8 Days Best Tanzania Wildlife Adventure

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by a Serengeti Steppe Travels representative and transferred to your lodge in Arusha. Depending on your arrival time, you can relax after your journey and prepare for the safari ahead.

Arusha sits at the foothills of Mount Meru and is the main gateway to Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit. Your guide will brief you on the itinerary, safari activities, and the journey ahead.

Accommodation: Summit Safari Lodge
Meals: Dinner, depending on arrival time

Accommodation: Summit Safari Lodge

After an early breakfast, depart from Arusha and drive to Tarangire National Park. The journey takes you through Maasai country and rural Tanzanian landscapes before arriving at the park for your first game drive.

Tarangire is famous for its ancient baobab trees, large elephant herds, open savannah, and the Tarangire River, which attracts wildlife throughout much of the year. During your game drive, you may see elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, buffaloes, impalas, warthogs, lions, leopards, and many bird species.

After enjoying a picnic lunch in the park, continue with an afternoon game drive before leaving for Karatu. Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and relaxation.

Accommodation: Eileen’s Trees Inn
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Eileen's Trees Inn

After breakfast, leave Karatu and travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area toward the Serengeti National Park. The route offers beautiful views of the Ngorongoro highlands before descending onto the vast Serengeti plains.

You will enjoy wildlife viewing along the way, as the journey itself becomes part of the safari experience. Keep watch for zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, elephants, hyenas, lions, and other wildlife as you enter the Serengeti.

Arrive in Central Serengeti, also known as Seronera, in time for an afternoon game drive. This region is one of the best places in Tanzania to see resident wildlife throughout the year, especially big cats such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs.

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Camp

After breakfast, begin your journey toward the Northern Serengeti. This is a full safari day, with game viewing en route as you travel through changing landscapes, from the open plains of Central Serengeti to the more remote northern wilderness.

The Northern Serengeti is known for its wide-open grasslands, rolling hills, granite outcrops, and the Mara River ecosystem. From approximately July to October, this area is one of the best places to witness the Great Migration, as vast herds of wildebeests and zebras move through the region in search of greener grazing land. River crossings cannot be guaranteed, but your guide will use their knowledge and current wildlife movements to give you the best possible chance.

Arrive in the Kogatende area and enjoy an afternoon game drive before heading to camp.

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Migration Camp, Kogatende
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Migration Camp

Begin the day with an early morning game drive in Northern Serengeti. Early hours offer excellent opportunities to see predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas before the day becomes warmer. You may also encounter large herds of wildebeests and zebras during migration season, as well as elephants, giraffes, topis, elands, and many bird species.

After breakfast or a bush breakfast, continue with game viewing as you make your way back to Central Serengeti. Your guide will follow the most rewarding routes based on wildlife sightings and the season.

Arrive in Central Serengeti later in the day and enjoy another game drive before returning to camp for dinner and an evening under the African sky.

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Serengeti Classic View Camp

After an early breakfast, depart from Central Serengeti and drive toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for an unforgettable half-day game drive.

Often described as one of the world’s greatest natural wildlife areas, the Ngorongoro Crater is home to an extraordinary concentration of animals within its vast volcanic caldera. You may see lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, jackals, and, with luck, the endangered black rhinoceros. The crater’s lakes also attract flamingos and other water birds.

Enjoy a picnic lunch near the hippo pool before ascending from the crater and continuing to Karatu for the evening.

Accommodation: Eileen’s Trees Inn

Accommodation: Eileen's Trees Inn

After breakfast, depart for Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. Although smaller than many of Tanzania’s parks, Lake Manyara offers a remarkable variety of habitats, including groundwater forests, acacia woodland, open grasslands, and the alkaline lake itself.

The park is known for its elephants, baboons, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, and rich birdlife. It is also famous for its tree-climbing lions, although sightings are never guaranteed. The lake often attracts flamingos and other water birds, particularly when water levels are favourable.

After your game drive and picnic lunch, continue to Arusha. Arrive in the late afternoon and settle in at your lodge for your final safari evening.

Accommodation: Summit Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Summit Safari Lodge

Enjoy breakfast at the lodge before your transfer to Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight. If your flight departs later in the day, you may have time to explore Arusha town or arrange optional activities before departure.

Meals: Breakfast