7-Day Tanzania Safari Tours: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara
The itinerary includes an arrival night in Arusha followed by Tarangire, three nights in the Serengeti, a Ngorongoro Crater visit and Lake Manyara. The suggested package also covers six nights of accommodation, road transport, a driver-guide and the listed game drives. Your quotation must confirm the exact fees, transfers, meals and drinking-water provision included in the price.
You spend three nights in the Serengeti, with two full days available for wildlife exploration. Day 3 includes a game drive on the way to camp, while Day 6 requires an early departure towards Ngorongoro. This arrangement gives you time to explore beyond a single short visit.
You may see the Great Migration if the herds are within reach of your booked camp, but sightings are not guaranteed. Their movements depend on rainfall and grazing, and a Central Serengeti stay does not provide convenient access to every migration region. If the migration is your main priority, the camp location and route should be reviewed for your travel dates before booking.
Yes, but a northern Serengeti version needs changes to the route and accommodation. Northern camps are much farther from Ngorongoro than Central Serengeti camps, making the Day 6 transfer and crater visit difficult to combine comfortably. Adding a night near Ngorongoro, extending the trip or using a suitable flight connection would create a more practical programme. River crossings remain unpredictable.
These Tanzania safari tours can be planned throughout the year, with the route adjusted to your priorities and seasonal conditions. TANAPA identifies June to October as the dry season and January to February as a key calving period in the Serengeti. The best camp location depends on which wildlife experience you want, so choosing the month and accommodation together is more useful than relying on one general “best time”.
Day 6 is a long travel day and requires an early departure from a suitably located Central Serengeti camp. Road conditions, gate procedures and wildlife stops affect the time available for the crater visit. For a more relaxed journey, add a night near the crater and descend the next morning.
7-Day Tanzania Safari Tours: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara
Start Dates
Sep 1, 2026 - Dec 31, 2026
2 persons
3,770.00 USD
*
4 persons
3,075.00 USD
*
6 persons
3,065.00 USD
*
Start Dates
Jan 1, 2027 - Mar 31, 2027
2 persons
3,420.00 USD
*
4 persons
3,110.00 USD
*
6 persons
3,110.00 USD
*
Start Dates
May 21, 2027 - Dec 31, 2027
2 persons
3,715.00 USD
*
4 persons
3,110.00 USD
*
6 persons
3,110.00 USD
*
* Indicative costs per person, excluding international airline tickets
Six nights of accommodation at the specified properties or agreed alternatives.
Arrival airport collection and departure transfer.
Transport in a 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional English-speaking driver-guide.
All scheduled game drives.
All applicable park entrance, concession, conservation, Ngorongoro transit and crater service fees.
Breakfast in Arusha; all meals from Day 2 to Day 6; breakfast and packed lunch on Day 7.
Drinking water in the safari vehicle.
Applicable government taxes and levies.
Excluded
Any other item not exclusively in the inclusions
Experience the wildlife and landscapes of northern Tanzania on this seven-day safari through Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park. Starting in Arusha, the journey combines elephant encounters, open savannahs, volcanic highlands and forest habitats, with comfortable lodge and tented camp accommodation along the way.
This itinerary offers three nights in the Serengeti, allowing two full days to explore its wildlife areas without changing accommodation. Look for lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras and other animals while your driver-guide explains their behaviour and the habitats they depend on. A visit to Ngorongoro Crater adds the opportunity to search for endangered black rhinos, while Tarangire and Lake Manyara bring further variety to your wildlife experience. All sightings remain subject to natural conditions.
Ideal for couples, families and small groups, these Tanzania safari tours combine guided game drives with time to relax between destinations. The programme can be tailored to your travel dates, accommodation preferences and interests. For travellers seeking migration-focused Tanzania holiday safaris, the Serengeti camp location and route can be adjusted before booking to reflect seasonal herd movements.
Safari Route Summary
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park and Karatu
Day 3: Journey to Serengeti National Park
Days 4–5: Full-Day Serengeti Game Drives
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater and Karatu
Day 7: Lake Manyara Safari and Departure
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
PlatinumKahawa House, Arusha,
Welcome to Tanzania. After meeting your representative at the airport, travel to Kahawa House in Arusha and settle into your accommodation. The journey offers your first introduction to the area, passing local neighbourhoods and everyday roadside activity.
The rest of the day is kept flexible around your arrival time. After a long flight, you may prefer to rest, enjoy the gardens or spend a quiet afternoon by the swimming pool. Kahawa House provides a convenient base before the wildlife section of your Tanzania holiday safaris begins. Its published facilities include a swimming pool, gardens and rooms with private bathrooms.
Activities:
Meet your representative for your transfer to the lodge. During the journey, receive an introduction to your safari arrangements and confirm the next morning’s departure. This is also a useful opportunity to raise any immediate questions about your luggage, meals or travel schedule.
Depending on your arrival time, enjoy some rest before a briefing with your guide or representative. Discuss the route, daily routines, wildlife-viewing etiquette and any personal interests, such as photography or birdwatching. For late arrivals, the briefing can take place the following morning.
Accommodation: Kahawa House, Arusha, or a confirmed alternative.
Meals and drinks: Suggested booking basis is bed and breakfast. Breakfast is served the following morning; lunch and dinner on arrival day are extra unless included in your quotation. Beverages are charged separately unless specified.
Accommodations:
PlatinumKahawa House, Arusha,
PlatinumKahawa House, Arusha,
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park and Karatu
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park and Karatu
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
After breakfast, meet your driver-guide and depart for Tarangire National Park. Allow approximately two and a half to three hours to reach the park entrance from Arusha, depending on your starting point and traffic. The scenery gradually changes from town surroundings to open countryside before you enter the park.
Tarangire is known for its elephant herds, baobab trees and river landscapes. Your game drive follows permitted tracks through woodland and open areas, searching for elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and antelopes. Lions and other predators may also be seen, although sightings cannot be promised. The Tarangire River and surrounding water sources become particularly important to wildlife during dry periods.
Enjoy a packed lunch at a designated picnic site before continuing your wildlife drive. Later, leave the park and travel to Karatu, where you will check in at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge. The onward transfer generally takes around two to three hours, depending on your exit point and road conditions.
Activities:
Explore Tarangire’s river corridors and baobab landscapes with your guide. Spend time observing elephant families when encountered, watching how they feed, communicate and care for their young. Your guide will position the vehicle at a respectful distance and explain the behaviour unfolding around you.
During the later part of your game drive, look for birds and animals around riverbanks, woodland edges and seasonal wetlands. Your guide can help identify species and explain how their feeding habits connect with the landscape. Birdwatching takes place mainly from the vehicle, with stops only where permitted.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge, Karatu, or a confirmed alternative.
Meals and drinks: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner. Drinking water during game drives should be specified in your quotation; other beverages are extra unless stated.
Accommodations:
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
Day 3: Karatu to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro
Day 3: Karatu to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
After an early breakfast, depart Karatu and travel into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The road climbs through the highlands before continuing towards the Serengeti. Weather and visibility permitting, stop at a designated crater viewpoint to appreciate the scale of Ngorongoro from above.
Continue across the conservation area towards the Serengeti entrance. This is a substantial travel day, so an early departure is important. Allow approximately five to seven hours to reach the Central Serengeti area, with additional time for longer stops, entry formalities and wildlife viewing.
After entering Serengeti National Park, begin your first game drive as you travel towards camp. Watch the plains for zebras, wildebeests and gazelles, while scanning rocky outcrops and shaded areas for predators. Arrive at Nyota Serengeti Camp later in the day and settle in for the first of three nights. The camp is located in the Central Serengeti, making it a practical base for the following two days.
Activities:
Travel through the highlands and pause at a designated viewpoint if conditions allow. Your guide will introduce the landscape and explain the difference between the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the crater you will visit on Day 6. This stop offers a useful overview before continuing towards the plains.
Once inside the Serengeti, turn the journey to camp into your first wildlife-viewing experience. Follow permitted roads through the grasslands, stopping for animals encountered along the way. The drive provides an introduction to the park while keeping enough time to reach camp within the permitted operating hours.
Accommodation: Nyota Serengeti Camp, Central Serengeti, or a confirmed alternative.
Meals and drinks: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner. Beverages are extra unless specified.
Accommodations:
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
Day 4: Full-Day Wildlife Exploration in Serengeti National Park
Day 4: Full-Day Wildlife Exploration in Serengeti National Park
Wake to the sounds of the bush and prepare for a full day exploring the Serengeti. Depending on the agreed schedule, leave after breakfast or depart earlier with a packed breakfast. Your guide will choose a route based on recent sightings, accessible roads and the habitats you have yet to explore.
Spend the day searching open plains, woodland edges and rocky outcrops for wildlife. Possible sightings include lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and various antelopes. Rather than moving quickly between sightings, allow time to watch feeding, resting and social behaviour.
Carry a packed lunch so you can remain out for much of the day. A migration-focused route may be possible if the herds are within a practical distance of camp. Their location changes with rainfall and grazing, so the day’s programme must remain flexible. Return to camp later in the afternoon for dinner and another night in the Serengeti.
Activities:
Explore suitable habitats for lions, cheetahs and leopards with your guide. Look for clues such as tracks, alarm calls and the behaviour of nearby prey animals. Early departures offer cooler conditions and the possibility of finding predators active, though every sighting depends on the animals themselves.
After your picnic lunch, continue through areas suitable for observing grazing herds and other resident wildlife. If the Great Migration is nearby, your guide may focus on its movements. Otherwise, spend the afternoon enjoying the Serengeti’s resident animals, changing light and broad landscapes.
Day 5: Another Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Day 5: Another Full Day in Serengeti National Park
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
Enjoy a second full day in the Serengeti, giving you more time to explore without transferring to another destination. This extra day is a valuable feature of these Tanzania safari tours because it allows the guide to revisit productive areas or introduce habitats you have not yet seen.
Choose between another full-day outing with a picnic lunch or separate morning and afternoon drives with a midday break at camp. The split-drive option works best when wildlife-viewing areas are reasonably close to your accommodation. A full-day drive is more practical when exploring farther away.
Today’s pace can reflect your interests. Photographers may prefer longer stops, while birdwatchers may enjoy time around woodland and water. Families may appreciate a shorter morning outing and a longer rest before the afternoon drive. All arrangements remain subject to park rules and the practical distance from camp.
Activities:
Head out during the cooler morning hours to search for wildlife in the soft light. Your guide can allow time for photography while maintaining a suitable distance from animals. Look for movement across the plains, birds beginning to feed and predators returning from overnight activity.
After lunch and a rest, explore another area within a sensible distance of camp. Depending on local conditions, this may include woodland, riverine habitat or rocky outcrops. Your guide will explain how different animals use these environments before returning to camp ahead of the evening.
Accommodations:
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
PlatinumNyota Serengeti Camp
Day 6: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater and Karatu
Day 6: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater and Karatu
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
Leave the Central Serengeti early with breakfast arrangements confirmed the previous evening. Today combines a road transfer with a Ngorongoro Crater game drive, so departure should be prompt. Enjoy incidental wildlife sightings along the route, while keeping the main focus on reaching the crater descent point in good time.
After completing the necessary entry procedures, descend to the crater floor. Ngorongoro contains grassland, woodland, wetlands and lake habitats within its steep volcanic walls. These environments support a substantial concentration of wildlife, and the conservation area is recognised by UNESCO for its biodiversity and outstanding landscape.
Look for zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes, gazelles, lions, hyenas and hippos. The crater also offers an opportunity to search for endangered black rhinos, although they can be distant or difficult to locate. Enjoy a packed lunch at a designated site, with the timing adjusted to your arrival.
After the game drive, ascend from the crater and continue to Karatu. This is a long day, and the time available on the crater floor depends on your Serengeti departure, transfer conditions and the applicable permit arrangements. Travellers wanting a slower pace can add a night near Ngorongoro and visit the crater the following morning.
Activities:
Travel across the plains towards the Ngorongoro highlands, watching the scenery change along the way. Your guide will stop briefly for suitable sightings when time allows. This is primarily a transfer rather than a separate extended morning game drive.
Descend into the crater for a guided game drive through its varied habitats. Search for large grazing herds, predators and black rhinos while learning how water and vegetation influence animal distribution. Stay on permitted roads and leave the vehicle only at designated locations.
Accommodations:
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
PlatinumNgorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge
Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha and Departure
Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha and Departure
After breakfast, check out and drive towards Lake Manyara National Park. Your final park visit introduces a different setting from the Serengeti plains, with groundwater forest, woodland, wetlands and views towards the Rift Valley escarpment.
Explore accessible routes in search of baboons, blue monkeys, elephants and birdlife. Lake Manyara is also associated with tree-climbing lions, but these are an occasional sighting rather than something to expect on every visit. Water levels and seasonal conditions influence access to the lake margins and the birds present during your visit.
Enjoy a packed lunch before beginning the return journey to Arusha. Continue to your confirmed drop-off point in Arusha, Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport. The final game drive must be planned around your flight, allowing enough time for the road transfer and airline check-in.
This day works best with an evening departure or an additional night in Arusha. For an earlier flight, the Lake Manyara visit may need to be shortened or removed. Your onward flight should be checked against the itinerary before booking.
Activities:
Explore the forest roads, looking for primates, elephants and woodland wildlife. Your guide will help you notice smaller details, from bird calls to animal tracks, while explaining how the forest differs from the more open habitats visited earlier in your Tanzania holiday safaris.
Continue towards accessible wetland and lakeside viewing areas to search for waterbirds and enjoy the escarpment scenery. Flamingos may be present when conditions are suitable, alongside other birds. Finish your visit at a time that allows a comfortable transfer to your confirmed departure point.
