14 Days Tanzania Photographic Safari
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti National Park
Duration
14 days / 13 nights
Starts
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Ends
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Safari style
Ultra luxury
Group
Private — maximum four photographers per vehicle
Best time
July to September for the crossings; February for calving
Safari overview
A photographic safari is structured differently from a normal one, and this itinerary reflects that. You stay longer in fewer places. You are out for first and last light rather than mid-morning. The vehicle has removable window panels and bean bags. And your guide has been briefed that when you say "wait", you mean it.
The centrepiece is five nights in the northern Serengeti during the crossing season. That is a deliberately generous allocation — river crossings cannot be scheduled, and five days is what turns a lucky break into a reasonable expectation.
Before that: two nights among the baobabs and elephant herds of Tarangire, two on the Ngorongoro rim for a full crater day, and three in the central Serengeti for predators. Fourteen days, four locations, no wasted transfers.
- Arusha — 50 km, 50 minutes
- Tarangire — 121 km, 2 hours
- Crater rim — 150 km, 3 hours 30 with a Manyara stop
- Central Serengeti — 164 km, 3 hours plus game viewing
- Northern Serengeti — 148 km, 3 hours plus game viewing
- Kilimanjaro International Airport
Safari highlights
Day by day
Every day below can be moved, lengthened or dropped. This is how we would run it.
Arrive, meet your guide, and go through the vehicle setup — bean bags, panel removal, seating rotation and charging. Worth doing properly on night one so nobody is improvising at a sighting on day three.
- Airport meet-and-greet
- Vehicle and equipment briefing
- Drive
- 50 km
- Travel time
- 50 minutes
- Overnight
- Arusha
- Meals
- Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Rivertrees Country Inn, depending on availability.
Two nights among the baobabs. Tarangire is the best elephant photography on the northern circuit — big multi-generational herds moving down to the river in hard afternoon light, with thousand-year-old trees behind them.
Dawn and late-afternoon drives both days, with the middle of the day back at camp reviewing and backing up.
- Dawn and late-afternoon drives
- Elephant and baobab work in low light
- Midday review and backup session
- Drive
- 121 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours
- Overnight
- Tarangire
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Maramboi Tented Lodge, depending on availability.
Up onto the rim with a scenic stop above Lake Manyara. Two nights means a full uninterrupted crater day rather than the usual half — down at opening, out at closing, with a packed lunch on the floor.
The crater is where the Big Five happen, and where the very large tuskers are. It is also where the light is hardest, so we work the first and last two hours and shelter in between.
- Full-day game drive on the crater floor
- Big Five and black rhino at distance
- Rim landscape work at dawn
- Drive
- 150 km
- Travel time
- 3 hours 30 with a Manyara stop
- Overnight
- Crater rim
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Down onto the plains via Olduvai. Three nights in the central Serengeti is predator time: resident lion prides, leopard in the sausage trees along the Seronera river, cheetah on the short grass, and the Retima hippo pool for something different.
Long sessions with single subjects rather than covering ground. If a leopard is asleep in a tree, we will sit with it until it moves — which is generally around five in the afternoon.
- Sunrise and sunset drives every day
- Leopard work along the Seronera river line
- Retima hippo pool
- Balloon flight at dawn
- Drive
- 164 km
- Travel time
- 3 hours plus game viewing
- Overnight
- Central Serengeti
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge, depending on availability.
The heart of the trip. Five nights within reach of the Mara River crossing points, which is a deliberately generous allocation — crossings are unpredictable and five days converts luck into a reasonable expectation.
Days are long. You leave before light with breakfast in the vehicle, find a crossing point, and wait. Sometimes for hours. Sometimes nothing happens and you go back the next day. When it does happen it lasts a few minutes and it is the most chaotic thing you will ever photograph.
Between crossings the northern woodlands hold excellent resident game and far fewer vehicles than the centre.
- Crossing watch on the Mara River
- Full-day drives with breakfast and lunch in the vehicle
- Resident predators in the northern woodlands
- Bush breakfast on the riverbank
- Drive
- 148 km
- Travel time
- 3 hours plus game viewing
- Overnight
- Northern Serengeti
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Serengeti Ark Safari Lodge, depending on availability.
A final morning drive, then the charter from Kogatende back to Kilimanjaro — flying rather than driving means the last morning is still a game drive rather than a transfer. Lunch in Arusha before your onward flight.
- Final morning game drive
- Charter flight from Kogatende
- Lunch in Arusha
- Airport transfer
- Travel time
- Morning drive, then a charter flight
- Overnight
- Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Where you stay
These are the camps we would book. If any are full on your dates we substitute something of the same standard — and we tell you what changed and why.
Mount Meru Game Lodge
Set in gardens on the Meru slopes with a small wildlife sanctuary attached. Convenient for Kilimanjaro airport.
Honeyguide Tarangire Camp
A tented camp in northern Tarangire under a stand of large trees, with family tents available.
Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp
A tented camp on the eastern rim, minutes from the descent gate and well away from the busier western lodges.
Serengeti Sametu Camp
A small camp among the Sametu kopjes, east of Seronera and away from the main circuit traffic.
Serengeti River Camp
A tented camp in the northern Serengeti, within reach of the Mara River crossing points in season.
Prices
| Season | Solo | 2–3 guests | 4–5 guests | 6+ guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 01 April – 31 May The long rains. Lowest prices, greenest landscape, some camps closed. | US$14,735 | US$11,845 | US$10,165 | US$9,326 |
| Shoulder season 01 March – 31 March Also 01 November – 19 December. | US$16,060 | US$12,910 | US$11,080 | US$10,165 |
| High season 01 June – 30 June Also 01 January – 28 February and the month of October. | US$17,535 | US$14,095 | US$12,095 | US$11,100 |
| Peak season 01 July – 30 September Also 20 December – 02 January. Book nine to twelve months ahead. | US$18,860 | US$15,160 | US$13,010 | US$11,935 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Supplements & child rates
| Single supplement For guests travelling alone or wanting a room to themselves. | US$3,170 per stay |
|---|---|
| Child sharing with two adults Children under 3 travel free of our costs; park fees may still apply. Ages 3–11 | US$6,715 per person |
| Room upgrade — luxury tier Upgrade the safari camps to the next comfort level throughout. | US$3,915 per person |
What is and is not included
Included
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof and a guaranteed window seat
- Professional English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide throughout
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- All accommodation as listed, or a camp of the same standard
- All meals on safari, on a full-board basis
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Airport meet-and-greet and all ground transfers
- Unlimited game drives within park operating hours
- All government taxes and levies
- Emergency evacuation cover (Flying Doctors) for the safari days
- 24-hour contact with our Arusha office for the whole trip
- Photographic vehicle with removable window panels and bean bags
- Maximum four photographers per vehicle
- Charter flight from Kogatende on the final day
- In-vehicle charging for camera batteries
Not included
- International flights to and from Tanzania
- Tanzanian visa — currently obtained on arrival or online in advance
- Travel and medical insurance, which we require you to hold
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Alcoholic and soft drinks unless stated
- Laundry, telephone and other personal expenses
- Optional activities such as balloon flights and cultural visits
- Anything not specifically listed under what is included
Questions we get asked
Yes. You have your own vehicle, your own guide and your own schedule. We do not put unrelated guests together unless you specifically ask us to, in order to share costs.
That is rather the point. Every itinerary on this site is a starting draft. Add nights, drop a park, change the comfort level, start from Zanzibar instead — tell us what you want and we will rebuild it and re-cost it.
A Toyota Land Cruiser adapted for safari: pop-up roof, charging points, a cool box, and enough space that nobody sits in a middle seat. Windows open fully on both sides.
For July to September, nine to twelve months if you want the better camps. For the green season, three to four months is usually enough. We can occasionally do much shorter notice — ask.
It is customary but not compulsory. As a guide, most guests give their driver-guide around US$20–30 per vehicle per day, and leave something in the camp staff box.
A 100–400 or 200–600 does most of the work, with something wide for landscape and camp. A 500 or 600 prime is a luxury rather than a necessity unless you are chasing birds. Bring more cards than you think and a blower — the dust in the dry season is relentless.
Not by default — your guide is a photographically experienced Tanzanian driver-guide, which is what actually matters for positioning the vehicle. If you want a professional photo host as well, we can arrange one; ask and we will quote it.
Request this safari
Tell us your travel dates and group size. We will adjust the itinerary and send you an exact quote.
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