5-Day Tanzania Safari in Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire

On this day, you leave Arusha town, the base town for safaris in northern Tanzania, and take a scenic drive along the Arusha-Dodoma highway towards Tarangire National Park. If you wish, you will stop by a supermarket for some last-minute shopping for any personal effects you may need before continuing through the scenic Masai Steppe and arriving at Tarangire in about 2 hours.

Your driver will take care of the paperwork at the park's gate, and then you will embark on your first game drive in Tarangire National Park, famous for its large herds of elephants and the large baobab trees that dot the grassland. Lunch will be at a designated picnic site, followed by afternoon game drives until sunset, when you will check in at a lodge or camp for your overnight stay.

Overnight at Marera Valley Lodge, Country Lodge, or a similar lodge in Karatu. Lunch and dinner are included.

From Tarangire National Park, you will depart early after breakfast and head across the floor of the Great Rift Valley, up the escarpment, and through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This is a pleasant and enjoyable scenic drive, with beautiful scenery and breathtaking vistas along the way to Serengeti National Park.

You will arrive in the Serengeti in the afternoon and enjoy an afternoon game drive until late in the day, before checking in at a camp or lodge for a campfire, dinner, and overnight stay. Lunch will be taken at one of the picnic sites, most likely at Naabi Hill Gate, where you will also have the chance to stretch your legs while your guide sorts out the registration and relevant paperwork.

Dinner and overnight at Thorntree Camp or Serengeti Green Hills Camp. All meals are included.

On this day, you can wake up early for a sunrise game drive to try to catch some of the rare nocturnal animal species, as well as the early risers among the diurnal ones. It is a wonderful time to see animals at close range, as much of the game likes to line up along the roadside to escape the morning dew.

After breakfast at your camp, you will spend the rest of the day on game drives throughout Serengeti National Park. The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word 'Siringit,' meaning plains without end, and true to its name, you will explore vast stretches of African savannah in search of the many animals the Serengeti has to offer.

Apart from the wildebeests, you can expect to spot other animals, including elephants, lions, cheetahs, elusive leopards, zebras, elands, and many resident and migratory birds.

2nd overnight at Thorntree Camp or Serengeti Green Hills Camp. All meals are included.

After breakfast at your camp or lodge, you will check out and head out for one last game drive in the Serengeti. You will explore the Seronera River Valley, rich in wildlife and birdlife, or another area of the Serengeti as advised by your professional safari guide.

Your safari guide will, as usual, remain in constant contact with other guides through the VHF high-frequency radios fitted in the safari vehicles, giving him a better idea of the best places to explore. Later in the afternoon, you will drive back to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and check in at a lodge for dinner and overnight.

Dinner and overnight at a nice mid-range lodge in Karatu, such as Marera Valley Lodge or Country Lodge nearby. All meals are included.

After breakfast at your lodge, you will descend early to the crater floor for game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater. The earlier you reach the crater floor, whether after breakfast or with a packed breakfast, the better your chances of seeing rare animals such as black rhinos, with a little luck.

You will spend the better part of the morning exploring the Ngorongoro Crater until lunchtime. With its 600- to 650-meter-high walls, Ngorongoro Crater is like a natural zoo with one of the highest concentrations of wild animals, and it is here that you may even spot the Big Five in one day if you are lucky enough.

After a picnic lunch, most likely taken at the designated picnic site by the hippo pool, you will drive up the crater rim and out of the conservation area. You will then return to Arusha, arriving later in the afternoon.

Breakfast and lunch are included.