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Wildebeest in the Serengeti ecosystem

Budget safari · Tanzania

5-Day Tanzania Safari - Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti National Park

Five days from Arusha through Lake Manyara and two days in the Serengeti, with a pre-breakfast game drive before leaving, lunch at Oldupai Gorge, and a very early start for the Ngorongoro Crater.

  • 5 days
  • Tanzania
  • Budget safari
  • Quoted to your dates
Get a free quoteAsk on WhatsApp
4.9/5 from 31 traveller reviews on SafariBookings (opens in a new tab)

The journey

A closer look at your trip.

Five days from Arusha through Lake Manyara and two days in the Serengeti, with a pre-breakfast game drive before leaving, lunch at Oldupai Gorge, and a very early start for the Ngorongoro Crater.

SerengetiNgorongoroLake ManyaraArusha
Duration
5 days
Countries
Tanzania
Trip style
Budget safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Arusha
End
Arusha
Price
On Request

Choose your safari style

The same route, at the level you want to travel.

This journey follows the same wildlife route whichever style you choose. What changes is where you sleep, the level of service and how the trip is quoted.

Choose your safari style

Budget: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

  • Serengeti

    Seronera Camp

  • Ngorongoro

    Simba Campsite

  • Lake Manyara

    Fanaka Campsite

  • Arusha

    Charity Hotel

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Practical camps and lodges, and public campsites inside the Tanzanian parks. The wildlife itinerary, the guiding and the 4x4 Land Cruiser are the same as on the upgraded styles of this route.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 34
Enquire about the budget option

Midrange: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

  • Serengeti

    Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

  • Ngorongoro

    Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

  • Lake Manyara

    Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge

  • Arusha

    Kibo Palace Hotel Arusha

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Upgraded rooms, dining and a higher service level throughout, with a 4x4 Land Cruiser for game drives.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 76
Enquire about the midrange option

Luxury: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

  • Serengeti

    Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

  • Ngorongoro

    Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

  • Lake Manyara

    Escarpment Luxury Lodge Manyara

  • Arusha

    Gran Melia Arusha

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Premium camps and lodges with elevated service, delivered in a private-style format with a 4x4 Land Cruiser.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 102
Enquire about the luxury option

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Serengeti

  • 02

    Ngorongoro

  • 03

    Lake Manyara

  • 04

    Arusha

Your route

Across Tanzania.

Arusha → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha

We will confirm the day-by-day sequence and overnight stops in your detailed proposal.

KENYATANZANIAArushaLake ManyaraSerengetiNgorongoro

Schematic route · See the day-by-day programme for travel details.

Day by day

5 days in East Africa.

  1. Day 1

    Arusha – Lake Manyara

    An early start after breakfast: pick-up from your hotel in Arusha, then the drive west to Lake Manyara National Park. The park sits in a narrow band of forest between the Rift Valley wall and the shore of the soda lake, and holds elephant, hippo, giraffe and large baboon troops, with a chance of seeing lions resting in the trees. Birdwatchers rate it highly for the flamingo, pelican and stork on the lake. In the afternoon drive up the escarpment to Karatu for dinner and overnight at your accommodation.

    Overnight
    Fanaka Campsite, Lake ManyaraLake Manyara Serena Safari LodgeEscarpment Luxury Lodge Manyara
    Meals
    Dinner

  2. Day 2

    Serengeti National Park

    After breakfast, cross the Ngorongoro highlands and descend onto the Serengeti plains, with game viewing from the 4x4 Land Cruiser on the way in. If your timing matches the annual migration, more than 1.5 million wildebeest and 700,000 zebra are on the move through the park; outside those months the resident herds and predators remain. A sunset game drive ends the day before dinner and overnight at your Serengeti accommodation.

    Overnight
    Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner

  3. Day 3

    Serengeti National Park

    A morning game drive begins the day while the air is still cool and the animals active, and game viewing continues through the day. The Serengeti's herds of buffalo, elephant and giraffe and its thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and gazelle attract the predators the park is famous for: golden-maned lions, leopard in the Seronera River acacias and cheetah on the south-eastern plains, with hyena, jackal and the occasional aardwolf or serval. Dinner and overnight at your Serengeti accommodation.

    Overnight
    Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  4. Day 4

    Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area

    A pre-breakfast game drive, then a full breakfast before the drive back towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The picnic lunch stop is at Oldupai Gorge, the archaeological site where the skull of 'Nutcracker Man', about 1.75 million years old, was found; its museum displays casts of 3.6-million-year-old footprints preserved in volcanic ash. Continue with game viewing en route and arrive on the crater rim towards evening for dinner and overnight.

    Overnight
    Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari LodgeNeptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner
    Sunrise over the Serengeti plains with acacia trees and a distant kopje
    Serengeti plains, where the next stage of the route takes you.

  5. Day 5

    Ngorongoro – Arusha

    Rise very early on the final day and, with picnic lunches packed, descend about 2,000 feet into the Ngorongoro Crater in the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The crater floor's pasture, swamps, forest and permanent water hold up to 25,000 large animals and give the best opportunity of the trip to see black rhino, as well as black-maned lion, elephant and flamingo. After a full day on the floor, drive back to Arusha, where dinner and your overnight stay are on your own account.

    Meals
    Breakfast and picnic lunch

What is included

Your written quotation itemises every one of these for your dates, so you can compare it line by line with any other:

  • Park, reserve and conservancy entry fees
  • Accommodation for each night, named
  • Meals on each day
  • Game drives in the 4x4 Land Cruiser, with its seating
  • Driver-guide and fuel
  • Airport or hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Whether the vehicle is private or shared

What to allow for

Most travellers also budget separately for the items below. Your quotation confirms which apply to this trip.

  • International flights
  • Kenya eTA and any Tanzania visa
  • Travel and medical insurance (Tanzania now requires inbound cover)
  • Optional activities such as a balloon flight
  • Drinks and tips for guides and camp staff
How safari prices and park fees work →

When to travel

Seasonal considerations.

Game viewing across Tanzania is at its most reliable in the dry months, roughly June to October and again in January and February, when the grass is shorter and animals concentrate around permanent water. The long rains fall around April and May and the short rains in November; both bring green country, fewer vehicles and lower rates, at the cost of some unpredictability on the roads. There is no month in which this journey cannot run.

Read the full season guide →

Who it suits

Is this the right journey?

  • Travellers who want more than a sampler: enough days to settle into each area rather than moving on every morning.
  • Travellers at different budgets — this route is sold as Budget, Midrange, Luxury, with the same wildlife itinerary throughout.
  • Solo travellers and couples happy to share a vehicle on a scheduled departure, or any group wanting the journey privately on request.

Pricing

Plan with the details in view.

On Request

Published catalogue reference rate. Confirm availability and the final quotation for your travel dates.

This itinerary can also be arranged privately in a 4x4 Land Cruiser on request. A private departure is quoted separately and confirmed with your dates and group size.

Request a quotation

Free quotation

Get a quote for this trip.

Tell us when and how many. We will reply with a written quotation for the 5-Day Tanzania Safari - Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti National Park in the style you selected above, and adjust the pace, parks or accommodation if you would like something different.

4.9/5 from 31 traveller reviews on SafariBookings (opens in a new tab)
  1. 01

    Tell us your dates

    Send the quick form or a WhatsApp message. It is free and commits you to nothing.

  2. 02

    Get a written quotation

    Our Nairobi team checks availability and sends a quotation stating the route, accommodation and exactly what is and is not included.

  3. 03

    Adjust it until it fits

    Change the pace, the style of accommodation or the parks. Ask anything before you decide.

  4. 04

    Book when you are ready

    Nothing is reserved or charged until you accept the quotation in writing.

Rather talk it through? Ask on WhatsApp

Free and without obligation. Nothing is booked or charged until you accept a written quotation.

Your questions, answered.

How do I request a quotation?

Send your travel dates, party size and accommodation preferences. We will confirm availability and send a written quotation before you book.

Can I customise this trip?

Ask our team about adjustments to the itinerary, accommodation and pace. We will explain what is practical for your dates and confirm any price changes.

What is the published price for this 5-day trip?

On Request. Ask us to confirm the quotation for your dates and group size.

What vehicle is used for game drives?

Safari game drives use a 4x4 Land Cruiser. Your quotation will confirm whether your trip is private or shared and specify any separate transfer arrangements.

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