Day 1 - Lake Manyara National Park
You start your journey in the morning (from Moshi, Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport at 08:00am-10:00am) and proceed west into the Northern Tanzanian safari circuit. You will reach the small town of Mto wa Mbu at the base of the Western Rift Valley Escarpment from where you enter Lake Manyara National Park for your game drive. This small park featuring an alkaline lake is a perfect start to a safari and offers a variety of habitats including a groundwater forest, grassy floodplain, rocky escarpment, and acacia woodland all near each other. You will spot many common safari animals in this park and may even be lucky to find big cats as this park is famous for its tree climbing lions; however, they may be hard to spot.
Day 2 - Manyara to Serengeti National Park
Today begins your journey across the Ngorongoro Highlands into Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and Tanzania’s oldest National Park. Boasting an abundance of wildlife all year around easy to spot predators and preys, this is one of the most famous safari parks in the world and what usually comes to mind when someone thinks of an African safari. The scenery in this park is predominantly the classic ‘savannah’ plains however the park also offers hills, rocks, valleys, river and even forests covering just under 15,000km² / 6000ml²; bigger than entire countries! On your shorter itinerary, you will usually focus on the central Serengeti ‘Seronera’ area which is easily accessible and has plenty of resident and migratory game.
Day 3 - Serengeti National Park
A full day inside of Serengeti National Park with flexibility in your direction, route and duration you spend out in the savannah today searching for the Big 5 and exploring this vast National Park. The mornings and evenings are usually the best time to spot wildlife however this is an unpredictable park where anything can happen at any time and we always recommend a picnic lunchbox so you can spend maximum time in the park (although a hot lunch can also be arranged at your camp / lodge).
Day 4 - Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater Rim
You will spend the whole day today exploring the plains of Central Serengeti National Park with an optional early morning game drive before breakfast (if you can wake up!). The circuits and plains of the Serengeti are endless, and many can spend weeks in the park without covering the entire vastness. You will explore the Central Serengeti plains before you journey back across the Ngorongoro Highlands into Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Day 5 - Ngorongoro Crater to Moshi / Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) / Arusha
Today you will start early and spend your last day in the safari circuit at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This conserved area is one of the limited places in the world where animals and humans co-exist in harmony and a designated UNESCO natural World Heritage Site. Your game drive this morning will be inside of the Ngorongoro Crater with a great density of wildlife and superb for game viewing almost all year around. Predators are easily spotted here and you usually will encounter a black Rhino and many of the big 5 all with a spectacular back drop against the 600m (2000ft) crater wall. After a picnic lunch on the crater floor, you will start your journey back towards Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport (night flights only) or Moshi.
When to visit
These recommendations are based on weather predictions and trends.
Excellent time
January, February, July to October, December
Good time
March, June, November
Mixed time
April, May
