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5 Days – Tanzania Camping Safari
5 Days / 4 Nights Days
Arusha, Tanzania → Arusha, Tanzania
Wildlife
Easy
Why Choose This Safari?
Many travellers want to see the Northern Circuit’s best-known parks without paying for a lodge on every night, and this five-day safari is built for exactly that. In four nights you visit four of northern Tanzania’s top wildlife areas, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, all of which are home to small and large animals, birds and reptiles. Your nights are spent at campsites, including Serengeti Seronera Campsite in the middle of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Simba Campsite on the crater rim. Each day includes a picnic lunch in the parks, with game viewing on the way, and the safari ends back in Arusha so you can plan your onward arrangements. It’s a good fit for budget-conscious travellers who want to experience nature, wildlife and habitat across a varied route.
Safari Highlights
- Minimum 2 Pax
- Game Drives sessions
- Serengeti Balloon (can book with us)
- Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Camping accommodation
Destinations to Travel
Arusha · Tarangire National Park · Lake Manyara National Park (Mto wa Mbu) · Serengeti National Park (Seronera) · Olduvai Gorge (optional) · Ngorongoro Crater
Itinerary
Day 1 — Arusha to Tarangire National Park
At 08:30, after breakfast, you depart from Arusha for Tarangire National Park and a game drive. At 13:00 you stop at a picnic site for lunch, and at 14:00 you continue with an afternoon game drive. The park is known for its large elephant herds and ancient baobab trees, and the Tarangire River is the main source of fresh water for wildlife in the dry season. You return in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay at Twiga Campsite.
Day 2 — Lake Manyara National Park
At 08:30, after breakfast, you leave your camp or lodge for Lake Manyara National Park and a game drive. The park combines a lake, groundwater forest, marshes and a rift escarpment, and more than 390 bird species have been recorded, so it’s a rewarding stop for birdwatchers as well as for hippos and baboons. At 13:00 you stop at a picnic site for lunch, and at 14:00 you continue with an afternoon game drive before returning in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay at Twiga Campsite.
Day 3 — Mto wa Mbu to Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Area
After breakfast you’re picked up from your hotel or camp in Mto wa Mbu and drive to Serengeti National Park, with game viewing en route as you cross the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The vast Serengeti plains are home to a huge variety of animals and bird species. You enjoy picnic lunches and game viewing on the way to the Serengeti, then dinner and an overnight stay at Serengeti Seronera Campsite.
Day 4 — Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater Rim
You wake at 06:00 for an early morning game drive in the Serengeti and return to your camp at 08:45. After you check out, you drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim, with lunch and game viewing en route. It’s your option whether to pass via Olduvai Gorge, the archaeological site. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Simba Campsite.
Day 5 — Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha
At 07:30, after breakfast, you drive and descend onto the crater floor with your lunch box for game viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater is rich in wildlife, with animals tending to keep to their own parts of the crater. At 13:00 you stop at the picnic site near the Lerai forest or the hippo pool for lunch on the crater floor. At 14:00 you climb out of the crater and drive back to Arusha for your onward arrangements. Accommodation and airport transfers after the safari are at your own expense, but we can arrange them on request.
What's Included
Rate Includes
- Transport on 4WD vehicle with the pop-up roof, which enable you to spot wildlife easier
- Three meals a day on Safari
- Park entrance fees
- Driver’s allowances
- Service of an English speaking professional guide/Driver
- Camping fees, Mattresses
- Crater fees
- Food, cook and all kitchen utensils
- Mineral water 1.5lt per person per day
- Activities as per itinerary above
Rate Excludes
- International flights to/from your home
- Tips & gratitude’s
- The first night on your arrival and last night after safari (book with us)
- Airport transfers (book with us)
- Personal insurance
- Sleeping bag
- Olduvai Gorge fees
- Alcoholic drinks
- Serengeti Balloon (can book with us)
- Flying doctor’s insurance, we can arrange for requests.
- Tips to the driver/guide and all items of personal nature/use Easter, Christmas & New Year’s supplements may apply
Best Time to Go
No travel window was given for this itinerary, so the advice below comes from the route and general seasonality. The dry months, roughly June to October, are usually the easiest for game viewing and for camping, with less rain and firmer roads, and from June to November large herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo gather in Tarangire National Park. The wildebeest in the Serengeti follow the rains, so ask our team where the herds are likely to be on your dates. The green months bring lush landscapes, young animals and fewer visitors, but camping can be wetter and roads muddier, and nights on the Ngorongoro Crater rim are cold in every season, so pack warm layers. For the best overall balance, aim for June to October. You can find more on the Tanzania National Parks Authority and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority sites.
Pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this safari start and end, and how long does it take?
It starts in Arusha with a 08:30 departure to Tarangire and ends back in Arusha on Day 5. It runs for 5 days and 4 nights, so you see four Northern Circuit highlights in under a week.
What is the accommodation like?
The safari uses budget campsites, Twiga Campsite on Days 1 and 2, Serengeti Seronera Campsite on Day 3 and Ngorongoro Simba Campsite on the crater rim on Day 4. Our team will confirm what camping equipment and bedding is supplied when your booking is confirmed.
Which parks do we visit?
You visit Tarangire on Day 1, Lake Manyara on Day 2, the Serengeti on Days 3 and 4 and the Ngorongoro Crater on Day 5. Each offers different scenery and wildlife, from baobab-dotted plains to a rift valley lake and a volcanic crater.
Is the Olduvai Gorge stop included?
It’s optional. On Day 4 you can choose whether to pass via Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites, on the way to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. Tell our team if you’d like it, and we can advise on any entry costs.
What will we see in the Ngorongoro Crater?
On Day 5 you descend to the crater floor for a full game drive and picnic lunch near the Lerai forest or the hippo pool. The crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with cliffs about 600 m high, and its wildlife includes lions, elephants, zebras, wildebeest and hippos. Sightings can’t be guaranteed on any given day.
What happens after the safari ends in Arusha?
You’re driven back to Arusha on the afternoon of Day 5. Accommodation and airport transfers afterwards are at your own expense, but we can arrange them on request, so tell our team what you need.