Tanzania · Safari

7-Day Tanzania Wildlife Safari through Serengeti and Ngorongoro

7 Days Round trip from Arusha Easy pace

Admire the wildlife on this safari in Serengeti National Park

Marvel at the stunning view of pink flamingoes in Lake Manyara

Spot the great African elephants at Tarangire National Park

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Explore Tarangire and the scenic landscapes of Lake Manyara National Park
02 Behold the unique wonder of the Ngorongoro Crater and its extraordinary wildlife density
03 Witness abundant wildlife in Serengeti National Park, including the famed wildebeest migration
04 Visit Mto wa Mbu's Masai village and enjoy a hot lunch prepared by a local mama

Explore Africa's greatest parks on this 7-day Tanzania wildlife safari. Discover Tarangire and Lake Manyara, visit the famous Serengeti, home to an abundance of wildlife as well as the impressive wildebeest migration, and explore the striking Ngorongoro Crater, a natural wonder with the world's highest concentration of wildlife. The journey also includes time in Mto wa Mbu, where you can visit a Masai village and enjoy a hot lunch prepared by a local mama.

Descend into the crater as you make your way through lush forests, home to numerous elephants and buffalo.

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 Yes

Cities Arusha, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park

Languages English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and Transfer to Arusha

Meet your local guide at Kilimanjaro Airport.

Accommodation at Arusha Planet Lodge with half board (breakfast and dinner).

Day 02

Arusha to Tarangire National Park Game Drive

Be picked up from your hotel and drive to Tarangire National Park for a full day of game viewing.

Accommodation at Migombani Public Campsite with full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Day 03

Explore Lake Manyara National Park

Explore the beautiful and diverse Lake Manyara National Park.
Stop for a picnic lunch at one of the picnic sites in the park, where you will enjoy the fresh air of African nature as you savour your meal.
Continue with an afternoon game drive and drive out of the park. You will then be driven back to your camp, arriving in time for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation at Migombani Public Campsite with full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Day 04

Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Conservation Area

Leave your camp and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Enjoy an early morning game drive through the Ngorongoro Crater in closed safari vehicles with pop-up roofs.
Descend into the crater as you make your way through lush forests, home to numerous elephants and buffalo.
Reach the inside of the Ngorongoro Crater, marvelling at the incredible landscape around you. Your guide will take you through the grassy crater floor, the unbelievable fever tree forest, the banks of Lake Magadi, and the surrounding marshes.
Enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by natural wonders and exceptional wildlife roaming freely in this extraordinary paradise.
Proceed with an afternoon game drive and photography. At the end of the day, ascend from the crater floor and drive to your camp, arriving in time for dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation at Simba Public Campsite with full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Day 05

Ngorongoro to Central Serengeti

Leave your camp and head to Central Serengeti.
Enjoy driving through and exploring Central Serengeti.

Accommodation at Seronera Public Campsite with full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Day 06

Serengeti to Karatu via Ngorongoro

Leave Serengeti through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Drive to Karatu.
Enjoy a last-minute game drive in Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the way. This is your final chance to view the amazing wildlife and landscapes of this beautiful area. It is also a day to recuperate, relax at the hotel, and savour a delicious dinner.

Accommodation at Migombani Public Campsite with full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Day 07

Mto wa Mbu Visit and Departure Transfer

Enjoy a visit to Mto wa Mbu, a Masai village, and eat a hot lunch prepared by a local mama.
Spend a wonderful time with the people of Mto wa Mbu before being driven to Kilimanjaro Airport via Arusha.
Enjoy a last-minute drive through the Northern Tanzanian highlands, passing villages and suburban areas.
Have the chance to do some last-minute shopping in Arusha. Buy souvenirs, Masai art, and postcards from the local markets and shops.
Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your international departure flight.

Where this trip takes you

Serengeti National Park savannah, Ngorongoro Crater floor, Lake Manyara National Park lakeshore

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Arusha 6 cities · 7 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle
English-speaking Tanzanian guide
Overnight accommodation according to the itinerary
Meals
Mineral water
All mentioned activities
All national park fees and all government taxes
Flying Doctors insurance (AMREF) during the safari
Private airport transfer upon arrival
Half-board (breakfast and dinner) accommodation
Park/reserve entrance and fees
Packed lunch boxes

What's Not Included

Flights
Optional activities
Alcoholic and soft drinks
Visa fees
Tips and gratuities
Personal spending money for souvenirs, etc.
Travel insurance

What to bring

Long-sleeved shirts (for protection from sunburn)
Shorts
Light long pants or convertible long-short pants
A warm fleece pullover or jacket
One swimsuit
Cotton socks and underwear
Pyjamas
One pair of comfortable walking shoes
One pair of sandals or flip-flops
A wide-brimmed hat
A bandana (for dust)
A heavy sweater, gloves, and a toque if travelling in the cold season (June - August)

Know before you go

Arusha is a major international diplomatic hub. The city hosts and is regarded as the de facto capital of the East African Community. Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a mild climate.
Tarangire National Park is one of the lesser-known Tanzanian national parks, giving it a real air of undiscovered Africa. Famous for its tree-climbing pythons, massive baobabs, and large herds of elephants, Tarangire is small but still home to a significant wildlife population, with a density of wildlife matched only by Ngorongoro. Birding is excellent here; the swamps, tinged green year-round, attract 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat.
You will camp in a dome-style tent. Our chef will prepare delicious food. Public showers and toilets will be available at the campsite, along with a ground mattress and a pillow. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag.
Lake Manyara National Park stretches for 50 km along the base of the rusty-gold, 600-metre-high Rift Valley escarpment. Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as "the loveliest I had seen in Africa". From the entrance gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush, jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy. Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania's birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Activities for $45 extra include walking on the treetops through a rope bridge. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants, and storks.
Ngorongoro Crater's main feature is a large, unbroken, unfolded volcanic caldera. The crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago, is 610 m (2,000 ft.) deep, and its floor covers 260 km² (100 sq. mi). The crater floor is mostly open grassland with two small wooded areas dominated by Acacia xanthophloea. The descent into the crater is one of scenic beauty as you make your way through lush forests, home to numerous elephants and buffalo. As you reach the inside of the Ngorongoro Crater, marvelling at the incredible landscape around you, your guide will take you through the grassy crater floor, the unbelievable fever tree forest, the banks of Lake Magadi, and the surrounding marshes.
The central Serengeti is home to the beautiful Seronera Valley. Several perennial rivers run through this valley, enabling many resident animals to thrive year-round. The combination of location and resident prey attracts the largest populations of predators in Africa. It is this amazing abundance and diversity of easily seen large predators that attracts thousands of visitors and hundreds of researchers to the Seronera River Valley each year. There is simply no better place in Africa to observe these large carnivores. Since many are resident, excellent encounters are available year-round regardless of the season or where the great migratory herds are located. It is not unusual to see all four large predators - lion, hyena, leopard, and cheetah - during the course of a day in the central Serengeti.
Serengeti National Park is well known for its healthy stock of other resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters (lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and buffalo). The park also supports many further species, including cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, topi, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog, and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, lovebirds, and many species of vultures. The Serengeti Plain is a natural savannah straddling Tanzania and Kenya. The most common species found in the "endless plains" are black wildebeest, impala, zebra, and buffalo. It also includes jackals, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, elephants, almost all types of antelopes, and a rich birdlife where birds of prey, big and small, and various species of vultures are well represented. The Serengeti is probably the most famous game reserve in Tanzania. The park covers 14,763 km square, but the ecosystem is much larger, extending over the Masai Mara, Kenya, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Day 7 optional activities: Ziplining amongst the baobabs and a hot bush lunch (for kids aged 5 and up). Visit TanZip, Tanzania's first zipline. This unique eco-course offers 4 thrilling zips with 6 unique platforms built around majestic baobab trees. Guests enjoy a safety orientation, a scenic transfer through Masai land, a wetlands stroll, and a fun zip adventure.
Day 7 optional activities: Biking to Lake Manyara and a hot picnic lunch. Enjoy an easy bike ride from Mto wa Mbu village to the shores of Lake Manyara. You are likely to spot amazing wildlife such as monkeys, zebras, wildebeest, and more.
Day 7 optional activities: Tinga Tinga painting course and hot lunch. Spend 2-3 hours creating your own Tinga Tinga painting to take home. A local artist provides all the materials and guides you step by step through your painting while you enjoy a beverage of your choice and the village environment.

Logistics