Tanzania Safari: Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire

The safari in Tanzania follows the northern circuit of national parks. Over seven days participants move in sequence through the baobab landscapes of Tarangire, the savannahs of the central Serengeti, the volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro and the natural systems of Lake Manyara. It is a self-contained journey that is also easy to combine with Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar.

Tarangire is known for its large baobabs and its elephant herds. How the animals are distributed depends on water, grazing and the season. The Serengeti covers an enormous area, so the programme sets aside two days for the central part of the park. Ungulates, big cats, hyenas, jackals, hippos and a great many birds are found here, but a safari remains the observation of wild animals and not a demonstration to a timetable.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is formed around a large volcanic caldera. The descent into the crater makes it possible to see several types of landscape within a single day. Even here a full set of the Big Five cannot be promised: the vehicle route, the visibility and the encounters are determined by the rules of the area and by where the animals actually move.

Lake Manyara closes the programme. The park combines forest sections, open ground and wetlands. The water level, the condition of the tracks and the presence of individual species change through the year, so this description contains no promise of thousands of flamingos or of a certain encounter with tree-climbing lions.

With a group of four participants or more a Mountain Guide team leader accompanies the journey. Game viewing and movement through the parks are organised by an English-speaking driver-guide. Participants must follow the driver-guide’s instructions, must not leave the vehicle without permission and must not approach animals.

The safari involves long transfers and early starts. Families with children, older participants and people with health limitations must discuss the length of each day, the accommodation and their ability to take part in advance. Age on its own does not replace an individual assessment of the conditions of the programme.

The exact names of hotels, lodges and safari camps, the room types, the meal plan and the transport are confirmed in the quotation for specific dates. Substitutions are possible only on agreed terms, or in circumstances that require an immediate decision for the sake of safety and of completing the route.

Before travelling, read up on malaria prophylaxis and on travel insurance. Medication and vaccination are chosen with a doctor, not from a universal list issued by a travel company.

The main thing that distinguishes a good safari is the time left to nature. The driver-guide is not obliged to drive to a lion promised in advance: they read tracks, listen to reports from colleagues and judge the light, the roads and the behaviour of the animals. Sometimes the strongest moment is not a predator’s chase but the silence at a waterhole, a herd against a storm sky, or the first light over Seronera.

Northern Tanzania is easy to compare with a safari in Kenya and with a journey through Uganda. The Tanzanian programme puts its emphasis on the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro caldera, Tarangire and the ability to connect the savannah with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar through one set of logistics.

If the safari is planned after the mountain, read about the Kilimanjaro seasons in advance. The weather windows on the mountain and the best conditions in a particular part of the Serengeti do not always coincide, so the combined route has to be built around the main priority of the trip.

Day 1. Arrival in Arusha.

Meeting at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to a hotel in Arusha. After check-in there is a briefing on the route, the safety rules and conduct in the national parks. The guide confirms departure times, meals, participant restrictions and how luggage is stowed in the vehicle. If the flight arrives in daylight, the outline of Kilimanjaro or Mount Meru may already be visible on the drive. Night at the hotel.

Day 2. Arusha to Tarangire National Park.

After breakfast the group meets the driver-guide and sets off for Tarangire. The road leads into a world of baobabs, sandy riverbeds and wide savannah. Game viewing is done from the safari vehicle with stops where the park rules permit. Encounters depend on the season and on water, but Tarangire is particularly striking for its elephants and the scale of its landscape. A lunch box is provided during the drive. In the evening the group settles into a lodge or safari camp for dinner and rest.

Day 3. Tarangire to the central Serengeti.

An early departure after breakfast for Serengeti National Park. As the drive continues, wooded stretches give way to open plains and the horizon becomes almost endless. The route leads to the central part of the park and the Seronera valley, where permanent water sources support rich wildlife in different months of the year. Game viewing continues on the way to the accommodation. In the evening, check-in at a lodge or safari camp and dinner.

Day 4. The central Serengeti.

A full day of game viewing in the central Serengeti. The times of departure and the length of each drive are set by the driver-guide, taking account of the park rules, the weather, the state of the tracks and current information on the movement of the animals. Early light is good for watching predator activity, and during the day the route may cross open plains, river valleys and granite outcrops. The Great Migration is not tied to an exact date, so the guide looks for the best encounters in the conditions that actually apply. Return to the accommodation and dinner.

Day 5. Serengeti to Olduvai, Ngorongoro and Karatu.

After breakfast the group leaves the Serengeti and heads for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The programme includes a stop in the area of Olduvai Gorge, associated with some of the most important finds in the history of early humans. The road climbs from the savannah to the cool volcanic highlands. In good visibility the wall of the caldera offers a panorama of Ngorongoro. The group then transfers to Karatu, checks into a lodge and rests.

Day 6. Ngorongoro Crater and back to Arusha.

An early start and the descent into the Ngorongoro Crater. Game viewing follows the permitted tracks of the caldera among grassland, marsh, forest patches and a salt lake. The steep walls create the sense of a separate world, but the animals move freely, so specific encounters are not guaranteed. When game viewing ends, the vehicle climbs back to the crater rim and the group returns to Arusha. Night at the hotel.

Day 7. Lake Manyara National Park. End of the programme.

After breakfast, departure for Lake Manyara National Park. On the way the landscape changes from the foot of the Great Rift Valley to dirt roads through forest and wetland. The level of the lake and the distribution of the animals depend on the season, so the guide chooses accessible sections according to the actual conditions. When the game drive ends, the group returns to Arusha or moves on to the agreed finishing point of the programme. An international flight or a continuation on Zanzibar should only be planned once the transfer time has been confirmed.

Important.

The sequence of the parks, the departure times and the length of the transfers may change because of the weather, the state of the roads, national park rules and other circumstances. Operational decisions are taken by the driver-guide and the programme leader.

• A Mountain Guide team leader accompanying the group, with four participants or more
• The work of an English-speaking driver-guide
• Meeting at Kilimanjaro International Airport and airport – hotel – airport transfers
• Ground transport along the published safari route
• Accommodation in the hotels, lodges and safari camps set out in the programme, twin occupancy
• Breakfasts in the hotels and lodges
• Three meals a day during the safari section of the programme
• Park and entry fees for the participants and for the safari vehicle
• Permits for the overnight stays in protected areas set out in the programme

• International and domestic air tickets
• A Tanzanian visa and transit permits, where these are required
• Medical insurance
• Single occupancy
• Meals, drinks and snacks not expressly listed in the inclusions
• Balloon flights, horse rides and other additional activities
• Vaccination, medical consultations and prophylactic medication
• Tips for the driver-guide, the accompanying team leader and the staff
• Personal expenses
• Costs arising from a departure from the programme, flight delays or individual changes
• Any service not expressly listed in the inclusions

Documents:

• Passport
• Plane tickets
• Medical insurance
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate
• Malaria prophylaxis

Clothing and footwear:

• Boots/sneakers, 2 pairs
• Fleece suit or similar warm clothing set.
• Bandana or buff
• Hat/sun hat
• Long sleeve shirts/t-shirts
• Lightweight trekking trousers
• Shorts
• T-shirts

Miscellaneous:

• Powerbank (optional)
• Sunglasses
• Mackintosh
• Sun cream spf 50
• Hygienic lipstick spf 10-15
• Personal first aid kit
• Personal hygiene products, wet wipes, flip-flops.
• Insect repellent
• Bathing accessories
• Mosquito net for bed