3 Days Tarangire, Manyara & Ngorongoro
Tarangire National Park · Lake Manyara National Park · Ngorongoro Crater
Duration
3 days / 2 nights
Starts
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Ends
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Safari style
Mid-range
Group
Private — your own vehicle and guide
Best time
June to October, and late January to March
Safari overview
If you have three days, this is the best use of them. It deliberately leaves out the Serengeti — reaching it and back inside three days means most of two days in a vehicle, and you would see less, not more.
What you get instead is Tarangire’s elephants, Lake Manyara’s forest and escarpment, and a full morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, which on its own is the most concentrated wildlife viewing in the country.
It works as a standalone trip, as an extension to a conference in Arusha, or bolted onto a Zanzibar holiday. It is also the trip we suggest when someone is not sure whether safari is for them.
- Karatu — 190 km, 2 hours in, 2 hours out
- Karatu — 80 km, Six hours below
- Arusha or the airport — 200 km, 4 hours in total
Safari highlights
Day by day
Every day below can be moved, lengthened or dropped. This is how we would run it.
An early start south-west from Arusha, into Tarangire by mid-morning. A full day along the river — elephant, baobab, and in the dry months some of the highest game concentration on the circuit — then west to the highlands at Karatu for the night.
- Full-day game drive in Tarangire
- Picnic lunch in the park
- Transfer to the highlands
- Drive
- 190 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours in, 2 hours out
- Overnight
- Karatu
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Farm of Dreams Lodge, depending on availability.
The day the trip is built around. You leave before six to be on the descent road at opening, drop six hundred metres onto the crater floor, and spend the morning among lion, hyena, hippo, elephant and several thousand plains game — with a real chance of black rhino at distance.
Out in the early afternoon before the vehicle numbers peak, and back to the highlands.
- Full morning on the crater floor
- Picnic lunch at the hippo pool
- Maasai community visit on the way back
- Drive
- 80 km
- Travel time
- Six hours below
- Overnight
- Karatu
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Farm of Dreams Lodge, depending on availability.
Down the escarpment into Manyara, which opens in genuine groundwater forest — figs, mahogany, blue monkeys and very large baboon troops — before flattening out to the lake edge where elephant and buffalo graze with flamingo behind them.
Then east to Arusha or straight to the airport.
- Morning game drive in Lake Manyara
- Canopy walkway
- Mto wa Mbu village walk
- Transfer to Arusha or the airport
- Drive
- 200 km
- Travel time
- 4 hours in total
- Overnight
- Arusha or the 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.
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$1,370 | US$1,100 | US$945 | US$866 |
| Shoulder season 01 March – 31 March Also 01 November – 19 December. | US$1,490 | US$1,200 | US$1,030 | US$945 |
| High season 01 June – 30 June Also 01 January – 28 February and the month of October. | US$1,630 | US$1,310 | US$1,125 | US$1,030 |
| Peak season 01 July – 30 September Also 20 December – 02 January. Book nine to twelve months ahead. | US$1,750 | US$1,410 | US$1,210 | US$1,110 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Supplements & child rates
| Single supplement For guests travelling alone or wanting a room to themselves. | US$295 per stay |
|---|---|
| Child sharing with two adults Children under 3 travel free of our costs; park fees may still apply. Ages 3–11 | US$625 per person |
| Room upgrade — luxury tier Upgrade the safari camps to the next comfort level throughout. | US$365 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
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
Worth adding
Maasai community visit
A morning with a Maasai family, arranged directly and paid directly.
Night game drive
Two hours after dark with a spotlight, in the areas where it is allowed.
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.
Because in three days it costs more than it gives. Reaching the Serengeti and returning eats most of two days; you would trade a full crater morning and a proper day in Tarangire for a few hours on the plains. If the Serengeti matters to you, take five days.
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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