8 Days Tanzania Wildlife Safari

After a hearty breakfast at your lodge, you’ll meet your guide and begin your journey to Tarangire National Park, located about 2–3 hours southwest of Arusha. As you leave the city behind, the landscape transforms into vast savannahs dotted with acacia trees and rolling hills.

Upon arrival at the park, you’ll embark on your first game drive, exploring one of Tanzania’s most underrated gems. Tarangire is famous for its large elephant herds, towering baobab trees, and the lifeline Tarangire River, which attracts animals during the dry season.

Keep your eyes open for lions, giraffes, impalas, zebras, wildebeest, and over 500 species of birds. With fewer crowds than Serengeti or Ngorongoro, Tarangire offers a peaceful and intimate safari experience.

In the late afternoon, you’ll drive to your lodge or tented camp, where you can relax and enjoy the sunset over the savannah.

• Park: Tarangire National Park

• Drive Time: Approx. 2.5–3 hours from Arusha

• Wildlife Highlights: Elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, birdlife

• Accommodation: Tarangire Simba Lodge (or similar mid-range option)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Optional (seasonal): Sunset bush walk or Maasai village visit (at extra cost)

Overnight: Near Tarangire National Park

After an early breakfast, you’ll check out and begin your scenic drive toward the world-renowned Serengeti National Park, passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the way. The journey is long (approximately 6–7 hours with game viewing en route), but it’s filled with breathtaking landscapes, Maasai villages, and wildlife sightings.

As you enter the Serengeti plains, you’ll immediately understand why its name means “endless plains” in the Maasai language. This is Tanzania’s oldest and most famous national park, home to vast populations of wildlife, including the Big Five—lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and (occasionally) rhinos.

Enjoy a game drive en route to your tented camp in Central Serengeti, a region known for its year-round wildlife activity, especially large lion prides, cheetahs, and migrating herds depending on the season.

Arrive at your mid-range tented camp in the late afternoon, where you’ll enjoy a warm welcome, a refreshing drink, and dinner under the stars.

• Drive Time: 6–7 hours (with wildlife stops along the way)

• Route: Tarangire → Ngorongoro Highlands → Serengeti (via Naabi Hill Gate)

• Wildlife Highlights: Lions, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, cheetahs, elephants

• Accommodation: Arukore Simba Camp (or similar)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (picnic), Dinner

• Optional: Short nature walk near the camp (subject to camp availability)

Overnight: Central Serengeti

Today is dedicated entirely to exploring the spectacular Serengeti National Park. After an early breakfast at camp, you’ll head out for a full-day game drive, maximizing your chances of spotting the Big Five and more.

Depending on wildlife movements and your interests, your guide may take you to explore different areas of the Central Serengeti or even venture toward specific locations known for seasonal activity—such as the Seronera River Valley, a prime area for predator sightings like lions, leopards, and cheetahs.

The Serengeti is especially famous for the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest and zebras move in search of fresh grazing (timing varies by season). Even outside the migration, the park offers some of the best year-round wildlife viewing in Africa.

Enjoy a picnic lunch under a shaded acacia tree or at a designated picnic site, surrounded by the wild. In the afternoon, continue your game drive before returning to camp to unwind.

For a truly unforgettable experience, you can start your day with an optional hot air balloon safari at sunrise (advance booking required).

• Optional (extra cost): Hot air balloon safari with champagne breakfast

• Game Drive Areas: Seronera Valley, Moru Kopjes, Retina Hippo Pool (varies by season)

• Wildlife Highlights: Lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, hippos, hyenas, and more

• Accommodation: Serengeti Katikati Camp (or similar)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (picnic), Dinner

Overnight: Central Serengeti

Wake up to the sounds of the wild and prepare for another exciting full day of game drives in the Serengeti. After breakfast at your camp, set off with your guide to explore different areas of the park—tailored to your interests and wildlife activity.

Today, you might track prides of lions lounging in the shade, spot elusive leopards resting in acacia trees, or follow a cheetah sprinting across the open plains. If you're traveling during the right season, you may witness dramatic scenes from the Great Migration, including river crossings or predator-prey interactions.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the scenic spots in the park—perhaps near a hippo pool or overlooking the open plains. Afterward, continue your adventure with an afternoon game drive as the golden light sets the landscape aglow.

Return to your camp in the late afternoon or early evening to freshen up and enjoy a delicious dinner under the stars.

• Wildlife Focus: Big cats, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, hippos, hyenas

• Game Drive Areas: Seronera Valley, Moru Kopjes, Sametu, Retina Hippo Pool (based on season and sightings)

• Optional: Sunrise hot air balloon safari (pre-booking required, extra cost)

• Accommodation: Arukore Simba Lodge (or similar)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (picnic), Dinner

Overnight: Central Serengeti

After an early breakfast, you’ll check out from your Serengeti camp and begin your scenic drive toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Enjoy a game drive en route as you exit the Serengeti, with final chances to spot wildlife like elephants, giraffes, or even a predator on the move.

Upon reaching the Ngorongoro Crater, you’ll descend 600 meters into this ancient volcanic caldera for a half-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is often referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” due to its stunning scenery and incredibly dense wildlife population.

Inside the crater, you’ll find a self-contained ecosystem teeming with animals, including zebras, wildebeest, elephants, hippos, hyenas, jackals, and the rare and endangered black rhino. It’s also one of the best places to spot all of the Big Five in a single day.

After an unforgettable wildlife experience, you’ll ascend the crater walls and drive to the nearby town of Karatu for dinner and overnight at a comfortable lodge nestled in the lush highlands.

• Highlight: Game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

• Wildlife Sightings: Rhinos, lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, flamingos

• Crater Floor Duration: Approx. 5–6 hours

• Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge / Country Lodge Karatu (or similar mid-range option)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (picnic in the crater), Dinner

Overnight: Karatu (Ngorongoro Highlands)

After breakfast, you have two flexible options depending on your interest and pace:

Option 1: Game Drive in Lake Manyara National Park

Depart Karatu and head to the nearby Lake Manyara National Park for a half-day game drive. This small but diverse park is famous for its tree-climbing lions, thousands of pink flamingos, and large troops of baboons. The park’s lush groundwater forest, open savannah, and scenic lake offer a beautiful contrast to the savannahs of Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.

After your game drive, enjoy lunch and continue your journey back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon.

Option 2: Cultural Visit or Leisure Morning

If you prefer a slower-paced day, you may explore local culture in Karatu or visit the vibrant town of Mto wa Mbu, where you can take a guided village walk, visit banana farms, or enjoy a local lunch. This option gives a deeper insight into Tanzania’s people and traditions.

After your chosen activity, you'll drive back to Arusha, where you’ll check into your lodge or enjoy a day room if flying out the next day.

• Wildlife Sightings (if visiting Manyara): Flamingos, hippos, baboons, elephants, tree-climbing lions

• Optional Activities: Village walk, local market tour, traditional lunch

• Drive Time: 3–4 hours to Arusha

• Accommodation: Arusha Planet Lodge / Day room (on request)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Arusha (if not flying out the same day)

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your lodge in Arusha. Depending on your flight schedule, you may have some free time to relax or do some last-minute shopping for souvenirs.

When it’s time, a driver from Paul Tours Safari will transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) for your onward flight.

We hope your Tanzanian safari adventure has been unforgettable, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Africa soon!

• Meals: Breakfast

• Activity: Transfer to airport for departure