4 Days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

Depart your hotel in Arusha at 8:30am, heading south towards Tarangire National Park – one of Tanzania's most underrated wildlife destinations and a superb choice depending on the season. Tarangire is famous for its extraordinary elephant concentrations – during the dry season, hundreds of elephants converge on the Tarangire River, the only permanent water source in the park. Ancient baobab trees dot the landscape, providing a striking backdrop for game drives. Enjoy a full day inside the park before a 45-minute drive to your overnight camp for dinner and rest.

After breakfast, depart with your packed lunch box towards the Serengeti, travelling the scenic route through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This transit itself is part of the safari experience – the road climbs to the crater rim at over 2,400 metres before descending through the highland forest. Baboon troops are a near-certainty at the Ngorongoro gate area. You will stop here and there for opportunistic wildlife sightings en route – this is on-route game driving at its most rewarding. The vast plains of the Serengeti open before you approximately three hours after crossing the conservation area. Arrive at camp for dinner and overnight under an incomparable sky.

Rise before dawn for a sunrise game drive across the Serengeti – often the most rewarding hours of the day, when predators are still active and the golden light transforms the plains. After a hot early lunch at camp, you begin the drive back towards Ngorongoro Conservation Area. En route, you have the option of visiting a traditional Maasai village for a cultural excursion – a rare opportunity to engage with one of East Africa's most iconic peoples (available at additional cost). Arrive at the Simba Campsite on the crater rim by 5pm for dinner and overnight, sleeping at 2,400 metres with the vast Ngorongoro Crater spread below you in the failing light.

After a very early breakfast, begin the steep descent into the Ngorongoro Crater floor – a World Heritage Site containing one of Africa's densest wildlife populations within its 260 square kilometre bowl. The crater holds an estimated 25,000 large animals, including the critically endangered black rhino, enormous lion prides, huge herds of wildebeest and zebra, spotted hyena, hippos in the crater lakes, and occasional leopard sightings. Enjoy game drives through the crater until midday lunch, before making the ascent back to the rim and returning to Arusha by early evening – in time for your overnight stay or onward connection to Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, or your home destination.