Your journey at a glance
Sample journey
This itinerary is adapted from the reference collection as travel inspiration. Confirm accommodation, activities, inclusions and availability with Darba Tanzania Safaris before booking.
Overview
Five days through northern Tanzania: Lake Manyara's forest and flamingos, two days in the Serengeti and a game drive in Ngorongoro Crater, finishing back in Arusha.
Experience Overview
This route swaps Tarangire for Lake Manyara, a compact park at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment that makes an easy first day after arriving in Arusha. Its groundwater forest, busy with baboons and monkeys, opens onto grassland and a soda lake that is often pink with flamingos, and elephants and giraffes are regular sights.
From Manyara you climb over the Ngorongoro highlands into the Serengeti for two nights, with long game drives in the central Seronera valley and, in season, the migration. The final full day is spent on the Ngorongoro Crater floor before the drive back to Arusha.
Highlights
The standout moments built into this safari.
Lake Manyara's forest, baboons and flamingos
Game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
Itinerary
These are sample itineraries designed to inspire your journey. Each trip can be fully customized to match your travel style, preferences, and schedule. Use them as a starting point to craft your perfect safari experience.
Day 1 · Lake Manyara National Park
Pick-up in Arusha and a two-hour drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Game drive through the groundwater forest and along the lake shore among baboons, elephants, giraffes, hippos and flamingos, with a picnic at the Hippo Pool, then overnight in Karatu.
Day 2 · Serengeti National Park
Drive over the Ngorongoro highlands with a stop at the crater viewpoint, then past Olduvai Gorge into the Serengeti. Game drive across the plains to your camp in the central Serengeti.
Day 3 · Serengeti National Park
A full day exploring the Serengeti, with morning and afternoon game drives and a picnic lunch. Your guide looks for lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Seronera valley or heads to the migration herds when they are close.
Day 4 · Ngorongoro Crater
A morning game drive leaving the Serengeti, then return to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend into the crater for an afternoon among lions, elephants, buffalo and, with luck, black rhino. Overnight on the crater rim or in Karatu.
Day 5 · Arusha
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha through Mto wa Mbu, with time for a coffee farm or the local market on the way, arriving around lunchtime.
