This 5 days Tanzania safari tour is an affordable 5 day safari in Tanzania tour that starts and ends in Arusha. The tour offers you amazing culture, exceptional wildlife, and breathtaking scenery viewing in Tanzania’s most rewarding safari destinations: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater.
At first, this amazing 5 days Tanzania safari tour takes you on a game drive through the beautiful Lake Manyara NP, the home of tree-climbing lions. Hereafter, you’ll move to the legendary Serengeti and the fabled Ngorongoro Crater; between them can promise a wealth of wildlife ranging from millions of migrating wildebeest in the season to Big Five, Cheetahs, Hyenas, Wild dogs, Giraffes, Zebras, etc…
On this 5 days Tanzania safari tour, you’ll be in the professional hands of a local guide who will take care of the driving between destinations and conducts game drives, opening up the secrets of the landscape and offering insights into both the wildlife and various cultures of the area.
If you’d like to book or customize this affordable Tanzania safari and scenic journey of a lifetime to suit your special interests and budget – please let us know
Day 1: Lake Manyara National Park
Day 2 & 3: Serengeti National Park
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater
Day 5: Arusha – Departure.
Day 1: Transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park via Mto wa Mbu Village. Enjoy a game drive on arrival.
Day 2: Transfer to Serengeti National Park. Visit Olduvai Gorge along the way and do an en-route evening game drive.
Day 3: Full-day game drive in Serengeti National Park
Day 4: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater for an Afternoon Game Drive
Day 5: Another crater tour and drive back to Arusha
Your 5 days Tanzania safari tour starts with pickup from your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro International Airport latest by 9.00 am. After safari briefing, depart Arusha and embark on a beautiful two-hour drive north to Lake Manyara National Park.
The drive offers a good view of the countryside and you will pass through Mto wa Mbu, a delightful small village, a fascinating snapshot of small-town African life, and home to some 18,000 residents from 120 different Tanzania tribes!
You will reach your lodge in time for lunch and some relaxation. Then embark on an afternoon game drive within the park. A spectacular part of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara’s rich variety of natural habitats are set around the soda lake, described by Ernest Hemingway as the ‘loveliest I have seen in Africa’.
The lake is a haven for clouds of flamingos and other fantastic waterbirds. This is a paradise for bird-watching enthusiasts! The forested valleys and open savannah plains support a large elephant population as well as herds of Buffalos, Giraffes, Zebras, Wildebeests, baboons, and many species of graceful antelopes. Predators are also present in the park and topping the list are the rare tree-climbing lions.
After your exciting game drive, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
Midrange: – Manyara Kirurumu Camp
Budget: – Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 110km/2 hours
Activities & Services: –
Optional Activity: –
Your day two of the 5 days Tanzania safari tour starts with an early breakfast at 6.30 am. After breakfast, have your packed lunch and embark on a long but scenic drive of about 5-6 hours to the north. Pass through beautiful Masai villages and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Make a stop at Olduvai Gorge – one of the most significant archaeological sites on earth.
The gorge is where in 1959 that Mary Leakey discovered a 1.8-million-year-old ape-like skull from an early hominin (human-like being) now known as Australopithecus boisei. This discovery, along with that of fossils of over 60 early hominids, including Homo habilis forever changed the way we understood the evolution of man.
At around noon, arrive in Serengeti wilderness, the home of the Great Migration, our planet’s biggest mass terrestrial animal movement. Even outside the Migration season, the Serengeti offers superb game viewing. Its prides of lions are large, the birdlife is excellent, and you’ll come across all sorts of predators and plains game.
Enjoy a game drive on your way to your lodge/camp in central Serengeti. Have a bush picnic lunch en route, so as to not cut into your game viewing time in this magnificent part of Serengeti. This area is home to the stunning Seronera Valley, the best place in Africa to see Lions, Leopards, and Cheetahs on thrilling hunts.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Serengeti Serena Lodge/Serengeti Sopa Lodge
Midrange: – Serengeti Kati Kati Camp
Budget: – Kijereshi Tented Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 250km/5-6 hours
Activities & Services: –
Spanning over 14,700km2, the endless Serengeti plains capture the essence of Africa, with their main claim to fame the 3 million or so animals that live here.
Massive herds of grazers and numerous predators can be seen: Wildebeest, Zebra, Gazelle, Buffalos, Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Cheetahs, Warthogs, Impalas, Topi, Hyenas, Hippos, and Ostriches, and the interaction between the many species often provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the world.
On this day 3 of your 5 days Tanzania safari tour, start around sunrise for a morning game drive and followed by an afternoon game drive since the animals tend to be more active in the cooler hours of the day.
You’ll return to your accommodation during the hotter hours in the middle of the day, where you’ll enjoy a delicious meal, relax and maybe take a siesta. Depending on wildlife movements/opportunities for sightings, the drive may continue through lunch and last the whole day. In this case, you’ll return to the camp or lodge in the late afternoon for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Serengeti Sopa Lodge/Serengeti Serena Lodge
Midrange: – Serengeti Kati Kati Camp
Budget: – Kijereshi Tented Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Optional Activity:-
After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Serengeti you drive Ngorongoro Crater – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll arrive at your lodge in time for lunch, after which you descend 2000 feet to the crater floor.
On the way into the crater, learn some cool facts about this incredible natural geological wonderland. Formed by a massive volcanic eruption, this is the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera at about 260km2 and it is sometimes referred to as “the eighth wonder of the world”.
Within this crater lies every type of ecosystem, including riverine forests, open plains, freshwater, and alkaline lakes. Within its 260 square kilometers are over 30,000 beautiful wild animals, so on your game drive, you may see all the African ‘big five’ animals that rule here, including the highly endangered black rhinos.
On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodlands, and hills. The Maasai are permitted to water their cattle at the permanent lake and can be seen leading their animals in and out of the crater. Enjoy a bush picnic lunch on the crater floor before continuing with your game drive. In the evening, retire to your accommodation on Crater’s rim.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge/Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Midrange: – Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge
Budget: – Karatu Simba Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Rise early for another thrilling 4×4 game drive on in Ngorongoro Crater. You’ll enjoy a bush picnic lunch on the crater floor. As noted above, Ngorongoro Crater offers a year-round home to an astonishing 30,000 animals including rhinos, wildebeests, zebras, and lions.
The crater forests shelter African elephants and buffalo, and the wetlands are home to Hippos and Flamingos while laughing hyenas, painted wolves, Leopards, Jackals, Cheetahs, and Caracals make up the full range of predators. While a major attraction is mammals, birding within the crater and on the top of the crater rim is very good and you have an opportunity to tick off a good number of special species such as Common Ostrich, Secretarybird, Kori Bustard, Golden-winged Sunbirds, etc.
After a game drive, drive up the steep road out of the crater and embark on a 4-5 hour drive back to Arusha and Kilimanjaro International Airport for drop-off at the end of this fantastic 5 days safari in Tanzania tour.
Please note: Extensions to Zanzibar, Uganda/Rwanda (for mountain gorilla trekking), or parks in Kenya can easily be arranged. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
Cate
Samuel
Robert
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