This budget 5 Day Tanzania Safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire Park provides an affordable, yet comfortable lodge safari experience.
Explore three of the best safari parks on the famous Northern Tanzania Safari Circuit on this guided Tanzania lodge safari. Embark on 4x4 game drives in the legendary Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park over just five days.
An unforgettable African safari taking in the wildlife, scenic and cultural highlights of Tanzania.
This affordable 5 Day Tanzania Safari begins in Arusha, where we collect you from your pre-safari accommodation. First, your safari guide tells you more about the journey ahead and what to expect, then you hit the road. We travel west and then south, entering the game-rich region of Tanzania called the Northern Safari Circuit.
Our first Tanzania safari destination is Tarangire National Park, known for its big herds of elephants. We explore the wildlife park in a customized 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof for maximum visibility. During our game drive, we stop for a picnic lunch in the African bush.
Tarangire hosts an array of wild animals, including lions and buffalos, as well as various antelopes, wildebeest, giraffes, and zebras. The national park covers some 2600km² of wilderness, characterized by undulating plains dotted with baobab and acacia trees. After our wildlife safari in Tarangire National Park, we head to our first overnight stay at a tented safari lodge a short drive from the park.
We stay in luxury, en-suite tents with verandas that look out over Lake Burunge and Tarangire beyond. Facilities at the safari lodge include a pool, and main lounge and a dining/bar area raised on a wooden deck so that guests can enjoy the views. Sit back and relax with sundowners as the sun sets over the lake and surrounding bush, or sidle up to the cozy fireplace on chilly nights.
Day two of our 5 Day Tanzania Safari starts with breakfast at the tented lodge before continuing our exploration of the Northern Safari Circuit.
Our drive takes us northwest towards the Rift Valley and Serengeti Park. Along the way, we pass through the village of Mto Wa Mbu and Karatu town in the cooler crater highlands region.
Then we enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and pause to admire the spectacular views over the Ngorongoro Crater. Continuing further along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater we drive down the outer slopes towards the open plains of the Serengeti. This bumpy ride takes us via rural villages where the pastoralist Maasai people live.
When we reach the entrance gate to Serengeti National Park you can take a short walk to the viewpoint overlooking the rolling Serengeti plains. Then we enter Serengeti Park and make our way to the Seronera area, in the central part of this famous wildlife park. The game viewing adventure begins as soon as we enter the national park.
Our game drive takes us to our tented safari lodge inside Serengeti National Park, in the central region. We stop for a picnic lunch along the way. This is one of the best safari destinations in the world, rivaling Kenya's Masai Mara. Here you will see a rich variety of wildlife roaming the African savannahs that stretch out as far as the eye can see. Keep an eye out for the Big 5 of Africa and all kinds of other wild animals.
In the late afternoon, we arrive at our tented safari lodge, tucked away in a secluded spot. We stay at Kati Kati Tented Camp (or similar) in the middle of the African bush. This evening we relax around the campfire, listening to the sounds of untamed nature and falling asleep under starry skies.
Day three of our 5 Day Tanzania Safari is set aside for exploring Serengeti Park. First, we have breakfast at the comfortable tented camp and then we set off for an adventure-packed Serengeti Safari in our 4x4 vehicle.
Enjoy an unforgettable day of game viewing in the premier national park of Tanzania. During the day, we pause for a picnic lunch in the African wilderness. Here we will hopefully see the Big Five of Africa (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo), as well as a dazzling assortment of other wildlife.
During and after the rainy seasons you may be lucky enough to catch the Great Migration in full force. Usually, between October and November, and again from April to June, masses of plains game migrate across the rivers and plains of the Serengeti ecosystem. During the annual migration hundreds of thousands of herbivores (mostly wildebeest, gazelles, and zebras), move between Masai Mara and the Serengeti along an ancient route. The migration catches the attention of the abundant predators of Serengeti, drawn to the easy prey of the migrating herds. The timing and path of the Great Migration both vary from season to season, but your safari guide uses his or her knowledge to find the optimal spots for catching the spectacle.
After a remarkable day on safari in Serengeti National Park, we return to the tented safari lodge surrounded by the African wilderness.
Between early January and mid-March, accommodation will be at Kati Kati Ndutu Tented Camp, which is also inside Serengeti National Park. The Ndutu Camp is closer to the border between Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area - a better location for seeing the Great Migration at this time of year.
Day four starts with breakfast at the safari camp, as the sun rises. Then we take a game drive through Serengeti Park on our way out of the national park, stopping to enjoy a picnic lunch en-route. Keep your eyes open for wildlife, especially in the early morning hours when animals and birds are more active. Next, we visit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa.
We descend to the Ngorongoro Crater floor, taking in stunning views of the world's largest unflooded caldera on the way down. The crater is home to the Big Five and almost every kind of big mammal found in Africa.
After a rewarding game drive in this World Heritage Site, we drive out of the crater via another route. On the final night of our budget Tanzania Safari, we stay at one of the ideally located Tanganyika Wilderness Adventure Lodges. Set close to a coffee estate about 30 minutes from the entrance gate of the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, the lodges offer beautiful views over the lush crater highlands. If there is time after our arrival we may take a walk in the coffee plantations.
The final day of our affordable lodge safari begins with a leisurely breakfast at the safari camp, before retracing our steps to Arusha. Along the way, we pause our scenic drive to have a picnic lunch en-route.
Our magical Tanzania Safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire comes to a close at about midday in Arusha. Your guide takes you to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flights.
Alternatively, you can book an affordable Zanzibar Holiday Package, for after your 5 Day Tanzania Safari. In this case, your guide will take you to the Arusha airport to begin your beach trip to Zanzibar Islands.
Please note that the Wildebeest Great Migration is seasonal. As a natural wildlife phenomenon, it is fluid and unpredictable. For this reason, seeing the Great Migration cannot be guaranteed.
The wildebeest and other wild herbivores migrate between Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania. These herds move in a massive circular route covering some 1200 miles (1931km). It is a continuous movement of wildlife that can be seen in different areas at different times of the year. During certain phases of this annual trek the animals disperse or slow down, whilst at other times the migration picks up speed, with the herds becoming larger and denser. Not only does the Wildebeest Great Migration vary from place to place and season to season but the movement of these large wildlife herds varies from year to year.
Please talk to a travel expert from African Budget Safaris about seeing the Wildebeest Great Migration on your safari to find out more. Also, check out our detailed article about the Great Migration in Serengeti and Masai Mara.
This tour does not take children.
This itinerary may have some long traveling days, and we would therefore not recommend this safari tour for young children.
Families with younger children who are confident and comfortable with travelling long distances, are welcome on a private safari basis only.
Please contact African Budget Safaris for information regarding private tours and quotations.
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