5-Day Tanzania Safari: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti Adventure

Day 1 – Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park

Depart Arusha in the morning for Lake Manyara National Park. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive through this beautiful park, renowned for its tree-climbing lions and exceptional birdlife.
The Rift Valley escarpment rises steeply above the lake, creating a dramatic backdrop for the park’s varied habitats. The contrast between the intimate groundwater forest and the open grass floodplains is striking. On these plains, large herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and giraffe gather—some so dark in colour they appear almost black from a distance.
Dinner and overnight at a lodge.

Day 2 – Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving in time for lunch. Afterwards, descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor in a 4×4 vehicle for an afternoon game drive.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders, known for its breathtaking scenery and remarkable concentration of wildlife. It borders the Serengeti National Park to the north and west, forming part of Tanzania’s renowned northern safari circuit.
Dinner and overnight at a lodge.

Day 3 – Ngorongoro to Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge

After breakfast, depart for the Serengeti, travelling via Olduvai Gorge—the famous archaeological site where the Leakey family discovered fossils of early humans and animals dating back nearly two million years.
The Serengeti ecosystem is among the oldest on Earth, with its climate, vegetation and wildlife largely unchanged for millions of years. Life, death, migration and adaptation here follow patterns that are as ancient as the land itself.
Meals and overnight at a lodge in the Serengeti.

Day 4 – Full Day in the Serengeti

Spend the day exploring the Serengeti with morning and afternoon game drives.
The park is best known for the Great Migration, during which over a million wildebeest and around 200,000 zebras move south for the short rains in October and November, then return west and north after the long rains in April, May and June.
Their instinct to migrate is so powerful that neither drought, predators nor crocodile-infested rivers can stop their journey.
Meals and overnight at a lodge.

Day 5 – Serengeti to Arusha

After breakfast, depart for Arusha, arriving in time for lunch. As the hub of Tanzania’s northern circuit, Arusha is the ideal base before continuing to your next destination.