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Four days across the three parks most people picture when they think of a Tanzania safari: Tarangire, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater. This is the trip that gives the Serengeti's open plains enough room to actually mean something, rather than a single rushed drive-through.
Three nights out — one near Tarangire, one in the Serengeti, one near the Crater — before the drive back to Arusha on the fourth day.
The price below is a starting point, and moves with season, group size, and which of the three accommodation levels you choose, from comfortable mid-range lodges up to Serengeti properties like Melia Serengeti at the Ultra Luxury level. Tell us your dates and numbers and we'll quote it properly.
Travel on your own schedule — dates, pace and accommodation level are yours to choose. Tell us your group size and preferred dates on the enquiry form below and we'll confirm exact pricing.
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The safari starts with a pick-up from your hotel or from Kilimanjaro International Airport, then a drive of a little under two hours south-west into Tarangire National Park. It's a gentle introduction to the trip — open acacia woodland, the first proper game drive, and a chance to settle into the rhythm of early starts and long afternoons that the rest of the safari will follow.
Tarangire holds some of the highest elephant densities in Tanzania during the dry season, when herds converge on the Tarangire River from the surrounding plains, and the park's baobab trees — some many centuries old — give the landscape a distinct, almost sculptural character. Giraffe, zebra, buffalo and a long list of resident birds are common along the riverine woodland.
The drive to the Serengeti crosses the Ngorongoro highlands before dropping down onto the plains, and the game viewing effectively starts the moment the road levels out. The Serengeti's defining feature is scale: 14,750 square kilometres of savannah, and the sensation of a horizon with almost nothing on it but grass and sky takes most first-time visitors by surprise.
Depending on the time of year, this stretch of the ecosystem can put you in the path of the wildebeest migration — over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra moving in a broadly clockwise circuit through the year in search of fresh grazing. Even outside migration season, the Serengeti holds resident populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and giraffe in numbers that make it one of the most productive game-viewing areas in Africa.
A final morning game drive in the Serengeti before the drive back up onto the Ngorongoro highlands — often the best time of day for predator activity, with lion and cheetah more likely to be moving and hunting in the cooler early hours than later in the day.
The road back climbs steadily out of the Serengeti's open plains into the greener, cooler highland forest around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a contrast that's worth noticing in itself — within a few hours you move from savannah to cloud forest to crater rim. You arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon with the crater floor waiting below for the next morning.
An early descent takes you 610 metres down onto the crater floor, a self-contained ecosystem of grassland, swamp and soda lake enclosed by the crater's walls, holding an estimated 25,000 large mammals within its 260 square kilometres — among the highest wildlife densities anywhere on the continent.
This is one of the most reliable places in East Africa to see the Big Five in a single day. Lion prides are commonly seen out in the open, buffalo and wildebeest graze in large mixed herds, and the crater remains one of the last strongholds of the black rhino. Flamingos often line the shallows of Lake Magadi, and the crater's spotted hyena clans are among the largest and most studied in Africa.
By mid-afternoon you climb back out of the crater and begin the drive back to Arusha, bringing the four-day safari to a close in the early evening.
Per person, by group size — pick an accommodation level to compare
Comfortable, family-run properties for the Tarangire and Serengeti nights, with Farm of Dreams again for the Ngorongoro night.
| 2 people | 4 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|
| $1,535 per person | $1,155 per person | $1,030 per person |
Escarpment for both Tarangire and Ngorongoro nights, Olkarien Eco Safari Camp for the Serengeti night.
| 2 people | 4 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|
| $2,070 per person | $1,690 per person | $1,565 per person |
Our top-tier pick for this route, including a night at Melia Serengeti's Savannah Panoramic rooms.
| 2 people | 4 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|
| $2,770 per person | $2,400 per person | $2,280 per person |
Prices are a starting point — they move with season, exact dates and final group size. Tell us your details on the enquiry form below and we'll confirm the exact figure.
So there are no surprises once you book
Comfortable lodges and camps for your stay
Comfortable, family-run properties for the Tarangire and Serengeti nights, with Farm of Dreams again for the Ngorongoro night.
Escarpment for both Tarangire and Ngorongoro nights, Olkarien Eco Safari Camp for the Serengeti night.
Our top-tier pick for this route, including a night at Melia Serengeti's Savannah Panoramic rooms.
What makes this experience exceptional
A full night and morning in the Serengeti, not a single pass-through drive.
Three accommodation levels, from comfortable mid-range up to Ultra Luxury properties like Melia Serengeti.
Every booking contributes toward the share of profit we commit to the community projects we run with ERIPOTO.
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