No matter how many times you go through an itinerary or look at maps, there is always something about a Tanzania Safari that does not feel predictable. Maybe it is the shifting air with passing elephants or the small differences found in every dawn. Over the course of these six days, starting from Arusha or Moshi, you will travel through some of the most iconic parks with Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro before winding down in the quieter Mto Wa Mbu.
Even if you have never traveled to Africa, there is something about this route that strikes a cord with many. It is almost as if you have stumbled on a story you thought you were familiar with, but it is layered, rich, and a lot more complex than one would first think.
Your trip starts with an arrival night, followed by a drive to Tarangire where you’ll see elephants dotting the baobab-covered landscape. Then, off to the Serengeti for two nights to slowly adjust to its expanse. Next, you climb to the Ngorongoro crater rim, descend into the concealed world for a night in Karatu, and from there your journey ends with a trip to Mto Wa Mbu village, where daily life unfolds just beyond the parks.
With your arrival in Tanzania, you’ll likely feel some level of excitement from the prospect of your new surroundings. This is accompanied by some fatigue. At the airport, you meet your driver who is holding a sign with your name on it. This small detail eases you as deeply as knowing someone is already three steps ahead on your behalf.
The short drive toward your lodge in Arusha will provide snacks like bright-colored shops, fields of maize, and children waving at you. Towards the end of the drive, if the clouds permit it, you may spot Mount Meru in the distance. Sometimes, Kilimanjaro makes an appearance in the late afternoons.
When you get to your accommodation, there is some time to rest. Some of us feel like moving about in order to try to relax after the long travel journey. Other people prefer to keep quiet, observe the place, and help their mind to reconnect with their body.
Accommodation
Ilboru Safari Lodge
Outpost Lodge
Arusha Serena Hotel
Arusha Coffee Lodge
It is some what different feeling in the morning when you already know that you will be going to the parks. Breakfast really does feel like an important task now. You start driving along the western road, with progress opening up the area as you move out of the town.
Tarangire has its own unique vibes and feel. The baobabs look like they are ancient old guardians of the park, pale and bulging trunks towering against the clouds. Elephants gather here retreating to the shrubby baobab trees for shade, at times in stupendous numbers, so many that it’s impossible to keep track. The matriarch often pauses to survey the track before slowly crossing behind her friends, almost begrudgingly granting passage.
Game drives follow the river where you have herds of zebra and impala. From time to time, you will notice lazy lions napping underneath acacia trees although their only motivation seems to be seeking out the next shaded area.
Lunch is had as a picnic beneath a tree. The food is straightforward: sandwiches, some fresh fruit, and something cold to drink. It’s more enjoyable than you expect, perhaps because the air is laden with gentle sounds and the possibility of movement just beyond your line of sight.
By late afternoon, you leave the park and drive towards your lodge located by Lake Manyara. Evening descends quite rapidly in this region, and the sky transitions into a gentle dark softness almost before you register it.
Accommodation
Migombani Public Campsite
Manyara Safari Camp
Marera Valley Lodge
Gibbs Farm
This morning starts with an early rise. The drive into the Serengeti is not short, but there is a palpable excitement that makes the time spent feel much lighter. On the way there, you pass through highlands, passing by Maasai settlements and cattle herds that lazily drift across the path.
The closer you get, the more the land flattens out into a jagged sprawl that is nearly impossible to comprehend at first glance. The Serengeti. No matter how many pictures you’ve looked at, nothing can prepare you. The grass, the horizon, the sky—they all stretch endlessly.
Your guide makes sure to drive at a slow pace, carefully looking out for any signs of animal activity. It can be a cheetah alone on the edge of the plain or a group of wildebeest moving forward in their signature orderly fashion.
Lunch is enjoyed in the quiet and tranquil open dusty places where one can gaze in every direction. Later in the day, you reach to your camp or lodge where you can relax before an evening drive. The light falls into a golden hush that transforms everything without translating to photos.
Accommodation
Seronera Public Campsite
Kati Kati Tented Camp
Melia Serengeti Lodge
Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp
Waking up early feels worth it because dawn remains unforgettable, especially with moving predators and the chilly softness in the air. You might go on a drive for an hour and all of the sudden a pride of lions, a hyena trotting along the track, and a jackal vanishing into the grass happens all at once.
Open door dining is sometimes offered to travelers during breakfast as the car stops. You enjoy your meal while gazing at the never ending land around you.
When you start out, the day still unfolds at a slow pace which feels nice, and feels even more rewarding because you get to cover the distance at a much slower and measured pace. When in a new area, what is important is the fact that you stop quite often during the journey and wait in silence to observe what comes next. The new area you are discovering is not simply worth it because of the new animals you would find there, but due to the scale of it, the light movement and old places that do not offer a single story.
As far as the place you would be visiting is, the journey would end by evening. After a short round, you will get to camp which would be a little dustier than the initial round, and provide you the feeling of carrying something, which is part of a large undefined thing.
Accommodation
Seronera Public Campsite
Melia Serengeti Lodge
Kati Kati Tented Camp
Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp
Your next stop is set to be the Serengeti where you are supposed to reach after breakfast. As you drive to the place set in the east, you can see the grasslands gradually being replaced by hilly forests. Like always, you are highly encouraged to make an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge.
By the time you arrive at Ngorongoro Crater, it is already midday. The view in front of you is unreal, as if sculpted by the finest artists and designers. You begin your descent into the crater, and the road unfurls like a ribbon, encircling downward until you reach a place where time stands still. Here, you will truly feel that there is a blend of enclosure and boundlessness.
This is one of the best places in the world to go on a game drive, and that’s because it is relentless. For instance, you may spot elephants among the fever trees, groups of hippos lazing around in shallow pools, or a solitary rhino nibbling on grass. It is always different, and that’s the fun.
After a sumptuous picnic lunch beside the hippo pool, you begin your ascent back to the rim and then to Karatu. The town is a refreshing and gentle glimpse back to civilization, albeit only for the night.
Accommodation
Simba A Campsite
Eileen’s Trees Inn
Acacia Farm Lodge
The Manor at Ngorongoro
Today, the morning feels a bit softer. You drive down towards Mto Wa Mbu. The village is a stark contrast from the silence of the crater as it is buzzing with shops and markets, and paths strewn between banana plantations. There is so much life.
Guided tours offer you to enjoy fresh mangoes and watch wood carving artists at work. As you trek along, you might notice something as simple as a child running with a plastic hoop and a woman balancing an ordinary basket on her head. In hindsight, these are the very things you cherish most.
After days of exploring the wild, you are served a simple yet delightful local lunch that feels almost like a celebration.
Now, around 2 P.M. you start driving back towards Arusha, and it starts getting nostalgic. The towns and fields pass by, and roads, with every turn and marker, feel increasingly familiar.
Some journeys go as far as offering nothing but silence along the way. Yet, Tanzania safari goes above and beyond. Such an experience leaves one with the feeling that there is still, after all, something left unticked on the itinerary. Don’t hesitate asking me if you’d like any assistance with modifying this further.
Step into the heart of Africa. Witness Tanzania’s wild wonders up close. Your soul-stirring safari begins here.
Address: 7th Floor, Market Street, Arusha – Tanzania
Phone: +255 767-837-026
Email: book@ngorongorocratersafaris.com
