7-Day Safari & Materuni Waterfalls
Arusha Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro Lake Manyara Arusha Materuni
From, per person$1,876
Tanzania safari
6-Day Tanzania Safari: Four Northern Parks
Overview
Six days is a sensible length for a first safari in Tanzania. It is long enough to see the four big names of the northern circuit, yet short enough to fit around a work schedule or a beach holiday. You start with Tarangire’s elephants, cross the highlands to the Serengeti, spend a night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim, explore the crater floor and finish beside Lake Manyara.
The trip is built around good mid-range lodges and a tented camp in the Serengeti, with one night on the crater rim. Meals and drinks are included from arrival to the last lunch, as are park fees, so the price you are quoted covers nearly everything once you land.
Tanzania Tourism Safaris runs it as a private safari in a 4×4 Land Cruiser with your own guide. Because you are not tied to a group, you can start early, linger with a pride of lions or head back to the lodge for a quiet afternoon when you want one.
Tour highlights
- Four parks in six days, privately guided
- Baobabs and elephant herds in Tarangire
- An afternoon and a morning on the Serengeti plains
- A night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim
- Picnic lunch on the crater floor
- Meals and drinks included throughout
Day by day
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Day 1 Landing in Tanzania, Settling in Arusha Stay Mid-range lodge in or near ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A driver meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and takes you on the drive of about an hour to Arusha. The town sits in green farmland at the foot of Mount Meru and is the starting point for safaris across the north. Depending on your arrival time, rest at the lodge or take a gentle look around town before dinner and an early night.
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Day 2 First Game Drive in Tarangire Stay Mid-range lodge in the Karatu areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive about two hours to Tarangire National Park for your first full game drive. Elephants are the headline here, often in large family groups moving between the river and the baobab-studded hills. Look out too for giraffe, zebra, buffalo, warthog and a long list of birds. In the late afternoon, continue up to the cooler highlands around Karatu, where you spend the night.
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Day 3 Into the Serengeti Stay Mid-range tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, cross the Ngorongoro Highlands and descend onto the short-grass plains that lead into the Serengeti. The drive takes around three hours plus stops, and wildlife viewing starts as soon as you pass the gate. Check in at your tented camp, then head out for an afternoon game drive that runs until close to sunset, with an eye out for lions, cheetahs and grazing herds.
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Day 4 Serengeti Dawn, Crater Rim by Evening Stay Upscale lodge or camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Eat early and spend the morning on a game drive, when the light is soft and predators are most active. Around midday, start toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, game viewing on the way out of the park. The road climbs back into the highlands to your accommodation on the crater rim, where the evening air is cool and the view drops some 600 meters to the crater floor.
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Day 5 Game Drive on the Crater Floor Stay Mid-range lodge in the Karatu areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast. Its permanent water and grazing keep wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, hippo and elephant here all year, along with lions, hyenas and jackals. Black rhino live on the crater floor too, and your guide will be watching for them. A picnic lunch is served in the crater. Later, drive out and down to Karatu, roughly 45 minutes away.
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Day 6 Lake Manyara, Then Back to Arusha Meals Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, drive down the escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. The park is compact, with groundwater forest, open floodplain and a shallow soda lake that draws water birds. Look for baboons, blue monkeys, elephants and giraffes, and, if time allows, a walk on the treetop canopy walkway. After lunch, drive about two hours to Arusha or the airport.
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 | $3,008 | $2,005 | $1,621 | $1,578 |
| High season 1 Nov – 20 Dec and 6 Jan – 29 Feb | $3,167 | $2,111 | $1,706 | $1,661 |
| Peak season Now 1 Jun – 31 Oct and 21 Dec – 5 Jan | $3,519 | $2,346 | $1,896 | $1,846 |
Tour price includes
- Pickup at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drop-off at the end of the safari
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser (up to 7 travelers) with a professional guide
- All accommodation for 5 nights as described
- All meals and drinks from Day 1 to lunch on Day 6
- Game drives and the activities shown in the itinerary
- National park and conservation area entry fees and taxes
Tour price excludes
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Souvenirs and other personal spending
Questions about this safari
Is six days enough for a Tanzania safari?
For a first safari, yes. Six days covers Tarangire, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, which together show most of the large animals people hope to see. The trade-off is only one night in the Serengeti. If the plains are your priority, ask us about adding a second night there.
What standard is the accommodation?
Comfortable mid-range lodges in Arusha and Karatu, a mid-range tented camp in the Serengeti, and an upscale lodge or camp on the crater rim for the night before your crater game drive. We can upgrade any night on request.
Can this safari be combined with Zanzibar?
Yes. The safari ends in Arusha in the afternoon of Day 6, which can work with a domestic flight to Zanzibar that evening or the next morning. We can add beach nights and flights to your quote; those are not part of this price.
Before you go
Where you will go
Parks on this safari
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