This five-day trip is built around two of Tanzania's best-known wildlife areas, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. You'll spend a full day down in the crater's 600-metre-deep bowl, one of the more wildlife-dense places on the continent, then cross the highlands into the Serengeti for two full days of game drives through the Seronera Valley. It's a compact route for anyone who wants a lot of wildlife without a lot of driving between parks.
Safari HighlightsYour guide picks you up from your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives west, past Lake Manyara, to Karatu on the rim of the Ngorongoro Highlands. It's a fairly relaxed first day, giving you time to settle in before tomorrow's crater descent.
🏨 Overnight: Karatu Acacia Tented Camp (Comfort)You'll descend into the Ngorongoro Crater at dawn for a full day of game viewing, with lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo fairly reliable sightings and black rhino a possibility if you're lucky. Lunch is a picnic near the Lerai Forest, and you'll climb back out to Karatu in the late afternoon.
🏨 Overnight: Karatu Acacia Tented Camp (Comfort)After breakfast you'll drive through the Ngorongoro Highlands and across the short-grass plains into the Serengeti, with a game drive worked into the route. You'll reach your camp in the Seronera area in time for a sundowner.
🏨 Overnight: Seronera Plains Tented Camp (Comfort)The full day is spent in the Seronera Valley, one of the more reliable parts of the Serengeti for wildlife year-round. Look out for lion prides, leopards resting up in sausage trees, and buffalo and antelope herds along the river.
🏨 Overnight: Seronera Plains Tented Camp (Comfort)One last morning game drive, then the long drive back across the Ngorongoro Highlands and Karatu to Arusha, timed to get you to your onward or departure flight.
✈ Transfer to Arusha / Kilimanjaro International Airport| Season | Per Person (sharing) | Group of 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Season (Jul–Sep, late Dec) | $4,050 | $20,660 |
| High Season (Jun, Oct) | $3,540 | $18,050 |
| Low Season (Mar–May) | $2,954 | $15,070 |
The Ngorongoro Crater is good for game viewing year-round since its wildlife largely stays put. The Seronera Valley is more seasonal: June to October is the driest and generally most reliable stretch. November's short rains bring a greener landscape and thinner crowds, while March to May, the long rains, are the cheapest months, with dramatic skies and a good chance of newborn animals around.
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