Timeless Tanzania Safari – 6 Days: Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Arrive in Tanzania to a warm Karibu sana welcome at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), where your professional Pita Safaris driver-guide meets you for a private transfer to Arusha. Nestled beneath Mount Meru and surrounded by lush coffee plantations, Arusha is the gateway to Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy a relaxed afternoon exploring local markets, visiting a cultural center, or unwinding at your lodge while receiving a safari briefing. The evening is spent settling into Africa’s rhythm with dinner and views of Mount Meru at sunset.

Highlights:

• Airport meet & greet with private transfer (~55 km | ~1 hour)
• Relaxed arrival day and safari briefing
• Scenic Mount Meru surroundings

Optional Experiences:

• Arusha cultural center visit
• Local market tour

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Kibo Palace Hotel
• Upper Midrange: Arusha Serena Hotel
• Luxury: Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge

After breakfast, depart Arusha and descend along the Great Rift Valley escarpment toward Lake Manyara National Park. This compact yet remarkably diverse park is renowned for its tree-climbing lions, large elephant herds, and prolific birdlife along the alkaline lake shoreline. Enjoy a game drive through groundwater forests and open grasslands, encountering giraffes, zebras, baboons, hippos, and seasonal flamingos that tint the lake pink. Pause for a picnic lunch before ascending to your lodge overlooking the valley below.

Highlights:

• Scenic Rift Valley drive (~130 km | 2.5–3 hours)
• Tree-climbing lions and elephant sightings, flamingos and rich birdlife

Optional Experiences:

• Guided birdwatching safari
• Nature walk near the lodge

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Lake Manyara Tortillis camp
• Upper Midrange: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Escarpment Luxury Lodge

After breakfast, journey through the Ngorongoro Highlands before descending onto the legendary plains of Serengeti National Park — “Siringet,” the land that runs forever. Stop at Naabi Hill Gate for lunch and sweeping savannah views before beginning your first Serengeti game drive en route to camp. Wildlife sightings often start immediately, with elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and big cats resting beneath acacia trees. As dusk falls, arrive at camp and drift to sleep to the distant calls of lions.

Highlights:

• Scenic highland drive into Serengeti (~250 km | 5–6 hours)
• First Serengeti wildlife encounters
• Sunset game drive across endless plains

Optional Experiences:

• Extended photographic stops en route

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Serengeti Heritage Camp
• Upper Midrange: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti’s vast plains with morning and afternoon game drives, or opt for a full-day safari with a picnic lunch. The Seronera Valley hosts one of Africa’s highest concentrations of predators, offering excellent opportunities to spot lions, cheetahs, and elusive leopards. Depending on the season, witness the Great Wildebeest Migration, as vast herds surge across the plains in search of fresh grazing. Return to camp at sunset for a relaxed evening beneath star-filled skies.

Highlights:

• Big Cat sightings in Seronera Valley
• Great Wildebeest Migration (seasonal)
• Classic Serengeti safari experience

Optional Experiences:

• Hot air balloon safari at sunrise
• Private photography safari

Accommodation Options:

Same as Day 3 

After breakfast, enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti before travelling east toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The landscape gradually transforms from open savannah to rolling highlands and misty forests. Arrive at your lodge near the crater rim, where sweeping panoramic views reveal the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera — a dramatic contrast to the Serengeti plains.

Highlights:

• Final Serengeti game drive
• Scenic ascent into Ngorongoro Highlands (~150 km | 4–5 hours)
• Spectacular crater rim views

Optional Experiences:

• Olduvai Gorge museum visit
• Maasai cultural village encounter

Accommodation Options:

• Midrange: Ngorongoro Farm House
• Upper Midrange: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro

Descend early into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day safari across its wildlife-rich floor. Home to over 25,000 animals, the crater offers one of Africa’s best chances to spot the Big Five in a single game drive, including the rare black rhino. Enjoy a picnic lunch beside the hippo pool before ascending the crater walls and driving back to Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for onward travel.

Highlights:

• Ngorongoro Crater half-day safari
• Big Five sightings in one ecosystem
• Scenic farewell drive through northern Tanzania