serengeti

On these two incredible days, you will be driven across remote locations within the vast Serengeti plains in pursuit of the Great Migration. The areas you visit depend on the time of year and could be as far as the remote north of the Serengeti near the border with Kenya, or in the south in the Ndutu Area, or even in the western part of the park.

Day 05

Early Serengeti Game Drive and Transfer to Ngorongoro

On this day, we suggest a very early wake-up in order to enjoy an early morning game drive, when the animals are more active, and see one of the best sunrises you will ever witness.
After the game drive, return to the camp for a rewarding brunch and then proceed to Ngorongoro, the 8th Wonder of the Natural World.
You will reach Ngorongoro in time for a sundowner.

Day 06

Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Return to Arusha

Start the day very early and descend to the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife in one of the most stunning places on Earth. After the game drive, there will be time for a picnic lunch near the beautiful hippo lake.
After lunch, there will be time for a short game drive before ascending the crater and exiting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then driving back to Arusha.
We expect to be back in Arusha around 5 pm, although we are flexible in case there is a flight to catch or another situation.

Where this trip takes you

Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Arusha 4 cities · 7 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Accommodation in tents, lodges, and hotels on a full-board basis
English-speaking Tanzania driver-guide
4WD Land Cruiser with pop-up roof, fuel, and all vehicle entry fees in the parks and reserve
Unlimited game drives in all national parks mentioned above
All park fees and other government charges
Airport transfers and pick-up
Lunch box and soft drinks while on game drives
Government levy of US$ 1.5 per person per night

What's Not Included

Alcoholic and soft drink beverages at some camps and lodges
Staff gratuities and tips
Any newly implemented government taxes, levies, fuel, or industry increases that are beyond our control
All flight costs and visa fees where relevant
International airport departure taxes applicable from manned airports only, to be paid in US$ cash on departure unless included in your ticket cost
Any other items of a personal nature and travel insurance

Know before you go

As you progress well into the Serengeti, you will see why the name means, in the local language, "endless plains." The park covers 6,900 square miles (18,000 square km), and for most of it, the plains stretch to the horizon, defying your senses and perception of distance. It is home to the Great Migration, with 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras, and all kinds of antelopes, including abundant impalas and Thomson's gazelles. As for big cats and large predators, it is the place of choice to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas, with many television scenes, including the famous river crossings, having been filmed in this park. Smaller animals such as foxes, mongooses, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, rock hyraxes, and African hares, together with more than 500 species of birds, also inhabit this park.
The Ngorongoro Crater spreads across 102 square miles and has 2,000-foot-high walls, making it virtually Noah's Ark and home to almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa. It is one of the very rare locations on the whole continent where you can witness the Black Rhino. The concentration of African wildlife here is the greatest on the continent. The crater has a river, several swamps, a soda lake with a great concentration of flamingos, a forest, and open plains. It is also famous for its elephants, which are the largest in the world and have huge tusks. This is due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses. Ngorongoro Crater is truly a Wonder of the Natural World.

Logistics