Tanzania Itinerary
Quick Summary
Day 1 - Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania
Day 2 - Walking Safari in Arusha National Park and Cultural Welcome
Day 3 - Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Day 4 - Explore Tarangire National Park and the Silale Swamps
Day 5 - Visit Karatu en route to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Day 6 - Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for Safari Game Drives
Day 7 - Travel to the Southern Serengeti and Witness Calving Season
Day 8 - Explore the Serengeti's Ndutu Plains
Day 9 - Travel to the Central Serengeti and Narudi Tented Camp
Day 10 - Central Serengeti Balloon Safari and Game Drives
Day 11 - Last of the Serengeti and Chartered Flight back to Arusha
Day 12 - Farewells and Flights Home
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Arusha
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer about an hour to the Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa, set among the woodland slopes of Mount Meru on the edge of Lake Duliti. This restored colonial-era coffee farm offers 42 cottage-style rooms, a library and lounge, a restaurant with a wood fireplace, and gardens filled with bougainvillea. The rest of the day is yours to relax after your flight.
Overnight: Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa.
Day 3
Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Following breakfast, travel to Tarangire National Park with game drives en route, arriving in time for a hot lunch. Tarangire covers 2,850 km² and is famous for giant baobabs, scattered termite mounds, and some of Africa's largest elephant herds along the perennial Tarangire River. Afternoon game drives continue before dinner at camp. Check in to Elephant Rock Luxury Camp Tarangire, a boutique property of sixteen luxury safari tents near Boundary Hill with sweeping park views.
Overnight: Elephant Rock Luxury Camp Tarangire.
Day 4
Tarangire & the Silale Swamps
After breakfast, spend the morning on game drives exploring the Silale Swamps, an area renowned for abundant wildlife and birdlife, and the park's main water source. Return to camp for lunch, then head back out for an afternoon game drive before dinner.
Overnight: Elephant Rock Luxury Camp Tarangire.
Day 5
Karatu & the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
An early morning game drive in Tarangire follows breakfast, then travel to Mto wa Mbu for a guided cultural village tour and lunch featuring local flavours, with time to browse tanzanite at Safariland. Continue to Karatu,the "gateway town," with volcanic soil ideal for farming, for a coffee plantation tour. From there, enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and travel to your lodge for dinner. Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is built into the crater rim from river stone and indigenous vines, with 74 rooms along private stone balconies, timbered decks, a constant fireplace, a wellness spa, and panoramic crater views from the terrace.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.
Day 6
Ngorongoro Crater Game Drives
After an early breakfast, spend the full day exploring the crater floor, just 260 km², but home to the highest densities of lion and spotted hyena found anywhere, along with large tusked elephant and black rhino. Enjoy a picnic lunch beside the hippo pool before afternoon game drives, then return to the lodge for a relaxing evening and dinner. Ngorongoro is a 3-million-year-old volcanic caldera, the largest intact of its kind, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.
Day 7
Travel to the Southern Serengeti
After breakfast, visit a traditional Maasai village en route to the southern Serengeti. Arrive at Ndutu Safari Lodge for lunch and relaxation, then head out for afternoon and evening game drives — January brings massive herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle to the area around Ndutu for calving season, drawing predators and scavengers close behind. Dinner is at the lodge. Ndutu is the oldest lodge in Tanzania, nestled beneath giant acacias facing Lake Ndutu, with 34 stone-and-thatched en-suite cottages known for their homely warmth and generous hospitality.
Overnight: Ndutu Safari Lodge.
Day 8
Ndutu Plains Game Drives
Breakfast at the lodge is followed by a full day of game drives across the southern Serengeti's open plains where over 500,000 wildebeest calves are born here annually, drawing high concentrations of lion and cheetah. Dinner at the lodge.
Overnight: Ndutu Safari Lodge.
Day 9
Travel to Central Serengeti
An early morning game drive from Ndutu is followed by a hot lunch back at camp, then transfer to Central Serengeti with a wildlife safari en route in search of the region's renowned big cats. Check in to Narudi Tented Camp for dinner. Narudi's 360° view tents include a living area, a shaded rooftop veranda, and a comfortable bedroom, with a restaurant tent serving à la carte, buffet, and special-request meals while herds graze in view.
Overnight: Narudi Tented Camp.
Day 10
Optional Hot Air Balloon Safari & Game Drives
Choose a relaxed morning at camp, or add on a hot air balloon safari at dawn ($850), widely considered a bucket-list experience, floating for about an hour over riverine woodlands, hippos returning to their daytime refuges, crocodiles on sandbanks, predators, and large antelope herds, capped with a picnic breakfast on the plains after landing. In the afternoon, continue game drives across Central Serengeti tracking down anything still on your list, then dinner at camp.
Overnight: Narudi Tented Camp.
Day 11
Serengeti to Arusha
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, then a final game drive en route to Seronera Airstrip for a chartered flight back to Arusha. Transfer to Ritzy Arcadia, a boutique retreat in the heart of Arusha offering modern, stylish cottages with private verandas, an on-site restaurant, and multiple outdoor pools. After time to relax, the group gathers for a final dinner and celebration with fellow travellers and your safari team.
Overnight: Ritzy Arcadia.
Day 2
Walking Safari & Cultural Welcome
After an early breakfast, depart around 7:00 a.m. for a roughly 30-minute drive to Arusha National Park for a walking safari, walking alongside wild animals in their natural habitat, with sightings of giraffe, zebra, warthog, and colobus monkey, plus a visit to a waterfall. Enjoy lunch overlooking the park before returning to the lodge to relax. In the evening, a traditional Tanzanian welcome dance with live music and acrobatics precedes dinner.
Overnight: Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa.
Day 12
Departure
Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your return flight home, taking with you unforgettable memories of Tanzania and its remarkable wildlife. (Travellers continuing on to the Rwanda Gorilla Expedition transfer instead to a flight to Kigali, Rwanda.)
What is Included
11 Nights' Accommodation in Hand-Picked Hotels, Lodges, and Tented Camps
All Meals on Safari *Certain meals on arrival and departure days may be on own
Pickup and Drop-Off at the Kilimanjaro International Airport by Your Safari Team
All Transfers and Safari Game Drives in a 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser with a Pop-Up Roof
Park Fees and Conservation Fees
Experienced English-Speaking Safari Guides
Traditional Tanzania Welcome Dance Entertainment
Additional Activities Including a Walking Safari, Coffee Tour in Karatu, Visit to a Maasai Village and Other Cultural Experiences
Welcome Gift Package
Local Charter Flight from the Serengeti Back to Arusha
What's not included
International and Domestic Flights To/From Kilimanjaro International Airport
Our preferred travel agent, Joelle Kolb, is familiar with our itinerary and can assist with booking flights if needed. Phone: 403.968.5652 | Email: joelle.kolb@tieronetravel.com
Hot Air Balloon Safari (Optional Add-On)
Health Insurance, Travel Insurance, Visas, and Trip Cancellation
Tips and Gratuities for Local Guides
Alcoholic Beverages, and Items of a Personal Nature
