2 days, private, starts and ends in Arusha
Tarangire & Ngorongoro Crater
Two days is enough for a real safari if you pick the right parks. Tarangire has some of the biggest elephant herds in Tanzania, and Ngorongoro Crater packs lions, buffalo, hippos and black rhino into one volcanic bowl.
It’s the trip we suggest most often to people with a short stopover in Arusha, or those finishing a Kilimanjaro climb who want to see wildlife before flying home.
Times and drives are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day to the weather, the wildlife and you.
Your guide collects you from your Arusha hotel at 7:00, and within half an hour the city gives way to open country. The road south-west passes Maasai herders with their cattle and roadside stalls selling bananas and red onions, and the first baobabs appear as you near the park. We enter Tarangire by mid-morning and head for the river, where in the dry season you can watch elephant families of 20 or 30 dig into the sand for water, the young ones copying the adults. Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and impala come down to drink, and lions often doze in the shade of the riverbank. Lunch is a picnic at a lookout above the river. After a slow afternoon drive, we climb the Rift Valley escarpment to Karatu, where your lodge sits among coffee farms. Dinner, a warm shower, and an early night: tomorrow starts before sunrise.
We leave Karatu at 6:00 with breakfast packed, climb through the misty highland forest of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and reach the crater rim as the sun rises. The view is one you won’t forget: a vast, flat bowl 600 metres below you, with the soda lake shining pink with flamingos. We descend the crater wall and spend the morning on the crater floor. Lion, buffalo, spotted hyena, zebra, wildebeest and hippo are almost always seen, and this is the best place in Tanzania for black rhino, so we scan the grassland carefully for their grey shapes. Lunch is at the Ngoitokitok springs picnic site beside the hippo pool. Hold on to your sandwich, because the Black Kites are quick. In the early afternoon we climb out and drive back to Arusha, arriving by early evening.
We quote per person, based on your group size, season and accommodation level. Send an enquiry and you’ll have a full price within 24 hours. There’s nothing to pay until you confirm.
Lion, elephant and buffalo are very likely. Leopard and black rhino are possible, especially in the crater, but never certain.
Most days start between 6:00 and 6:30, because the first hours after sunrise have the best light and the most active animals and birds. We usually take a picnic lunch in the park or return to camp for a midday rest, then head out again in the late afternoon. Parks close at sunset, so evenings are at the lodge.
Yes. Every trip is private, so we can add days, swap parks, change the accommodation level or slow the pace. Tell us what you’d like, and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
A 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof for viewing and photography, charging points and a window seat for everyone. The vehicle and guide are yours alone for the whole trip.
Send an enquiry and we’ll reply within 24 hours with a tailored itinerary and a full quote. Once you’re happy, we take a deposit to confirm, with the balance due before you travel. We’ll give you the exact terms in writing.
Just tell us. Lodges and our camp cooks regularly cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and other diets.
3daysThe Serengeti is a long drive from Arusha, so on a three-day trip we suggest flying in.
5daysIf people ask us for the classic Tanzania safari, this is usually what they mean: all four northern-circuit parks, a lodge every night, and enough days in the Serengeti to settle into it.
6daysAn extra day changes the whole feel of a safari.
Tell us your dates and the birds or animals you most want to see. We’ll reply within 24 hours with a route and a full quote.
