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 to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Highlands

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Tarangire bound for Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Travel to Lake Manyara National Park for game viewing beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Continue later to Karatu or the Ngorongoro highlands for the night. Your guide works the area for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Ngorongoro Highlands.

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 in Arusha is usually in the afternoon, depending on traffic and road conditions on the approach. 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 in Arusha.