3-Day Tarangire, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Tarangire National Park → Lake Manyara National Park → Karatu / Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Arusha to Tarangire National Park

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Once you reach Tarangire National Park there is time to check in before heading out among rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. Your guide works the area for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife, with sightings varying by season and conditions. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Tarangire National Park camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Tarangire National Park to Lake Manyara National Park

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Tarangire National Park bound for Lake Manyara National Park, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Your guide works the area for elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Manyara National Park.

3. Day 3

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   You leave Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast and head for Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.