5-Day Tanzania Big 5 Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Distance: 120km, ETA: 2 hours

Wildlife Viewing Time: 6 hours

Activities: Game Drives

Airport pick-up included: We advise you to arrive a day before or very early in the morning and start the tour on the same day. (Kilimanjaro Airport/ Arusha Airport).

• Pick up from your hotel in Arusha at around 07:30 am and drive to Lake Manyara NP (330 km2). The park has a massive but shallow soda lake located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. The varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants, Manyara's unique tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos. Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as "the loveliest I had seen in Africa." From the entrance gate, along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsize forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy. After game drives, drive to Bougainvillea Safari Lodge for the overnight. Meal Plan: L, D.

Distance: 215km, ETA: 4 hours

Wildlife Viewing Time: 6 hours

Activities: Game Drives + Olduvai Gorge (Optional at 36$ per person)

• After breakfast, drive to the Serengeti (14,763 sq km or 5,700 sq miles) for game drives. As the day cools and the Serengeti sky is streaked by red, gold, and orange hues, you may be surprised by the roar of a lion, a galloping giraffe, or the high-pitched giggling of hyenas fighting over a kill. Enjoy game drives until around sunset. Dinner and overnight at Thorn Tree Camp. Meal Plan: B, L, D.

Distance: NIL, ETA: NIL

Wildlife Viewing Time: 10 hours

Activities: Game Drives + Balloon Safari (Optional at 549$ per person)

• Enjoy early morning game drives in Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is arguably the most impressively magnificent wildlife sanctuary in the world. The park is famous for the Great Migration, when over one million wildebeest and more than two hundred thousand zebras each year follow the seasonal rains in search of green pastures. Even without this mass migration, the Serengeti remains an impressive and spectacular place that cannot fail to enthrall. Enjoy game drives until around sunset. Dinner and overnight at Thorn Tree Camp. Meal Plan: B, L, D.

Distance: 145km, ETA: 3 hours

Wildlife Viewing Time: 6 hours

Activities: Game Drives

• After an early morning breakfast, drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater (19.2km in diameter, 610m deep, and 304 sq km) is one of the most densely crowded wildlife areas in the world and is home to some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos. Its huge population of predators is another big drawcard to this picturesque crater. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, this breathtaking oasis provides a haven for both predator and prey to live among grasslands. After game drives, drive to Bougainvillea Safari Lodge for the overnight. Meal Plan: B, L, D.

Distance: 120km, ETA: 2 hours

Wildlife Viewing Time: 6 hours

Activities: Game Drives

• After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is home to some dry-country antelope, such as the rare fringe-eared oryx and the peculiar, long-necked gerenuk. The swampy areas in the south of the park offer interesting wildlife viewing opportunities, including wallowing elephants and buffalo, the Silale Swamp lion pride, and sometimes wild dogs. Big pythons can sometimes be found in trees when the swamps are drying up. You'll have lunch at the picnic site and proceed with game drives until around check-out time. After game drives, head back to Arusha/ Airport for the drop-off at around 5 p.m. Meal Plan: B, L.

Airport drop-off included: We advise you to depart the day after the tour ends or on the same day in the evening. (Kilimanjaro Airport/ Arusha Airport).