6 DAYS TARANGIRE, SERENGETI AND NGORONGORO MID-RANGE SAFARI
Safari Spot
Arusha , Tarangire , Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
Duration
6 Days | 5 Nights
Price
From US$ 3,126 per person sharing
Book This Tour
Connect with our local experts for personalized travel planning
Trip Overview
This 6-day expedition is a definitive Tanzanian safari experience, expertly curated to showcase the “Big Three” wildlife destinations. The journey begins among the ancient baobabs and elephant herds of Tarangire National Park. It then transitions to the world-famous Central Serengeti, where you will spend two nights in the heart of big cat territory, allowing for ample time to track lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
The adventure culminates with a descent into the prehistoric Ngorongoro Crater, a natural enclosure teeming with the Big Five. This itinerary offers a seamless flow of diverse landscapes from savannah woodlands to endless plains and volcanic calderas—ensuring a comprehensive wildlife experience before your departure.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro International Airport – Arusha (1 hour)
Your Tanzanian adventure begins as you touch down at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), the gateway to the safari circuit. On a clear day, you may catch a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped peak from the tarmac. You will be welcomed by a representative and transferred to your hotel in Arusha, a vibrant city nestled at the foot of Mount Meru. Depending on your arrival time, you safari briefing may take place today or early tomorrow morning.
Overnight
Arusha Serena
Main Destination
Arusha city
Meals
Dinner
Day 2: Arusha – Tarangire National Park (2 hours)
After breakfast, you will leave Arusha and drive southwest towards Tarangire National Park. As you enter the park, the landscape transforms into a dramatic vista of grassy savannah dotted with ancient, bulbous baobab trees and termite mounds. Known as the “Elephant Playground,” this park hosts the largest concentration of elephants in the region.
You will spend the day game driving, watching family herds dig for water in the riverbeds and spotting other residents like giraffes, wildebeest, and the rare fringe-eared oryx. You will overnight in a lodge within or near the park, surrounded by the sounds of the African bush.
Overnight
Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge
Main Destination
Tarangire National Park
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Tarangire – Central Serengeti (5.5 hours)
Today involves a scenic and adventurous drive as you head towards the Serengeti. You will ascend the Great Rift Valley escarpment and cross the cool, green highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will stop at the crater rim viewpoint for a breathtaking look at the caldera before descending onto the vast plains.
As you pass Naabi Hill Gate, the trees disappear, replaced by the “endless plains” that give the park its name. The drive to the Central Seronera area serves as your first game drive in the park, offering chances to spot hyenas, zebras, and gazelles before arriving at your camp in the late afternoon.
Overnight
Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
Main Destination
Serengeti National Park
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Central Serengeti
You have a full day dedicated to exploring the Seronera Valley, the vibrant heart of the Serengeti. This region is renowned for its year-round wildlife abundance, largely due to the permanent waters of the Seronera River. Your guide will help you track the Big Five, with a special focus on leopards, which are frequently spotted lounging in the branches of sausage trees along the riverbanks.
You might also encounter cheetahs using termite mounds as vantage points to scout for prey, or massive prides of lions resting in the shade of kopjes (rocky outcrops). A picnic lunch in the bush allows you to maximize your time viewing the complex interactions of this ancient ecosystem.
Overnight
Melia Serengeti Lodge – Lagoon View
Main Destination
Serengeti National Park
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Central Serengeti – Ngorongoro (3 hours)
After a final morning game drive in the Serengeti to track any wildlife you may have missed, you will bid farewell to the plains and drive back towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This return journey offers a second chance to spot wildlife across the plains, such as hyenas and jackals.
You will ascend into the crater highlands, arriving at your lodge on the crater rim (or in nearby Karatu) in the late afternoon. The evening is spent relaxing and enjoying the spectacular views, preparing for the descent into the crater the next day.
Overnight
Ngorongoro Serena
Main Destination
Ngorongoro Crater
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport (4 hours)
You will start this final day very early to maximize your time in the crater. It is a short drive from Karatu to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate, where you will descend 600 meters to the crater floor. This ancient volcanic caldera is a self-contained ecosystem teeming with wildlife, including the Big Five.
You will spend the morning exploring the crater floor, with high chances of spotting lions, hyenas, and the critically endangered Black Rhino. After a picnic lunch near the hippo pool, you will ascend the steep walls and begin the drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). The drive takes you past Arusha and on to the airport, arriving in the early evening.
Main Destination
Ngorongoro Crater
Meals
Breakfast & Lunch
What’s Included:
- All accommodations
- All transportation (Unless labelled as optional)
- Meals (As specified in the day- by-day section)
- Taxes / VAT
- Activities (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Park fees
- Professional guide
What’s not included:
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- International & Domestic flights
- Option Balloon Safari (On offer for US $ 550 per person)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$20 pp per day)
- Travel Insurance & Health Insurance
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park feessawas