Overview
Embark on an unforgettable 5-day, 4-night safari through four of Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destinations: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park. This carefully designed itinerary showcases breathtaking landscapes, abundant wildlife, and some of the country’s finest safari experiences. From vast savannahs and ancient baobab trees to the wildlife-rich crater floor and the scenic beauty of Lake Manyara, every day offers remarkable encounters with nature. Beginning and ending in Arusha, this safari promises an extraordinary adventure and memories that will last a lifetime.
Trip Highlights
- Budget tour: This budget tour includes camping and tented camps.
- Shared tour: On this shared tour, you will join a group of other travelers. Max 6 people per vehicle.
- Can start any day: If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
- Can be customized: You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
- Suitable for single travelers: Single travelers can join this group tour.
- Minimum age of 4 years: The minimum age for this tour is 4 years.
Itinerary
After breakfast at the lodge, you will be picked up at your hotel in Arusha and depart for the Tarangire National Park. The park runs along the line of the Tarangire River and is mainly made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. Its natural vegetation mainly consists of acacia woodland and giant African baobab trees, with huge swamp areas in the south. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals during Tanzania’s dry season. The Tarangire National Park is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. This African national park is also home to three rare species of animals — the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx, and a few Ashy Starlings. After a picnic lunch, you'll do an afternoon game drive in Tarangire National Park, returning to the camp at evening.
Main Destination:
Tarangire National Park
Accommodation:
Kizumba Camp
Budget tented camp located 1-2hr drive from Tarangire NP
Meals & Drinks:
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast from the camp, you will depart for Serengeti National Park with an enroute game drive, via the beautiful high-laying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, you will descend into the heart of wild Africa — the Serengeti National Park— with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. You will be driven to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well-representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. You will arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park, returning to the camp at sunset for dinner and an overnight stay.
Main Destination:
Serengeti National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
inside Central Serengeti NP
Meals & Drinks:
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
Today, you'll rise early for breakfast and leave the camp for a full-day game drive with our picnic lunch boxes ready for a great full-day adventure. You'll spend the whole day at Serengeti in search of wild animals you might have missed before. A hot air balloon may be arranged upon request at an extra cost over the Serengeti plains. Serengeti National Park is the largest and most famous park in Tanzania, with different forms of ecosystems, wild animals, and vegetation. After an extensive game drive, you will embark on the camp for dinner and an overnight stay.
Main Destination:
Serengeti National Park
Accommodation:
Budget camping
on the crater rim of Ngorongoro Crater
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you will descend 600m into this magnificent crater for a full-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely crowded African wildlife areas in the world and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals, including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park supports a wide variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants.
Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its huge population of predators, which includes lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard.
You will enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor as you watch the big game returning to the lodge at sunset for dinner and an overnight stay.
You will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner.
Main Destination:
Ngorongoro Crater
Accommodation:
Kizumba Camp
Budget tented camp located 1-2hr drive from Ngorongoro Crater
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you will depart for Lake Manyara National Park early in the morning for a safari in Tanzania to Lake Manyara National Park arriving in good time for rest.
After lunch, you will proceed to the Lake Manyara National Park for an afternoon game drive. This park consists of a massive but shallow soda lake at the base of the Great Rift Valley western escarpment. The park host variety of animals, including elephants, tree-climbing lions, and flamingoes, which are attracted by the algae of the lake.
This park consists of a massive but shallow soda lake at the base of the Great Rift Valley western escarpment. The park host variety of animals, including elephants, tree-climbing lions, and flamingoes, which are attracted by the algae of the lake
Your dinner and overnight stay will be at your hotel in Arusha.
Main Destination:
Lake Manyara National Park
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)
- 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)
Cost Excludes
- International flights (From/to home)
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- 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
- Some meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
FAQs
The 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience includes accommodation, park entrance fees, meals as specified in the itinerary, transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle, professional safari guide services, and guided game drives in Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park.
The 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience offers outstanding opportunities to spot the Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and black rhino—along with cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, and a rich variety of bird species.
Yes, the 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience is ideal for first-time visitors, couples, families, and solo travelers who want to experience Tanzania’s most famous wildlife destinations in a single, well-planned itinerary.
The 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience is available throughout the year. The dry season from June to October provides exceptional wildlife viewing, while the green season offers lush landscapes, fewer crowds, and excellent birdwatching opportunities.
For the 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience, pack lightweight neutral-colored clothing, comfortable walking shoes, a light jacket for cool mornings and evenings, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, binoculars, a camera, and any personal medications.
The 5-Day Tanzania Safari Icon of Big Five Experience is the perfect choice for travelers seeking an unforgettable safari that combines Tanzania’s premier national parks, exceptional Big Five wildlife viewing, diverse landscapes, expert-guided game drives, and comfortable accommodations in one remarkable five-day adventure.
