Four parks, two Serengeti nights, no rush
Topi running past a game-drive vehicle in the Serengeti.
Five days is where a northern safari starts to feel relaxed. You see four parks, spend two nights in the Serengeti and finish with an easy morning in Lake Manyara.
Every night is in a mid-range lodge or tented camp with a private bathroom. The order of the parks keeps the drives reasonable: Tarangire first, the Serengeti in the middle, the crater on the way back and Manyara as a short last morning.
Lions are seen often in the central Serengeti; leopards are rarer. Wild animals move freely, so no sighting can be guaranteed, but five days gives you plenty of chances.
Four parks without long days
Two nights in the central Serengeti
Mid-range lodges with private bathrooms
An easy last day
Arusha → Tarangire National Park → Mto wa Mbu area
We collect you from your Arusha hotel in the morning; about two hours later you are in Tarangire for a game drive with a picnic lunch, among elephant families, baobabs and the river that draws animals in the dry season. In the evening you drive to your lodge near Mto wa Mbu.
Mto wa Mbu → Ngorongoro highlands → Central Serengeti
You climb past Karatu's farms into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stop at a viewpoint over the crater, then drive down through Maasai grazing land onto the Serengeti plains, game driving on the way to your camp.
Central Serengeti (Seronera area)
The Seronera valley and its kopjes are where lions, leopards and cheetahs are most often found. With a picnic lunch you can stay out all day among elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, impalas, wildebeest and hippos.
Central Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater → Karatu
A morning game drive on your way out of the Serengeti, then up to the crater rim and down to the floor for an afternoon among buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, hippos and lions. In the evening you drive up to your lodge in the cool Karatu highlands.
Karatu → Lake Manyara National Park → Arusha
A short drive down the escarpment to Lake Manyara for a morning in the tall groundwater forest, home to baboons and blue monkeys, and out to the lake shore. After lunch you drive back to Arusha, arriving in the afternoon.
Lodges are named when we confirm your dates. A Mto wa Mbu village and bike tour can be added for about US$40 per person.
The line shows the order of the trip, not the exact road. Press ↻ to play it again.
| Season | 1 Person | 2 People | 3 People | 4 People | 5 People | 6 People |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High SeasonJune – October · 20 Dec – February | $3,640 | $2,710 | $2,400 | $2,245 | $2,155 | $2,095 |
| Low SeasonMarch – May · 1 Nov – 19 Dec | $3,445 | $2,515 | $2,205 | $2,050 | $1,960 | $1,900 |
High Season: June to October and 20 December to the end of February. Low Season: March to May and 1 November to 19 December.
Private trip for your group only: the more of you share the vehicle and guide, the lower the price per person. For 7 or more people we send a quote.
How booking works: a 30% deposit confirms your trip and the balance is paid on arrival in Tanzania, before the trip starts. We reply within 3 hours. Booking terms
If you can spare it, yes: you add Lake Manyara and the days on the road are shorter.
Yes, every lodge and tented camp we use on this trip has private bathrooms.
Yes. Ask us to add a flight to Zanzibar and a few nights by the sea.
Four parks and two Serengeti nights at an easy pace.
The classic short circuit: elephants, the Serengeti and the crater.
Five parks, a walking safari and the Big Five chance.
Tell us your dates, where you are staying and how many of you are travelling. We reply within 3 hours.
