8-Day Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Tarangire Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Lake Manyara → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Tarangire → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Arusha to Lake Manyara

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Lake Manyara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Arusha to Lake Manyara

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Once you reach Lake Manyara there is time to check in before heading out among groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. This is good country in which to look for elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. Dinner is served at your Lake Manyara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

3. Day 3

   Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro

   After breakfast you leave Lake Manyara and travel on toward Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Ngorongoro.

4. Day 4

   Ngorongoro to Serengeti

   After breakfast you leave Ngorongoro and travel on toward Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. The evening is spent at your Serengeti accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   You spend the day in Serengeti, heading out early and returning as the light goes. You travel through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Serengeti.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Arusha Safari

   Today is spent entirely in Arusha, beginning with a game drive shortly after first light. Much of the day is spent among northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Lunch is either taken back at camp or carried as a picnic so you can stay out longer. The evening returns you to your Arusha accommodation for dinner and overnight.

7. Day 7

   Serengeti to Tarangire

   The day opens in Serengeti with a morning departure for Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Once you reach Tarangire there is time to check in before heading out among rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Tarangire.

8. Day 8

   Tarangire to Arusha

   The morning starts in Tarangire, from where you continue overland to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. The day ends with a drop-off in Nairobi at your hotel or the airport.