5-Day Tanzania Safari: Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater
tour features
5-day Tanzania safari: the classic Northern Tanzania circuit in under a week. See tree-climbing lions and flamingos at Lake Manyara, follow big cats and vast herds across the endless plains of the Serengeti, then descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the natural wonders of the world.
About This 5-Day Tanzania Safari
Quick Answer
This 5-day Tanzania safari lasts 4 nights with The Out Of Africa Experience: 1 night at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, 2 nights at Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge and 1 night at The Retreat at Ngorongoro. It starts and ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport or your Arusha hotel, and includes game drives in a 4×4 Land Cruiser, park fees, full-board meals on safari, an English-speaking driver-guide and Amref evacuation cover.
Short on time but want to see the best of Tanzania? This safari visits three of the country’s most famous parks in a logical loop, with no doubling back, so you spend more time watching wildlife and less time on the road. It also fits neatly before a Zanzibar beach stay or after a Kenya safari.
Duration
5 Days / 4 Nights
Start / End
Kilimanjaro or Arusha
Parks
Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Vehicle
4×4 Land Cruiser
5-Day Tanzania Safari Highlights
🦁 Two nights in the Serengeti, with lions, cheetahs and vast herds of plains game
🌋 A game drive on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, home to the endangered black rhino
🌳 Lake Manyara’s tree-climbing lions, elephants and flamingos
🏡 Stays at two Serena safari lodges and The Retreat at Ngorongoro
🎈 Optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Serengeti
5-Day Tanzania Safari Itinerary: Day by Day
Tap each day to see the details.
Day 1: Kilimanjaro or Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park
🛏 Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge · Full Board
Your 5-day Tanzania safari begins with a meeting at Kilimanjaro International Airport or a pick-up from your Arusha hotel. Drive west to Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time to check in and have lunch.
Set at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park combines groundwater forest, woodland, grassland and swamps. In the afternoon game drive, look for elephants, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, baboons and the park’s famous tree-climbing lions. More than 350 bird species live here, including flamingos, pelicans and storks.
Day 2: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
🛏 Overnight: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge · Full Board
After breakfast, drive up through the Ngorongoro highlands, with views over the crater rim, and down onto the plains of the Serengeti, one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Game viewing begins on the way to your lodge in the central Serengeti.
With its wide-open spaces and bright blue skies, the Serengeti is the Africa of dreams: lion prides resting in the long grass, elephants feeding among the acacias, and giraffes, gazelles, zebras and eland in great numbers.
Day 3: Full Day in the Serengeti
🛏 Overnight: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge · Full Board
A full day to explore the Serengeti. Choose an early morning game drive, then relax at the lodge before a late afternoon drive, or head out for a full day with a packed lunch to cover more ground.
The central Serengeti is excellent for big cats all year round. Depending on the season, you may also see the herds of the Great Migration passing through. For a special start to the day, add a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the plains.
Day 4: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
🛏 Overnight: The Retreat at Ngorongoro · Full Board
After breakfast, leave the Serengeti with a picnic lunch and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. On the way, you can stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important sites for the study of human origins (optional, extra cost).
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, for an afternoon game drive and a picnic lunch at a designated site. The crater floor is home to lions, buffalo, elephants, hyenas and the endangered black rhino. Later, climb out of the crater and continue to your lodge in the highlands near Karatu.
Day 5: Ngorongoro – Arusha – Departure
After a relaxed breakfast, drive back to Arusha in time for lunch at a local restaurant (optional, extra cost), then continue to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home or your onward journey to Zanzibar.
End of your 5-day Tanzania safari.
What’s Included
✓ Accommodation as stated in the itinerary
✓ Meals as per the itinerary (full board on safari)
✓ All game drives in a 4×4 Land Cruiser
✓ All park entrance fees as per the itinerary
✓ Qualified English-speaking driver-guide
✓ All transfers as per the itinerary
✓ Mineral drinking water
✓ Amref Flying Doctors evacuation cover
✓ A complimentary gift
Not Included
✗ International and domestic flights
✗ Alcoholic and soft drinks
✗ Visas and travel or personal accident insurance
✗ Laundry, massages and personal expenses
✗ Optional activities and excursions
✗ Tips and porterage
✗ Anything not listed under “What’s Included”
Optional Extras
🎈 Sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Serengeti
🔥 Bush dinner under the stars
🛖 Maasai cultural village visit
🦴 Olduvai Gorge visit on day 4
🍽 Lunch or dinner in Arusha
🏨 An extra night in Arusha before or after your safari (bed & breakfast)
Prices for extras are confirmed when you book.
Good to Know
• Rates are based on standard rooms, with a maximum of 2 adults and 1 child under 12 per room.
• Lodges of a similar standard may be offered, depending on availability at the time of booking.
• Amref evacuation cover is for emergency evacuation to Nairobi only; hospital bills are paid by the traveller or their insurer.
• Every traveller entering Tanzania must complete the online Traveler’s Health Surveillance Form.
• We may adjust the programme in line with weather and road conditions.
5-Day Tanzania Safari: Frequently Asked Questions
Is 5 days enough for a Tanzania safari?
Yes, for the highlights. This 5-day Tanzania safari covers Lake Manyara, two nights in the Serengeti and a game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater, following a loop that avoids driving the same road twice.
Will I see the Great Migration?
It depends on the season. The herds move in a yearly cycle: calving in the southern Serengeti around December to March, the western corridor around May to July, and the northern Serengeti from about July to October. The central Serengeti offers excellent big cat sightings all year.
Can I see the Big Five?
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to see all of the Big Five in a single day, including the endangered black rhino, although sightings are never guaranteed.
Where does the safari start and end?
At Kilimanjaro International Airport or your hotel in Arusha. We can add a night in Arusha before or after the safari.
Can I add Zanzibar after the safari?
Yes. Flights from Kilimanjaro or Arusha to Zanzibar take about an hour and a half, making a beach stay an easy add-on. See our 14-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Holiday for a ready-made combination.
Want more time in the wild? See our 10-Day Tanzania Adventure Safari, or combine the Serengeti with the Maasai Mara on our 12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari.
Book Your 5-Day Tanzania Safari
Serena lodges fill quickly in peak season, so get in touch early to check availability and secure your dates.
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