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5 days · Tanzania · Budget

5 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Karatu

Five days through Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, returning to the Karatu highlands before Arusha — a well-balanced budget route with a full day on the Serengeti.

  • 5 days
  • Tanzania
  • Budget
  • Starts Arusha
  • Ends Arusha
Zebra drinking water

Safari snapshot

At a glance

The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.

Duration
5 days
Country
Tanzania
Destinations
Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater
Safari style
Budget
Price
Price on request
Starts
Arusha
Ends
Arusha

Best for

  • Travellers on a budget
  • Zanzibar combinations
  • First safari in Tanzania

The route

A round trip from Arusha

  1. Stop 1Arusha
  2. Stop 2Tarangire
  3. Stop 3Serengeti
  4. Stop 4Ngorongoro Crater
  5. Stop 5Karatu
  6. Stop 6Arusha

Safari highlights

What shapes the journey

  • Tarangire's elephants and baobabs
  • A full day on the Serengeti, with migration herds in season
  • Ngorongoro Crater, home to the Big Five
  • Easy connection to Zanzibar flights from Arusha

Day by day

Five days, day by day.

The plan is a guide: timings may change with road and park conditions and your group's interests. Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed.

Elephant dust seen during an East African safari

Day 1

Arusha → Tarangire National Park

Elephants along the Tarangire River

Pick-up from your Arusha hotel, then leave with picnic lunches for Tarangire National Park, arriving for an afternoon of game viewing. Tarangire is home to a large elephant population, and the Tarangire River draws lion, cheetah, buffalo, impala, kudu, gazelle, giraffe and eland, especially in the dry season. More than 500 bird species have been recorded among its baobab-studded landscapes.

Overnight
Tarangire · camp or lodge
Main activities
Afternoon game drive · Picnic lunch
Lion lioness yawn

Day 2

Tarangire → Serengeti National Park

Past Olduvai to the plains

After breakfast, head for the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge, where early human remains were found — the museum visit is optional. Lunch is taken on the way. Entering the Serengeti, you reach the setting for one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles, the wildebeest migration, alongside resident elephant, cheetah, lion and giraffe. Arrive at your tented camp in the late afternoon.

Overnight
Serengeti · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive en route

Day 3

Serengeti National Park

Following the herds

Spend a full day on game drives across the Serengeti, with a picnic lunch. Depending on the time of year, you may witness hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle on the move. Around October and November the herds tend to move south from Kenya's Maasai Mara through the northern Serengeti; after the long rains of April to June, they drift back north through the west.

Overnight
Serengeti · camp or lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch
Crater longonot aerial

Day 4

Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater → Karatu

Early predators and the crater floor

Start at daybreak for the drive out of the Serengeti — predators are often active in the cool early hours. Lunch is at a picnic site en route. At the crater's edge, the 19-kilometre caldera opens up before you; descend for a game drive in this World Heritage Site, seasonal home to thousands of animals, including all of the Big Five. Afterwards, climb out and continue to Karatu for the night.

Overnight
Karatu · camp or lodge
Main activities
Game drive · Crater descent
Elephant red elephants tsavo

Day 5

Karatu → Arusha

Back to Arusha, or on to Zanzibar

After a relaxed breakfast in the green highland farming country around Karatu, return to Arusha, arriving around midday with lunch on the way. The drive passes the Rift Valley escarpment and the Maasai steppe, a last look at northern Tanzania's landscapes. If you are adding time on Zanzibar, you can connect with a flight from Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport; otherwise the safari ends in Arusha.

Recommended accommodation

Where you stay.

Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Tarangire · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Serengeti · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the camp/lodge

Budget · Karatu · 1 night

What’s included

Clear from the start.

  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • Meals as per itinerary
  • Mineral water
  • All mentioned activities
  • All national park fees

What’s not included

No hidden assumptions.

  • Flights
  • Optional activities
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Visa fees
  • Tips
  • Personal spending money
  • Travel insurance

Your written quotation confirms the exact inclusions for your dates.

Flexible pricing

A clear quote for your journey.

The final price depends on when and how you travel: season, group size, accommodation level and private or shared transport.

Pricing

Price on request

We quote this journey individually because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change it significantly.

What affects the final price?

  • Travel dates and season
  • Group size
  • Accommodation availability
  • Private or shared vehicle
Request Exact Quote Ask on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)

Made around you

Make this safari yours.

Where operationally possible, a local planner can help adapt the journey without losing the route’s natural rhythm.

  • Travel dates and pace
  • Adding or removing nights where the route allows
  • Accommodation choices, subject to availability
  • Combining with another destination
Customise This Safari

Optional experiences

Add a different perspective.

Availability, location, age limits and extra costs are confirmed for your final itinerary.

Olduvai Gorge museum visit

Optional · extra cost

Verified guest voices

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External review source

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Before you travel

Safari questions, answered clearly.

How much does the 5 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Karatu cost?

The 5 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Karatu is quoted individually (price on request), because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change the cost. Share your dates and a planner will send an exact quotation.

Where does this safari start and finish?

It starts and finishes in Arusha. Your planner can advise on arrival and departure arrangements.

Where will I stay?

Nights are listed as “overnight at the camp/lodge”: the specific property is confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

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Start planning with a local expert

Your safari starts with a conversation.

Tell us your dates, travel style and what matters most. A Nairobi-based planner can shape the details with you.

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PricingPrice on request
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