7-Day Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire Mid-Range Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Tarangire → Karatu → Serengeti → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Arusha to Tarangire

   You leave Arusha after breakfast and head for Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. There is the possibility of seeing large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife, depending on movement and conditions on the day. 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. The evening is spent at your Tarangire accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

2. Day 2

   Tarangire to Karatu

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Tarangire to Karatu, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. This is good country in which to look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Karatu.

3. Day 3

   Karatu to Serengeti

   The morning starts in Karatu, from where you continue overland to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, depending on movement and conditions on the day. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Serengeti.

4. Day 4

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands

   The day opens in Serengeti with a morning departure for Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. There is the possibility of seeing lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen, depending on movement and conditions on the day. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Ngorongoro Highlands.

5. Day 5

   Ngorongoro Highlands to Ngorongoro Crater

   After breakfast you leave Ngorongoro Highlands and travel on toward Ngorongoro Crater, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. 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 Crater.

6. Day 6

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Serengeti bound for Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. 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.

7. Day 7

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   After breakfast you leave Ngorongoro Crater and travel on toward Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across 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. The day ends with a drop-off in Nairobi at your hotel or the airport.