This itinerary provides a comprehensive safari experience, combining the diverse wildlife and landscapes of Tarangire, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater, all while camping under the vast African skies. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a 5-day camping safari in Tanzania, focusing on exploring the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area:

Tour itinerary

Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up and driven to the Tarangire National Park, a huge park roughly the size of a small country. Savannah, baobab trees and seasonal swamps dot the park’s landscape, providing nourishment and shelter for hartebeests, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, various antelopes and over 500 bird species. The park prides itself on its large elephant herds, for which the park is famous for, and has become one of the best places in East Africa to see them. These large mammals have become accustomed to the sound of the safari vehicles allowing for closer observation. After an extensive game drive, you will drive to Mto wa Mbu at Sun breath Campsite, where you will spend the night on a campsite. (Lunch and dinner included).

Day 2: Mto wa Mbu – Serengeti National Park

Today you will set out on your journey through the lush highlands where corn, coffee and wheat grown, to travel to the Serengeti National Park. Serengeti, named by the indigenous Masai people, means “endless plains”, which is easy to see once the grassy savannah stretches out before you with no end in sight. The landscape is dotted by kopjes, bizarre rock formations, on which predators often are found surveying the region in search of their prey. The Serengeti is home to the largest animal migration in the world and depending on the season you will be able to witness thousands of wildebeest and zebras trekking through the Serengeti and Masai Mara Game Reserve in search for food.

In the late afternoon you will arrive at Seronera Campsite where you will stay the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included).

Day 3: Serengeti National Park Full Day Game Drive

The entire day is set aside for more game drives in the Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is the habitat for an abundance of wildlife, such as impalas, buffalo, crocodiles and hippos, but is more well-known for its great migrating herds of zebras and wildebeest. The animals’ trek is determined by the rainfall and varies from year to year. In November and December, the animals move from the northern region, dominated by woodlands and hills, to the grassy plains of the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June, they return to the north. Apart from the migrating herds, you might have the chance to see predators, such as leopards, cheetahs and lions, always lurking close by. The night will be spent at Seronera Campsite. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included).

Day 4: Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Crater – Mto wa Mbu

After an early breakfast, you will leave Serengeti national park and drive to Ngorongoro Area then descend to Ngorongoro crater for Game drive. On your game drive you have the possibility of seeing all different kinds of mammals ranging from the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – to Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles and mountain reedbucks. You might also see spotted hyenas and some of the more than 500 bird species of the area. After a picnic lunch in the crater and some more game viewing, you will leave the crater in the afternoon and head to the multi-cultural village of Mto wa Mbu, situated close to Lake Manyara National Park, for your overnight stay at Sun breath Campsite. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included).

Day 5: Mto wa Mbu – Lake Manyara National Park – Arusha

Your final stop on the tour is the small Lake Manyara National Park, named after the shallow alkaline lake covering roughly 200km² of the park. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains, but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. Apart from the spectacular and diverse bird-life of over 400 species, the park is also home to hippos, elephants, baboons, wildebeest and the peculiar tree-climbing lions. After an extensive game drive through the park, you will leave the cascades of flamingos behind and head back to Arusha, where you will arrive in the early evening.

Dinner and Overnight at   Tulia Hotel (Bed & Breakfast)