This 5-day Tanzania safari explores the attractions of the Northern Safari Circuit. It begins and ends in Arusha and takes you to some of the most well-known parks in Tanzania, including Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro crater area, where you will see breathtaking wildlife in the midst of diverse landscapes, including monkeys in the forest, lions on trees, elephants among the acacia trees, and a huge variety of animals inside a collapsed volcano. You’ll also have the highest chance of seeing cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, and lions in the wild, as well as witnessing the wildebeest migration if you’re lucky
The highlights
- Enjoy daily game drives
- Spot great elephant herds in Tarangire
- Search for African Big 5 animals
- View lions, leopards, and cheetahs on thrilling hunts
- Visit the breath-taking Ngorongoro Crater
- Opportunity to witness the wildebeest migration
Inclusions of this Safari
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- All ground transportation is provided by a 4×4 safari vehicle.
- An English-speaking safari guide/driver with great knowledge;
- Park Entrance fees
- All meals are included in the itinerary.
- Enough drinking water for the length of the trip
- All accommodations for the days stated in the itinerary
Exclusions
- A plane ticket and an overseas travel visa
- Gratuities and tips
- Life insurance on the safari
- Laundry charges
- Additional lodging before or after the safari
- Optional activities
All other personal expenses
DETAILED ITINERARY 5 DAYS CLASSIC NORTHERN TANZANIA WILDLIFE VIEWING SAFARI
Day 1: Transfer to Tarangire national park
You will be picked up from your Arusha accommodation after an early breakfast and briefed on this 5-day Tanzania. After that, you’ll be transported to Tarangire National Park, which is around 2 hours and 130 kilometers distant and home to vast herds of elephants and baobab trees. This park is made up of small hills on the bottom of the Great Rift Valley and is located along the Great Northern Parkway, which flows beside Tarangire river waters. After checking into your lodge, go on a game drive in search of exotic wildlife.
Tarangire’s grassy plains are lined with breathtaking huge Baobab trees, Africa’s largest trees and a haven for a wide variety of wildlife. Elephants flourish in this area, with some herds numbering up to 300 individuals. There are herds of Zebras, Giraffes, Elands, Gazelles, Buffalos, Impalas, Wildebeests, Hartebeests, and Waterbuck, as well as Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, and Cheetahs that prey on them, as well as nearly 500 bird species, including the world’s largest bird, the Yellow-collared lovebird, and the heaviest flying bird, the Kori Bustard. Return to the lodge for the evening and night.
Meal plan: All meals are included
Day 2: Morning walking tour and Transfer to Lake Manyara
Following breakfast, go on a supervised walking safari in Tarangire National Park to view the footprints of elephants, buffalo, waterbuck, antelope, eland, impala, giraffe, and other animals. Get a close-up look at the creatures. You can witness over 600 different bird species on this guided walking safari in this national park, including the beautiful Yellow-collared Lovebird, one of the biggest birds in the world, and the Kori Bustard, the biggest flying bird in the world.
You will also go on a wildlife viewing drive to explore the park and look for “Giants of Tarangire” African elephants and baobab trees. Drive to the Silale Swamp, an important element of the Tarangire ecology. Thousands of species come to the swamp during the wet season because it works as a massive sponge, slowly releasing water throughout the dry season. You will be taken to Lake Manyara in the late afternoon, where you will check into the resort for dinner and an overnight stay.
All meals are included in the meal plan
Day 3: Game drive and transfer to Serengeti
After a hearty breakfast, embark on a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, which provides a compact game viewing circuit with Lake Manyara covering two-thirds of the park’s size. The Great Rift Valley provides a breathtaking backdrop. You will be able to spot a variety of varied environments; acacia woodlands, wet forests, Baobab-strewn cliffs, algae-streaked hot springs, wetlands, and of course the lake itself also around 670 floral plants and over 400 bird species!. See the well-known tree climbing lions and big flocks of pink flamingos.
After lunch, go on a 4- hour journey to the Serengeti plains. See Masai villages and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Discover Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most significant archaeological sites. In 1959, Mary Leakey discovered in the gorge a 1.8-million-year-old ape-like cranium from an early hominin (human-like species) known as Australopithecus boisei. This discovery, together with the discovery of over 60 early hominid fossils, including Homo habilis, changed our view of human evolution forever.
Arrive late at night in the Serengeti wilderness, the site of the world’s largest mass terrestrial animal movement, the Great Migration. Even when the migration season is over, the Serengeti affords outstanding wildlife viewing. Arrive at the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: All meals are included
Day 4: Full day game drive at Serengeti plains
After breakfast, you will proceed on a game drive to explore the Seronera River, which draws a variety of animals due to its importance as a water supply during the dry season. This area is good for wildlife observation. The park’s diverse permanent wildlife population, which includes all five of the “big five,” is well-known. Because of the abundance of prey species, the Serengeti is said to have the most lions in Africa. Approximately 3,000 lions live in this ecosystem. These secretive animals, African Leopards, are frequently spotted.
The Serengeti, which means “endless plains” in the local language, is a breathtaking sight, with grassland stretching as far as the eye can see before merging with the sky at the horizon. The Serengeti is home to the majority of Africa’s remaining animals. You’re on the lookout for Serengeti “Kopjes,” which are massive granite outcrops in the middle of a sea of grass. They provide a diverse range of habitat for a vast range of flora and fauna. You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Meal plan: All meals are included
Day 5: Drive to Ngorongoro crater for descent and transfer back to Arusha
After breakfast, drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where you will explore the world’s largest caldera, which is home to a variety of mammals such as Rhinos, Elephants, Lions, Zebras, buffaloes, Leopards, Hyenas, and many more, not to mention an encounter with the local Masai people, who coexist peacefully with the wildlife while grazing their livestock.
You’ll descend 2000 feet to the crater floor. The world’s largest continuous volcanic caldera was formed by a huge volcanic eruption. Following the wildlife drive on the caldera floor, you will ascend and be taken back to Arusha, where you will be dropped off at a hotel for dinner and overnight, putting this safari to a close.
Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch