5-Day Lodge Safari from Zanzibar
Zanzibar Arusha Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro Arusha Zanzibar
From, per person$2,292
Tanzania safari
5-Day Tanzania Big Five Safari
Overview
The Big Five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, were once a hunter’s list. Today they are the animals most travelers hope to photograph, and northern Tanzania gives you a fair shot at all five in a short trip. This five-day safari links the three parks where your odds are strongest: Tarangire for elephants and buffalo, the Serengeti for lions and leopards, and the Ngorongoro Crater, home to a small population of black rhino.
On the way to the Serengeti you stop at Olduvai Gorge, where fossils of early human ancestors were found, with the option of visiting a Maasai village. The trip ends with a long morning in the crater and a visit to a local community before the drive back to Arusha.
Tanzania Tourism Safaris guides this route privately in a 4×4 Land Cruiser. Nights are spent at comfortable lodges and tented camps, with a luxury tented camp in the Serengeti and a lodge or camp on the crater rim. No guide can promise every one of the five, but this route gives you a good chance in a short time.
Tour highlights
- Three parks chosen for Big Five sightings
- Black rhino country on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Lions and leopards in the Serengeti
- Olduvai Gorge museum on the way west
- Six hours of game viewing inside the crater
Day by day
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Day 1 Arrival and a Quiet Night in Arusha Stay Mid-range to upscale lodge in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
On landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you are met and driven about an hour to Arusha, a busy farming and safari town beneath Mount Meru. Check in, unpack and recover from the journey. Your guide will go over the plan for the coming days and answer questions about cameras, clothing and what each park is best for. Dinner is at the lodge, followed by an early night before tomorrow’s drive.
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Day 2 Elephants and Buffalo in Tarangire Stay Mid-range to upscale tented lodge in the Tarangire areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Leave Arusha after breakfast and drive about two hours to Tarangire National Park. The afternoon is a game drive through acacia woodland, baobabs and the Tarangire River valley. Two of the Big Five are usually easy to find here: elephants in large herds and buffalo near water, especially in the dry months. Lions are present too. You spend the night at a tented lodge close to the park.
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Day 3 Olduvai Gorge and the Serengeti Plains Stay Luxury tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Head west over the Ngorongoro Highlands and stop at Olduvai Gorge. The small museum explains the fossil finds that made the site famous among researchers of human origins. If you like, visit a Maasai village nearby. Then continue into the Serengeti, game viewing on the way to your tented camp. This is where your guide starts looking hard for lions on the open plains and leopards resting in trees.
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Day 4 Serengeti Morning, Then the Crater Rim Stay Upscale lodge or camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Have an early breakfast and make the most of the morning in the Serengeti, when the cats are most active. Later in the day, drive back toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a game drive on the way out of the park. Your night is on the crater rim, high and cool, so you are close to the descent road for an early start tomorrow.
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Day 5 Rhino Search in the Crater, Return to Arusha Meals Breakfast, Lunch
Descend into the crater for a game drive of about six hours. With permanent water and grazing, the crater floor holds a dense mix of wildlife, and it is one of the most reliable places in Tanzania to see black rhino. Lions, buffalo and elephant are common here too. In the late afternoon, visit a local community to learn about daily life in the highlands, then drive back to Arusha.
Prices by season
Per person in US dollars. The price depends on when you travel and how many travelers share the trip.
| Season | 1 traveler | 2 travelers | 4 travelers | 6 travelers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 1 Mar – 31 May | $2,804 | $1,869 | $1,613 | $1,527 |
| High season 1 Nov – 20 Dec and 6 Jan – 29 Feb | $2,952 | $1,968 | $1,698 | $1,608 |
| Peak season Now 1 Jun – 31 Oct and 21 Dec – 5 Jan | $3,280 | $2,187 | $1,887 | $1,787 |
Tour price includes
- Airport meet and greet with private transfers
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser (up to 7 travelers)
- English-speaking local guide
- Accommodation for 4 nights as described
- Breakfast daily, plus lunches and dinners as listed for each day
- National park and conservation area entry fees and taxes
- Activities in the itinerary, including the Olduvai Gorge stop and community visit
- Departs with a minimum of two travelers
Tour price excludes
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Souvenirs and other personal spending
Questions about this safari
Will I see all of the Big Five?
Nobody can promise it. Elephant, buffalo and lion are seen on most trips along this route. Black rhino are few, but the Ngorongoro Crater gives you a real chance. Leopards are the hardest: they are shy and mostly active at night, so a sighting in the Serengeti is a matter of luck and a sharp-eyed guide.
How much driving is involved?
Expect two to three hours of driving on most days, much of it inside parks where it doubles as game viewing. The last day is the longest, because you finish the crater drive and then return all the way to Arusha, arriving in the evening.
Can we add more time in the Serengeti?
Yes. A second night in the Serengeti is the most useful addition on this route, because it gives you a full day for lions and leopards instead of an afternoon and a morning. Tell us when you enquire and we will send an updated itinerary and quote.
Before you go
Where you will go
Parks on this safari
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