Menu

6 Days – Tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater

6 Days

In this tour we will cover the 4 most popular destinations in Tanzania – Tarangire, Lake Natron, Central Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. Tour starts and ends at Arusha. With our experienced driver guides, it will be a trip of a lifetime!

Overview

In this tour we will cover the 4 most popular destinations in Tanzania – Lake Manyara National Park (1 night), Central Serengeti (1 night), Ngorongoro Crater (1 night), Tarangire National Park (1 night). Tour starts and ends at Arusha. With our experienced driver guides, it will be a trip of a lifetime!

Itinerary

Pick up at 7:30 AM from your hotel in Arusha and depart for Tarangire National Park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. Tanzania’s third largest National park is known for its majestic baobab trees that dot the landscape, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you.

Your day will begin after breakfast by about 8:00 AM. We depart with packed lunch boxes towards Lake Natron. Located about 3.5 hours drive away from Mto Wa Mbu/Manyara, Lake Natron is a surreal destination and unique natural spectacle. Its waters are highly alkaline and are unusually shallow, averaging just one meter in depth. After checking into your lodge and a short break, put your walking shoes on as a Maasai tribesman takes you on a walk around the shores of Lake Natron on the lookout for birds, especially the lesser flamingos. Lake Natron is the most important and regular breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa hosting up to 2 million of them during the breeding season. The majority of egg-laying and hatching takes place from September to January. After the hike, you will head back to your camp/lodge for a well deserved dinner and rest.

Your day starts early. Around 6:00 AM, accompanied by a Maasai guide, enjoy some light hiking to the nearby Ngare Sero waterfalls and relax in the cool spray of water cascading down the rocks of this scenic ravine. Make sure to bring your shoes! We return to accommodation by 8:30 AM and finishing up a good breakfast, will head out towards the Serengeti National Park. This road trip takes through variety of sites: towns and villages, savannah and forest, and you’ll be able to spot animals like antelope, wildebeest and zebra. We enter Serengeti in the afternoon. The Serengeti is arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. You will have an afternoon game drive in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. A picnic lunch will be done during the day long game drive itself. The eventful day comes to an end with dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation

You can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full day game drives around 9:00 AM with packed lunch and return back to lodge late afternoon around 6:00 PM. Or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today. The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti - known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. During the off season of the migration, one must really look out for the many lion pride that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion pride provide an excellent game viewing experience all year round. Along with a picnic lunch during the full day game drive, the day will come to a close by around 5PM. The long day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

After breakfast around 6:30 AM, you will depart with a packed lunch from the camp and have a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park till lunch time. There are several game drive circuits in Central Serengeti and depending on what you have already seen on your safari and your interests, your guide will take you to game drives at one or more of these circuits. You are very likely to see a good number of big cats, especially lions, along with a diverse array of other wildlife. In the afternoon depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Depending on your choice of accommodation, you will be either staying inside Ngorongoro conservation area or exiting from Ngorongoro and staying at a lodge in Karatu. The day comes to an end with a good dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descent at around 6:30 AM into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq kms with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, Hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4hr drive left to Arusha. You will be dropped off to your preferred location in Arusha by 6:00 PM in the evening. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you bid goodbye to your team.

Price includes:

  • Park Fees (for Non-Residents).
  • Concession/ Camping Fees.
  • Daily game drives while on Safari.
  • A professional driver/ guide.
  • 4x4 Land Cruiser.
  • All Taxes and VAT.
  • Meals as per itinerary.
  • Drinking water while on safari (2 litres per person per day).

Price excludes

  • International flights.
  • Airport Transfers (Unless mentioned otherwise).
  • Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour (Unless mentioned otherwise).
  • Tips.
  • Personal Items (Souvenirs, Travel Insurance, Visa Fees, etc.).
  • Government imposed increase of Taxes and or Park Fees.
  • Any activities not mentioned in the itinerary.
what official documents do I need to travel to Tanzania?

You will require a passport valid for at least six months after your date of entry. If you are arriving from a country in which Yellow Fever is endemic (such as Kenya), you will require an immunization certificate or health card.

Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and most countries in the EU, need a tourist visa to enter Tanzania. Application details and forms can be found on Tanzanian Embassy web sites.

As with all visa matters — contact your local Tanzanian Embassy for the latest information

How safe is the water and food in Tanzania?

It is best to drink bottled water when traveling through Tanzania – numerous brands are widely available and served in all restaurants and lodges. Steer clear of ice, raw vegetables, and salads when eating at street restaurants.

High-end lodges and restaurants will clean their produce in antiseptic solution, but to be on the safe side, fruit and vegetables should always be washed and peeled. Try to avoid eating in empty restaurants – the food may have been sitting out for some time – and order your meat well done. On the coast, seafood and fish are usually fresh, but make sure everything is well-cooked.

Do lodges and camps have mosquito nets?

Not all camps/lodges in Tanzania have mosquito nets. It all depends on their individual location, i.e. altitude, near open water, etc.

Also, much of the accommodations are tented camps. These tents tend to be tightly sealed and zipped tight avoiding the need for mosquito netting. Furthermore, at most camps/lodges, while you enjoy dinner, housekeeping will complete a turndown service and spray the rooms with mosquito repellent. Regardless of mosquito netting, you should always bring insect repellent with DEET, trousers/slacks, sports/long sleeved shirt and/or blouse and dress/skirt for ladies.

What should I wear on safari in Tanzania?

When traveling to foreign destinations it is always respectful to dress modestly and we suggest the emphasis is on comfortable clothing.

It is often warm on the plains and at lower altitudes but cold in the hilly and mountainous areas; a rain jacket, fleece and good quality walking shoes/boots are essential.

How many countries share a land border with Tanzania?

They are: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The Democratic Republic of Congo does not share a land border – it lies on the opposite side of Lake Tanganyika.

What about security & safety?

Tanzania is generally a safe and friendly country but take all your actions and decision with care. Always only take small money with you, pay attention to your pockets and leave your jewellery at home. Don’t walk in the cities at night without a guide and don’t give in to the various temptations.

Tipping

When you had fun and the service and friendship on your tour was good it will be a good option to give some tipping, but this should not exceed 10% of the tour price. To give something is obviously a free decision and not obligatory.

Where is the best place in Tanzania for birding?

From the dry acacia woodland of Tarangire National Park and the dramatic cliffs of the Rift Valley to the vast Serengeti plains and the specialist birds of the Usambara, Uluguru and Udzungwa mountains, northern Tanzania is a birders paradise.

With close to 1,150 species of birds, of which 23 species are endemic and 36 species globally threatened, Tanzania ranks as one of the top birding destinations in Africa, and the second most varied avifauna of any country on the African continent.

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

6 Days – Tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater