Overview
Experience an unforgettable 5-day budget safari through Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destinations. Explore Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater while discovering Africa’s breathtaking landscapes and abundant wildlife. Highlights include exciting game drives in Tarangire, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater, along with a scenic stop overlooking the spectacular Great Rift Valley.
Trip Highlights
- Budget camping: This is a budget camping tour.
- Shared tour: On this shared tour, you will join a group of other travelers. Max 7 people per vehicle.
- Can start any day: If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
- Cannot be customized: The contents of this tour cannot be changed.
- Suitable for single travelers: Single travelers can join this group tour, but it requires a minimum of 6 people to run.
- Minimum age of 3 years: The minimum age for this tour is 3 years.
Itinerary
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel. Following a brief orientation, you will head to Tarangire National Park. Known for its vast savannah, impressive baobab trees, and seasonal marshes, Tarangire is home to the largest elephant herds in northern Tanzania. In addition to elephants, you will likely see giraffes, buffalos, lions, zebras, wildebeest, and various antelopes and gazelles. Upon arrival, your guide will open the vehicle's roof, and your wildlife viewing adventure will begin. Lunch will be enjoyed at a picnic spot, and in the afternoon, you will continue exploring this amazing and beautiful park.
Main Destination:
Tarangire National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
Outside Tarangire NP
Meals & Drinks:
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you will leave for the Rift Valley, passing through Mto wa Mbu and Karatu in the cooler regions of the crater highlands. Upon entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you will stop briefly to look at the crater from a viewpoint. Continuing around the crater, you will descend to the other side, enjoying a free 'African massage' on the bumpy road, passing Masai villages on your way to Serengeti National Park. At the Naabi Hill entrance gate, you can walk to a viewpoint with spectacular views across the Serengeti savannah plains. Next, you will head to the Seronera Area in central Serengeti, where you can encounter a multitude of wildlife, including the Big Five (lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, and leopards).
Main Destination:
Serengeti National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
Inside Serengeti NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you will spend the entire day on a game drive in Serengeti National Park, with lunch at a picnic spot along the way. Depending on the time of year, you might have the opportunity to witness the great migration, where hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and Thompson's gazelles move across the plains. During the short rainy season in October and November, these herds typically travel from the Kenyan Masai Mara through the northwest Serengeti to the southern plains. After the primary rainy season in April, May, and June, the herds gradually make their way back through the western and northwestern Serengeti. Rainfall variations can alter this schedule, leading the animals to migrate at different times and routes. Your guide will do their utmost to locate the animals and ensure you see them from the best spots!
Main Destination:
Serengeti National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
Inside Serengeti NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After an early breakfast, you will embark on a morning game drive to spot a variety of animals until the afternoon. Then, you will return to camp for lunch and to pack up. As you leave the Serengeti, you will continue with a game drive, heading to Simba Campsite (a 2-hour drive) near the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.
Note: Animals are often spotted at the campsites.
Main Destination:
Serengeti National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
On the crater rim of Serengeti NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After an early breakfast, you will descend into the crater on a quest to find the elusive black rhinos. While rhinos are the hardest to spot, most other animals are easy to see in this beautiful crater due to its unique landscape.
After lunch, you will enjoy another game drive before ascending the crater to return to camp. You will then pack up and head back to Arusha, where you will be dropped off at your hotel.
Main Destination:
Ngorongoro Crater
Accommodation:
No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
Includes/Excludes
Cost Includes
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
- Camping equipment
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Sleeping bag
Cost Excludes
- International flights (From/to home)
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Bath towels
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
FAQs
The 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition takes you to some of Tanzania’s most famous safari destinations, including Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and, depending on the itinerary, Lake Manyara National Park or a scenic Great Rift Valley viewpoint. The tour offers an authentic camping experience in the heart of nature.
During the 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition, you may encounter the Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and black rhino—as well as cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, jackals, antelopes, and a wide variety of bird species.
The 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition typically includes camping accommodation, meals as outlined in the itinerary, park entrance fees, transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle, game drives, camping equipment, the services of a professional driver-guide and safari cook, bottled drinking water, and airport or hotel transfers.
Yes. The 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition is suitable for both first-time and experienced campers. The camping equipment is provided, and your guide and safari cook will ensure you enjoy a safe, comfortable, and memorable outdoor safari experience.
For the 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition, pack lightweight clothing in neutral colors, a warm jacket for chilly mornings and evenings, comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent, a flashlight or headlamp, a camera, binoculars, and any personal medications.
The 5-Day Tanzania Camping Expedition is available throughout the year. The dry season from June to October offers excellent wildlife viewing, while the green season from November to May features lush landscapes, abundant birdlife, fewer crowds, and seasonal highlights such as the Serengeti calving season.



