Experience the wild heart of Tanzania on this 7-Day Grand Tanzania Safari – Big Five, Endless Plains & Crater Wonders, a private journey through four of northern Tanzania’s most celebrated wildlife destinations.
Starting and ending in Arusha, your adventure takes you from the lush landscapes of Lake Manyara to the legendary plains of the Serengeti, into the extraordinary natural amphitheatre of the Ngorongoro Crater, and finally to the elephant country of Tarangire National Park.
The Serengeti forms the centrepiece of your journey, with three nights giving you time to explore its immense savannahs in search of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and vast herds of plains game. Depending on the season and location of the herds, you may also encounter the Great Wildebeest Migration as it moves through the greater Serengeti ecosystem.
From the Serengeti, travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with an opportunity to visit historic Olduvai Gorge, before descending into the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater. Your adventure finishes among Tarangire’s ancient baobabs and impressive elephant herds.
Throughout your journey, enjoy the exclusivity of your own private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, accompanied by a professional safari driver-guide and staying in carefully selected safari lodges and tented camps.
Seven days, four extraordinary landscapes and one unforgettable Tanzanian adventure.
This 7-Day Grand Tanzania Safari gives you a beautifully balanced introduction to northern Tanzania, combining four very different wildlife landscapes without sacrificing valuable time in the Serengeti. You’ll experience Lake Manyara’s lush forests and Rift Valley scenery, spend three nights exploring the wildlife-rich endless plains of the Serengeti, descend into the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater in search of the Big Five, and finish among Tarangire’s elephants and ancient baobab trees. With a private 4×4 Land Cruiser, your own professional safari guide and carefully selected lodges or tented camps, the journey offers the freedom, comfort and flexibility to experience Tanzania at your own pace.
Your safari begins in Arusha, where your private driver-guide will collect you from your hotel, residence or the airport.
Settle into your customized 4x4 Land Cruiser and travel through the beautiful northern Tanzanian countryside toward Lake Manyara National Park.
Set beneath the dramatic Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara may be relatively compact, but its remarkable diversity of habitats makes it an excellent introduction to Tanzania’s wildlife.
Explore groundwater forests, open grasslands and lakeshore habitats in search of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest and impalas.
Large troops of baboons and blue monkeys are commonly encountered in the forested sections of the park.
Manyara is also historically known for its tree-climbing lions. Sightings are never guaranteed, but finding one resting among the branches is always a memorable safari moment.
The park is equally rewarding for bird lovers, with hundreds of recorded species. Depending on water levels and seasonal conditions, flamingos and other waterbirds may be present along the lakeshore.
Later, transfer to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Lake Manyara / Karatu
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, leave the Great Rift Valley and begin your journey toward the legendary Serengeti National Park.
Travel through the beautiful Ngorongoro highlands before descending toward the vast plains of the Serengeti.
As the landscape opens before you, enjoy game viewing en route to your safari lodge or tented camp.
The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest national park and one of Africa’s greatest wildlife ecosystems. Its name originates from a Maasai expression commonly translated as “endless plains” – an appropriate description for the seemingly limitless savannah stretching toward the horizon.
Look out for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles and predators as you travel deeper into the park.
Arrive at your accommodation and settle in for your first night surrounded by the Serengeti wilderness.
Overnight: Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Wake up to the sounds of the African wilderness and head out for a full day of game viewing.
The Serengeti is particularly famous for its predators and supports an impressive lion population.
Your guide will search for prides of lions resting on the plains, cheetahs scanning the grasslands and elusive leopards resting among trees.
The savannah is also home to elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos and numerous antelope species.
Your private safari allows you to spend longer at particularly rewarding sightings instead of following a rigid game-drive schedule.
Enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by the wilderness or return to your lodge depending on the day’s safari plan.
Continue exploring into the afternoon before returning as the sun sets across the plains.
Overnight: Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Your second full day in the Serengeti gives you more time to discover different areas of this immense ecosystem.
The Serengeti lies at the heart of the Great Wildebeest Migration, when vast numbers of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the greater Serengeti–Mara ecosystem in search of fresh grazing and water.
The herds occupy different parts of the ecosystem throughout the year. Their exact movements depend on rainfall, grazing conditions and other natural factors.
Your guide will therefore tailor today’s game drive according to the season, wildlife movements and recent sightings.
Even when the main migration herds are in another part of the ecosystem, the Serengeti offers exceptional year-round wildlife viewing thanks to its abundant resident animals.
Spend another full day immersed in the wild before returning to your lodge or camp for your final Serengeti evening.
Overnight: Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy breakfast before heading out for your final Serengeti game drive as you begin travelling toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Along the way, you may choose to stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important paleoanthropological sites.
Often referred to as part of the “Cradle of Mankind,” discoveries made in the Olduvai region have played an important role in our understanding of early human evolution.
Continue through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as the landscape rises from open plains into spectacular highlands.
Arrive at your lodge and spend the remainder of the evening relaxing and preparing for tomorrow’s descent into the crater.
Overnight: Ngorongoro / Karatu
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After an early breakfast, travel to the crater rim and begin your descent approximately 600 metres into the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater.
The immense volcanic caldera creates a natural wildlife sanctuary, with grasslands, woodland, wetlands and freshwater habitats supporting an extraordinary concentration of animals.
Explore the crater floor in search of lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, hyenas, jackals and gazelles.
Ngorongoro is also one of Tanzania’s important habitats for the endangered black rhino, providing one of the better opportunities to encounter this elusive member of the Big Five.
Enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by the extraordinary crater scenery.
Later, ascend the crater walls and continue toward the Tarangire region.
Arrive at your lodge for your final evening on safari.
Overnight: Tarangire
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, head into Tarangire National Park for the final chapter of your Tanzanian adventure.
Tarangire offers a very different landscape from the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Its rolling savannah is punctuated by magnificent baobab trees, some of which have stood for hundreds of years, creating one of northern Tanzania’s most distinctive safari settings.
The park is particularly renowned for its elephants. Large herds can often be seen travelling through the landscape or gathering around the Tarangire River, especially during the dry season.
Look out for giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes, impalas and other plains wildlife while your guide searches for lions, leopards and cheetahs.
After your game drive and lunch, begin your journey back to Arusha.
Upon arrival, your private guide will transfer you to your hotel, residence or the airport.
Your 7-Day Grand Tanzania Safari comes to an end after an unforgettable week exploring the lakes, endless plains, volcanic highlands and elephant country of northern Tanzania.
