6 Days Tanzania Safari
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Serengeti National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara National Park
Duration
6 days / 5 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
Six days is the shortest sensible northern circuit. It covers Tarangire, two nights in the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, and it does so without any day that feels like it was only about driving.
We will not compress this further. Five-day versions exist and they involve a single Serengeti night, which means arriving in the afternoon and leaving after breakfast — most of a day’s travel for one game drive. If you only have five days, we would rather drop a park than drop that second night.
- Arusha — 50 km, 50 minutes
- Tarangire — 120 km, 2 hours
- Central Serengeti — 174 km, 3 hours plus game viewing
- Ngorongoro — 145 km, 2 hours
- Arusha or the airport — 195 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.
Met at the airport and taken to your lodge outside Arusha. Your guide runs through the route over dinner and answers the questions you have been saving up. An early night — tomorrow starts properly.
- Airport meet-and-greet
- Safari briefing
- Drive
- 50 km
- Travel time
- 50 minutes
- Overnight
- Arusha
- Meals
- Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Essential
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Dolly Farm & River Camp, depending on availability.
South-west out of Arusha and into Tarangire by mid-morning. This is elephant and baobab country, and from July the river draws animals in from a much wider area than the park boundary suggests.
A full day of game driving along the river, then out to the highlands in the evening.
- Full-day game drive along the Tarangire River
- Picnic lunch in the park
- Drive
- 120 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours
- Overnight
- Tarangire
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Farm of Dreams Lodge, depending on availability.
Over the highlands, past the crater rim, and down onto the plains. Two nights in the central Serengeti gives you four game drives around Seronera — resident lion prides, leopard along the river lines, and cheetah on the open ground.
If you are travelling in February we will push you south towards the calving grounds instead; from July we look north. Same nights, different Serengeti.
- Olduvai Gorge stop
- Morning and afternoon game drives on both days
- Balloon safari at first light
- Drive
- 174 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 Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp, depending on availability.
Game drive out of the Serengeti in the morning, then up onto the crater rim by mid-afternoon. The viewpoint at sunset, with the whole floor laid out six hundred metres below, is the best free thing on the northern circuit.
- Morning game drive in the Serengeti
- Crater rim viewpoint
- Maasai community visit
- Drive
- 145 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Tonight · Lodge · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp, depending on availability.
First vehicle down into the crater at opening. Six hours on the floor generally produces lion, hyena, hippo, buffalo, elephant and thousands of plains game, with a chance of black rhino at distance.
Out by early afternoon, a short stop at Lake Manyara or the Mto wa Mbu market depending on your flight, then back to Arusha or straight to the airport.
- Full morning on the crater floor
- Lake Manyara game drive or Mto wa Mbu village walk
- Transfer to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport
- Drive
- 195 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.
Under The Shade Safari Lodge
A straightforward, comfortable lodge outside Arusha — the kind of place that does the basics properly on an arrival night.
Marera Valley Lodge
A highland lodge in the farming country around Karatu, well placed for both the Crater and Lake Manyara.
Serengeti Kamwene Tented Camp
A tented camp in the central Serengeti, within easy reach of the Seronera valley and its resident predators.
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Built into the crater rim itself, with rooms looking straight down onto the floor. The location is the whole point.
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$2,495 | US$2,005 | US$1,720 | US$1,578 |
| Shoulder season 01 March – 31 March Also 01 November – 19 December. | US$2,720 | US$2,185 | US$1,875 | US$1,720 |
| High season 01 June – 30 June Also 01 January – 28 February and the month of October. | US$2,965 | US$2,385 | US$2,045 | US$1,880 |
| Peak season 01 July – 30 September Also 20 December – 02 January. Book nine to twelve months ahead. | US$3,190 | US$2,565 | US$2,200 | US$2,020 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Supplements & child rates
| Single supplement For guests travelling alone or wanting a room to themselves. | US$535 per stay |
|---|---|
| Child sharing with two adults Children under 3 travel free of our costs; park fees may still apply. Ages 3–11 | US$1,135 per person |
| Room upgrade — luxury tier Upgrade the safari camps to the next comfort level throughout. | US$665 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
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.
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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