Budget Tanzania Lodge Safari

First we explore the diverse Tarangire National Park, home to one of Tanzania's largest elephant populations and considered one of the most beautiful game reserves in Tanzania.

Next we travel to Tanzania's most famous game reserve, Serengeti National Park, home to the annual Great Migration, the world's largest animal migration!

From the game-rich plains of the vast Serengeti we make our way to the Big Five Ngorongoro Crater, known as Africa's Garden of Eden, where we enjoy some rewarding game viewing drives.

Our last Tanzanian safari destination is Lake Manyara National Park famous for the huge flamingo flocks along the lake shores as well as for its tree climbing lions.

This Budget Tanzania Lodge Safari ends back in Arusha where our wildlife and scenic journey of a lifetime began.

Day 1 Arusha – Tarangire National Park (Tanzania)

This Budget Tanzania Lodge Safari starts with a short tour briefing in Arusha before we set off southwest toward our first Tanzanian game viewing destination, Tarangire National Park.

This diverse game park is home to a large variety of wildlife and is considered one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in northern Tanzania. Tarangire Park hosts one of the largest elephant populations in Tanzania and is said to be one of the best places in East Africa to get up close to the giants.

The game park is dotted with big baobab and acacia thorn trees, and is home to an impressive array of birds.

This top Tanzanian game park is also home to various big cats including lions, leopards and cheetahs, as well as tree-climbing pythons. Other wildlife inhabiting the game park include many giraffes, buffalos, zebras and various antelope species such as gazelles.

We spend the afternoon enjoying superb game viewing in Tarangire Park followed by our first overnight stay at the Tarangire Safari Lodge or similar. The Tarangire Safari Lodge offers panoramic views over the Tarangire River visited by a variety of wildlife and features a swimming pool, thatched lounge / dining area and comfortable bungalow accommodation.

Meals: Lunch; Dinner

Day 2 Tarangire National Park – Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)

After breakfast, the journey takes you through the vegetation-rich area of the Mbulu Highlands, where wheat, corn and coffee is cultivated.

You will travel until reaching the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve and the Volcano pass. Having passed the crater highlands, you will soon see the plains of the southern Serengeti.

You will stop for lunch at Oldupai Gorge, which is a very dry area today. This area became world renowned for the work of the archaeological English couple Leaky as they found the oldest remains of prehistoric man during the sixties. A nearby museum documents their work and a visit can be arranged.

On the journey to the accommodation for the night, you will start to understand the meaning of the word "Serengeti" which comes from the Maasai word “Siringitu”, meaning the endless plain. The southern Serengeti plains literally seem to go on forever, stretching until the horizon that is only interrupted by the so-called “Kopjes” or “Inselbergs” which are strange looking rock formations.

These plains are the ideal hunting grounds for cheetahs and other big cats. In the afternoon, you will reach your destination for the day.

Depending on the season we stay at either Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp or Mapito Tented Camp or similar. The comfortable Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp provides en suite camping accommodation in an authentic African setting right in the middle of the Serengeti. The traditional Mapito Tented Camp offers luxurious camping accommodation close to the untamed African bush and its wildlife in the heart of the Serengeti ecosystem.

Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 3 Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)

Day 3 is set aside for game viewing in the vast Serengeti National Park. The best vantage points and worthwhile areas are chosen to give you the best possible chance to observe the wild animals and to capture your perfect photo.

Tanzania's most famous game park, the Serengeti Park is where the wildlife spectacle of the annual Great Migration takes place, the biggest animal migration in the world. Here vast herds of stampeding wildebeest, gazelle and zebra can be seen migrating across the plains in search of fresh grazing, in turn attracting numerous predators. 

Depending upon the time of year, you have the chance to witness the great migration as a hundred thousand wildebeests and zebras stampede across the plains. During the small rainy season in October and November, you will typically see these herds moving from the Kenyan Maasai Mara through the northwest Serengeti to the plains in the south.

After the great rain season in April, May and June, the herds travel slowly back through the west and northwest Serengeti. With fluctuations in rainfall, the animals migrate during different times and along various routes. Your guide will know where and when to find the animals to ensure that you can see the animals from the best spot in the national park. 

Serengeti National Park offers spectacular game viewing year round, being home to healthy populations of Africa's Big Five - rhino, lion, buffalo, elephant and leopard as well as huge numbers of various antelope species such as eland, topi, kudu, impala, oribi, waterbuck and gazelle. Cheetah, hippo, giraffe, serval cat, crocodile, hyena and a rich array of other wildlife including numerous monkey, mongoose and rodent species also inhabit the Serengeti, along with over 500 bird species!

You have the option of taking a guided trip to the visitor's centre with a representative of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. The knowledgeable guide can tell you about the work this organization has been involved in for the last thirty years in Serengeti (advise when booking). We enjoy some more rewarding game viewing in the afternoon before returning to our Serengeti Safari Lodge for another night in the African wilderness. 

Tonight you will stay at Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp or similar or at Mapito Tented Camp or similar for a second night.

Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 4 Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania)

On your outward journey to the Serengeti National Park Gate, you will have another chance to watch the beautiful wildlife of Africa.

Leaving behind the wonderful Seronera Valley with its wildebeests and zebras as well as occasional visits by lions and other large cats such as cheetahs and leopards, you will leave the Serengeti plains and drive towards the Ngorongoro Crater.

After a picnic lunch at a designated picnic spot, you will travel in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater. As soon as you reach the crater’s edge, you will see the giant Ngorongoro Crater where this caldera opens before you in all its glory. 

Ngorongoro, part of the Serengeti ecosystem, is a massive caldera spanning an impressive 18 km in diameter with walls as high as 600m.

 This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the densest mammalian population in Africa, at around 25,000 large animals.

The diverse habitats found on the fertile crater floor support a variety of wildlife, including elephants, monkeys, hyena, jackal and herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and other antelope species. The Ngorongoro Crater hosts the Big Five of Africa (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo), boasting one of the highest concentration of lions in the world.

We overnight at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse (or similar), located on a sprawling estate about 30 minutes from the entrance gate of the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. The farmhouse is set on a coffee plantation, offering lovely views over the lush crater highlands. 

Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 5 Ngorongoro Crater - Karatu (Tanzania)

After breakfast at the safari lodge we make our way back to the Ngorongoro Crater Park and descend the steep crater walls to explore this diverse wilderness area, teeming with Africa's wildlife. 

The Ngorongoro Crater not only hosts the Big Five of Africa, but also almost all of the wild animal species found on the savannahs of East Africa. Ngorongoro offers first-class game viewing and is considered one of the best places to capture the endangered black rhino on film

We stop for a picnic lunch in the crater and after our thrilling wildlife experience we depart from the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area returning to our overnight lodge near Karatu. 

We spend another night at the colonial-style Ngorongoro Farm House, a unique Tanzanian Lodge experience that takes guests back in time. This exclusive, yet earthy, lodge looks onto the dormant Oldeani Volcano and features a swimming pool, internet and dining areas.

Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 6 Karatu – Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania)

Today, you will visit the last national park on the northern circuit; the Lake Manyara National Park. The protected area encloses a large part of the alkaline lake of the same name.

This amazing lake is the seasonal home for the giant flamingo colony and many more water birds. On the lakeshore, you can also observe elephants, hippopotami, buffalos, guenons, banded mongooses and numerous types of gazelles and antelopes.

This Tanzanian park is also well known for the “tree lions”, tree climbing being abnormal behaviour for lions. In the park, you can regularly observe the tree lions taking a nap in the tree canopies or escaping from the heat on the ground.

After watching the animals and exploring the national park for the whole day, you will leave Manyara Park in the afternoon and travel to the Kirurumu Tented Camp. From its vantage point on the edge of the Rift Valley Kirurumu Tented Lodge looks out over Lake Manyara and Great Rift Valley floor below.

Flanked by the fertile Ngorongoro Highlands accommodation at Kirurumu is in comfortable tented rooms with en suite bathrooms and lodge facilities include a dining room and bar with a viewing deck.

Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 7 Lake Manyara National Park– Arusha (Tanzania)

After a relaxing breakfast, you will travel back to Arusha where this Budget Tanzania Lodge Safari ends.

Depending on your personal travel plans and your flight departure, there might be some time for a visit to the markets in Arusha or other activities.

Breakfast; Lunch

Note: Window seat guaranteed for every client

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