This is Tanzania’s classic northern circuit: the endless plains of the Serengeti, the extraordinary wildlife density of the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire’s elephant herds among giant baobab trees. Three genuinely iconic parks, each with a distinct character, in one well-paced week.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Your driver-guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the roughly 45-minute transfer to Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital, then on to Tarangire, about two hours south-west via the Makuyuni junction. The park is known for its dense elephant population, drawn to the Tarangire River even in dry season when other water sources fail, and its ancient baobab trees, some centuries old, silhouetted against the savannah. Afternoon game drive on arrival.
Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetTarangire Sopa Lodge
Mid-rangeTarangire River Camp
LuxuryOliver’s Camp
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
DAY 2
A full day exploring Tarangire’s riverine landscape, home to one of Tanzania’s largest elephant concentrations outside the Serengeti ecosystem, herds numbering in the hundreds gathering along the river during the dry season between roughly June and October.
Full Day Tarangire Game Drives
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3
The drive to the Serengeti climbs up through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s highlands, past the crater rim itself, a preview of day six’s descent, and down onto the vast Serengeti plains via the Naabi Hill gate, roughly four to five hours in total. Afternoon game drive on arrival as the landscape opens into genuinely endless grassland.
Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetSerengeti Wildebeest Camp
Mid-rangeSerengeti Serena Safari Lodge
LuxuryFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
A full day across the Serengeti’s plains, home to Tanzania’s highest predator density and, seasonally, the Great Migration’s wildebeest and zebra herds, the ecosystem’s location and behaviour varying month to month as the animals follow the rains.
Full Day Serengeti Game Drives
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5
A further day exploring different sectors of the park, tracking predators and, depending on season, the migration herds — the Serengeti is vast enough that a second day genuinely reveals new terrain rather than repeating the first.
Second Serengeti Game Drive Day
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6
The drive back toward the crater rim, arriving with an afternoon at leisure taking in the dramatic views into the caldera below from your lodge’s vantage point, over 600 metres straight down to the crater floor.
Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeNgorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
LuxuryNgorongoro Crater Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7
An early descent down the crater’s steep access road onto the floor itself for a full morning game drive — one of the highest wildlife densities anywhere in Africa within a collapsed volcanic caldera, before the climb back out and the drive to Arusha.
Ngorongoro Crater Descent, Return to Arusha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Permits & Costs
| Tarangire park entry | ~$60 per person per day |
| Serengeti park entry | ~$82 per person per day |
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area fee | ~$70 per person per day, plus crater descent fee |
Who This Itinerary Suits
First-time Tanzania visitors wanting the country’s three most famous and reliable wildlife destinations in one well-paced week.Tour Includes
- Travel in a 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof hatch
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All accommodation per itinerary
- Meals as specified
- Park entry & crater descent fees
Tour Excludes
- International flights
- Visas
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips & gratuities
- Travel insurance