8-Day Four-Park Luxury Honeymoon
Arusha Tarangire Lake Manyara Ngorongoro Serengeti
From, per person$5,147
Tanzania safari
8-Day Luxury Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari
Overview
Two places, done properly. Rather than spreading a week across five or six parks, this luxury itinerary concentrates on the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, and it gives the Serengeti four full nights. You skip the long road in by taking a short flight from Arusha, so your first afternoon is already spent on game drive rather than in transit.
Your Serengeti base is a luxury tented camp, where the days follow the light: out early when predators are moving, back for a long lunch, out again until sundowners in the bush. A hot-air balloon flight over the plains can be added on any morning. Between July and October, the Great Migration is usually within reach of the northern and western Serengeti, though resident lions, elephants and giraffes are there in every month.
The return is by road, with a night at a lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and a morning on the crater floor before you head back to Arusha. Tanzania Tourism Safaris arranges the trip privately for couples, families and first-time visitors alike, and it pairs well with a few beach days on Zanzibar afterward.
Tour highlights
- Short flight into the Serengeti, no long drive in
- Four nights at a luxury tented camp
- Optional sunrise balloon flight over the plains
- A night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim
- Morning game drive on the crater floor
- Migration herds most likely July to October
Day by day
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Day 1 Touchdown at Kilimanjaro, Evening in Arusha Stay Luxury hotel or coffee-estate lodge in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A driver is waiting when you clear arrivals at Kilimanjaro International Airport. The road to Arusha takes roughly an hour and runs through farmland with Mount Meru filling the horizon ahead. At your hotel, there is time to unpack, rest and meet your guide for a short briefing on the week: flight times, luggage limits for the light aircraft and what to keep in your day bag. Dinner is at the hotel.
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Day 2 Light-Aircraft Hop to the Serengeti Stay Luxury tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, you fly from Arusha to an airstrip in the Serengeti, watching the highlands give way to open grassland below the wing. Your guide meets the plane, and the transfer to camp is already a game drive. Once you have settled into your tent, head out again in the afternoon and stay out until the sun is low, when your guide picks a quiet spot for drinks and snacks before the drive back.
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Day 3 Dawn Balloon or Early Game Drive Stay Luxury tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today is a good morning for the optional hot-air balloon flight, which lifts off around sunrise and drifts over the plains while herds and predators wake up below. If you stay on the ground, set out at first light instead, when lions are still active and hyenas are heading home. Spend the middle of the day resting at camp, then take a slower afternoon drive along the river lines.
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Day 4 A Long Day Following the Herds Stay Luxury tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Pack a picnic and spend the whole day out. Your guide reads the grass, the vultures and the radio to decide where to go, which might mean a cheetah scanning from a termite mound or a pride of lions resting under an acacia. From July to October, ask about reaching the migrating wildebeest and zebra. At other times of year, look for elephants, giraffes, topi and the big cats that live here all year.
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Day 5 Your Own Pace on the Plains Stay Luxury tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The final full day in the Serengeti is shaped around what you still want to see. Some guests return to a den or a kill from the day before. Others prefer a short morning drive, an afternoon by the pool and a last outing into sunset. Your guide adjusts the plan to suit, and dinner back at camp is a good moment to compare photos and notes from the week.
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Day 6 By Road to the Ngorongoro Rim Stay Luxury lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Head out for one more early drive, come back for breakfast, then begin the road journey out of the Serengeti. The drive to the Ngorongoro highlands takes about three hours plus stops for wildlife on the way, and the land rises from grassland into cool green forest. Your lodge sits on the crater rim, so the afternoon is free to take in the view across the caldera from your room or the terrace.
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Day 7 Down to the Crater Floor, Back to Arusha Stay Luxury hotel or coffee-estate lodge in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, descend about 600 meters (2,000 feet) through the rim forest to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day game drive. Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo and lions are all common here, and the crater is one of the better places in Tanzania to look for black rhino. In the afternoon, drive back to Arusha, roughly two and a half to three hours, for a final night.
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Day 8 Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport Meals Breakfast, Lunch
Take a slow breakfast and make use of the hotel until it is time to leave. A driver takes you back to Kilimanjaro International Airport, about an hour away, for your flight home or onward to Zanzibar. If you are continuing to the coast, let us know when you book and we will link the two parts of the trip together.
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 | $6,892 | $4,595 | $3,975 | $3,740 |
| High season 1 Nov – 20 Dec and 6 Jan – 29 Feb | $7,255 | $4,837 | $4,185 | $3,937 |
| Peak season Now 1 Jun – 31 Oct and 21 Dec – 5 Jan | $8,061 | $5,374 | $4,649 | $4,374 |
Tour price includes
- Airport meet and greet with private arrival and departure transfers
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser safari vehicle (up to 7 travelers)
- English-speaking local driver-guide
- Serengeti and Ngorongoro entry fees and taxes
- Luxury hotel, camp and lodge accommodation for 7 nights
- Breakfast every day, with lunches and dinners as listed
- Game drives and activities in the itinerary
- Departs with as few as one traveler
Tour price excludes
- International flights
- Hot-air balloon flight (optional add-on)
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Souvenirs and other personal spending
Questions about this safari
Do we fly or drive between the parks?
Both. You fly from Arusha into the Serengeti on a light aircraft, which saves a long day on the road at the start. The return is by 4×4 through the Ngorongoro highlands, so you see the crater on the way back rather than flying over it. Soft bags are best, because small planes have tight luggage limits.
When is the best time to book this safari for the migration?
The herds are most often in the northern and western Serengeti between July and October, which is when this trip lines up best with the migration. Outside those months, the Serengeti still has plenty of resident game and big cats. Share your dates and we will tell you honestly what to expect.
Is the balloon flight included?
No, it is an optional extra. If you would like to fly, tell us when you book so a seat can be reserved for one of your Serengeti mornings. Flights lift off around sunrise and depend on the weather, so it is worth keeping a second morning free as a backup.
Before you go
- Best Time To Visit Tanzania
- How Much Does a Tanzania Safari Cost?
- Top Safari Packing List in Tanzania
- The Best Guides on Tanzania Visa Requirement
- Tanzania Travel Insurance
- Tanzania Travel Safety
- Tipping In Tanzania Safari
- Tanzania Safari Faqs
Listed in Luxury safarisFamily safaris
Where you will go
Parks on this safari
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