8-Day Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari
Eight days on the northern circuit with four nights in the Serengeti split between two camps, Tarangire at the start and a night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim.
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Comfort
- Classic
- Price
- Price on request
Four nights in the Serengeti, split between two camps, let you see more than one part of the park. Tarangire starts the trip, and you spend a night on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater before a morning on the crater floor.
The route works in any month. Your guide adjusts the Serengeti days to where the herds are at the time.
The lodges named on each day are options, not fixed choices. Similar camps can be used to suit your dates and budget.
Day by day
- Day 1: Arrive and drive to Tarangire. From Kilimanjaro International Airport, drive about three hours to Tarangire for an afternoon game drive. It makes for a full first day, but you are in the park by the afternoon rather than spending a night in town. Tarangire is known for its old baobabs and big elephant herds, and the late afternoon light suits both. In the dry months, wildlife gathers along the Tarangire River. Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge or similar.
- Day 2: Tarangire to the Serengeti. A long drive west, about five hours, over the Ngorongoro highlands and into the Serengeti. You climb the Rift Valley wall, pass through the farmland of Karatu, and cross the cool forest on the crater rim. The road then drops to the plains and enters the park at Naabi Hill. Your game drive starts there and carries you into camp, so there is plenty to see in the last stretch. Overnight at Olkerian Eco Safari Camp or similar.
- Day 3: Serengeti. A full day of game drives from camp, with a picnic lunch in the field. Staying out means you can travel further than you could on a short morning outing, and stay with a sighting as long as you like. The herds move through the Serengeti in a yearly circle, so your guide will plan around where they are this month. Lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra and many kinds of antelope are here all year, whichever way the herds have gone. Overnight at Olkerian Eco Safari Camp or similar.
- Day 4: Serengeti, change of camp. Game-drive across the park to your second camp, which puts a different area within reach. The Serengeti covers about 14,750 square kilometres, so moving camp is a real change of scene, not just a new bed. A full day of game driving makes the move part of the safari, with no need to hurry. Expect a mix of open grass, acacia woodland and the odd river line on the way. Overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge or similar.
- Day 5: Serengeti. A last full day in the Serengeti, around the Seronera area. The river keeps water and shade here all year, so wildlife stays when other parts of the park are dry. Search the riverside trees for leopard, check the granite kopjes for resting lion and stop at the hippo pools. It is also a good day to ask your guide for anything you have not yet seen. Overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge or similar.
- Day 6: Serengeti to Ngorongoro. Drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim, about three and a half hours, with game viewing on the way out of the Serengeti. The road crosses the southern plains, then climbs into the highlands, where the land turns green. From the rim you can look down on the crater floor, about 600 metres below. It is a great view at the end of a day, and the air gets cold in the evening, so have a warm layer ready. Overnight at Melia Ngorongoro Lodge or similar.
- Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater. Go down into the crater early for the best of the morning. Black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo and hyena all live on the floor, and flamingos can gather on Lake Magadi. Being down early also means fewer vehicles around you. After lunch, drive to the Kilimanjaro airport area, about four hours, coming down past Lake Manyara and through Arusha. Overnight at Airport Planet Lodge or similar.
- Day 8: Departure. Breakfast, then a short transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Staying nearby means no early start and no long drive on your last day. If the morning is clear, you may get a last look at Kilimanjaro before you go.
Who checked this route
- Checked by Bariki, Senior safari guide, 10 November 2026.
- Changing camp halfway through the Serengeti lets us cover two areas without long drives back, and two nights near the Crater mean the crater day isn't rushed.