Camping
Serviced campsites inside or beside the parks. Dome tents, camp beds, a cook travelling with the group. The most affordable way to sleep inside a national park.
4 days, 3 nights
Four Day Serengeti and Ngorongoro
Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Duration4 days, 3 nights
ParksSerengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Starts and endsArusha
Group size2 to 6 guests
Safari typeWildlife safari, northern circuit
Best seasonAll year
The safari
The two places everyone comes to Tanzania for, in the shortest trip that does them justice.
The two places everyone comes to Tanzania for, in the shortest trip that does them justice.
Two full days in the Serengeti put you in the middle of the largest concentration of grazing animals and the predators that follow them anywhere on earth. Then you climb to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and drop down into it, onto a two hundred and sixty square kilometre floor holding one of the densest wildlife populations in Africa, including the black rhino that are difficult to find anywhere else in the country.
It involves two long driving days. We will not pretend otherwise. What you get in exchange is the heart of northern Tanzania in under a week.
Priced per person on enquiry, based on your dates, group size and choice of accommodation.
Day by day
Day by day itinerary
- Day 1
Collected from your Arusha hotel after breakfast. We drive west through Makuyuni and Karatu, climbing to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and stopping at the crater rim viewpoint for your first sight of it from above. We continue across the Conservation Area and down onto the open plains, entering the Serengeti at Naabi Hill Gate in the afternoon. Game driving as we continue to the central Seronera area, arriving in time for sunset. The drive is long, roughly seven to eight hours of road time before game viewing.
- Day 2
A full day in the Serengeti. An early start, because the first two hours after dawn are when the predators are still active. We game drive through the Seronera valley, where the river keeps the game concentrated year round, with a picnic lunch in the bush or a return to camp depending on where the animals are. The afternoon drive runs until dusk. Your guide will shape the day around where the wildlife is moving rather than following a fixed route.
- Day 3
A final morning game drive in the Serengeti, then we turn east, leaving through Naabi Hill Gate and crossing the plains back into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We climb to the crater rim in the late afternoon, where the air is cool and the view runs the whole way across the caldera. Evening at your camp or lodge on the rim.
- Day 4
An early breakfast and the descent into the crater by the Seneto road, usually just after the gates open, when the light is best and the floor is quietest. We spend the morning and early afternoon on the crater floor: the Lerai forest, the Munge stream, Lake Magadi and the open short grass where the rhino are most often found. Picnic lunch beside the hippo pool. We ascend in the early afternoon and drive back to Arusha, arriving in the early evening. Drop off at your hotel or at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Meal key: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner.
- 1Arusha
- 2Ngorongoro rim
- 3Naabi Hill Gate
- 4Central Serengeti
- 5Crater floor
Accommodation
Where you stay
Every safari is quoted at one of three levels, and you can mix them across a single trip. We will name the exact camps in your quotation, chosen for your route and your dates.
Mid range
Permanent tented camps and lodges with ensuite bathrooms, hot water and full board. The option most guests choose.
Luxury
Premium lodges and small tented camps in prime locations, with a higher level of service, space and privacy.
Included
- All ground transport in a four wheel drive safari vehicle with a pop up roof hatch and a guaranteed window seat
- A professional English speaking driver guide throughout
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- All government taxes and levies
- Accommodation at the level selected
- All meals as shown in the daily itinerary
- Drinking water throughout the safari
- Airport or hotel transfers at the start and end of the safari
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Tanzania entry visa
- Travel and medical insurance, which is strongly recommended and may be required
- Tips for your guide, camp and lodge staff
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Laundry, telephone and items of a personal nature
- Optional activities including balloon safaris, cultural visits and spa treatments
- Anything not specifically listed as included
Best time to travel
This safari works all year. June to October is the dry season, when the grass is short, the animals gather at water and the roads are easy. January to March brings the calving season to the southern plains and is the best time for predator activity. The long rains in April and May make the tracks harder and some camps close, but the parks are green and empty and the light is extraordinary.
From the road
Places on this route
Arusha based, Tanzanian owned
Member, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
Every safari planned by the founder
Reply within 24 hours
Tell us what you want to see.
There is no fixed menu here. Tell us your dates, how long you have, and what matters most to you, and we will put together a safari built around that. You will have a reply within a day, written by the person who will plan your trip.
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