This is a sample itinerary that is meant to give you an idea of what a tour would potentially look like and cost for those who want a luxury safari adventure through a wide range of Tanzania's wilderness areas.
Tanzania has an extremely rich and varied assemblage of wildlife and landscapes, so this tour would only scratch a tip of the proverbial iceberg. However, it would give you a great taste of what the country has to offer.
The trip starts with several days exploring the famous northern Tanzania safari circuit and ends with a few days in the vast, remote wilderness of the south.
Check out the sample itinerary below and let your imagination wander as you gather new ideas for your next safari.
Day 1: Arrival Day
Upon landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met with a warm smile by your guide. He'll help you load your luggage into the vehicle and drive you to your hotel in Arusha, where you will rest and spend the night as you prepare for your safari adventure.
Dinner and overnight at the Gran Melia Hotel, Arusha
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire
Your guide will pick you up after breakfast and your adventure begins with a drive to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire has a wide range of wildlife, including Africa's famous Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo), but it is especially famous for its large herds of elephant and enormous baobab trees that adorn the landscape.
You will do a game drive all morning, find a good spot to have a picnic lunch, and then continue with your game drive in the afternoon and enjoy the park until sunset. You'll then drive to your lodge for the evening.
Dinner and overnight at Manyara's Secret.
Days 3 & 4: Full days exploring Tarangire National Park
The next two full days will be spent exploring Tarangire in search of the park's diverse and varied wildlife, including rare species like African wild dog and black rhino, and taking in the stunning and picturesque scenery dominated by ancient baobab trees, Acacia savannas, and the mighty Tarangire River.
You also have the opportunity to do a walking safari in Tarangire, where you will take a walk and get the chance to view various different animals while on foot and sometimes at very close range. This is a completely different experience from a game drive that allows you to appreciate the finer details in nature as your guide shows you and interprets everything from animal tracks, birds, insects, and interesting plants to the big majestic animals.
These walking safaris are led by well-trained and experienced guides who always put your safety as their number one priority. They make sure that you get an incredible experience while also ensuring you are not exposed to situations that would put you in serious danger. Hundreds of people do these walking safaris safely every year.
Dinner and overnight at Manyara's Secret.
Day 5: Tarangire to Lake Manyara
The day begins with a final morning game drive in Tarangire, after which you will have your lunch and drive to Lake Manyara National Park.
Lake Manyara is known for tree-climbing lions and is also great for elephants as well. Numerous other animals call this beautiful park home, including an abundance of flamingos and other waterbirds.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge.
Day 6: Full day in Lake Manyara National Park
Do a full-day game drive in Lake Manyara National Park enjoying the park's abundant and diverse wildlife and end the day with a relaxing sundowner as you watch the sun set over the beautiful Manyara landscape.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge.
Day 7: Lake Manyara to Serengeti
Drive to Serengeti National Park after breakfast and spend the day on game drive in the park.
The Serengeti is home to the Big 5, over a million wildebeest and zebra that migrate cyclically in the annual great migration, and a whole host of other spectacular wildlife. Be prepared to be totally blown away by the sheer abundance of animals that you will see over the next couple of days.
Dinner and overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge.
Days 8 & 9: Full days in Serengeti National Park
You will spend two full days exploring the expansive Serengeti National Park in search of lions sunning themselves on kopjes (rock outcrops), cheetahs running down gazelles on the plains, leopards in the riverine woodlands, elephants and giraffes browsing on the Acacia trees, hippos and crocodiles in the rivers, and of course the mega-herds of wildebeest and zebra on their annual great migration.
You can also choose to do a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, gliding over the plains as you watch the animals below and gain a new perspective on the vastness of the Serengeti landscape. This is concluded with a beautiful champagne breakfast in the bush before proceeding with your day.
After a hot air balloon ride, you have the option of returning to your lodge to relax before going back out for a game drive later in the day or simply proceeding with a game drive immediately. Hot air balloon rides are charged on-site at $599 per person and are typically an optional activity that is not included in the amount you pay for the safari (although you can arrange with your tour operator to have them included in the package).
Dinner and overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge.
Day 10: Serengeti to Ngorongoro
After a final morning game drive in the Serengeti, you will have lunch and then make your way to the legendary Ngorongoro Crater, where you will ascend to the crater rim.
Ngorongoro is the world’s largest volcanic caldera and has some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, including the world's densest lion population. There are also decent numbers of black rhino here along with numerous elephants, buffalos, spotted hyenas, and many of Africa's other charismatic animals.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Day 11: Full day in the Ngorongoro Crater
In the early morning, you will descend from the rim to the crater floor where you will spend the whole day on game drive. The crater's diverse habitats, from open grasslands to Acacia woodlands to lakes and marshes, host a stunning diversity of wildlife and you never know what you will see around the next bend.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Day 12: Fly to Nyerere National Park
After a hearty breakfast, you will now leave the popular northern Tanzania safari circuit, board a light aircraft, and fly to the remote wilderness of southern Tanzania. This is a region that is much less visited than the parks of the north and offers a very different safari experience with a more exclusive and wilder feel to it.
Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) in southeastern Tanzania is over twice the size of the Serengeti. It is the largest national park in East Africa and also Africa’s largest stand-alone park. It has a very different landscape from the savannas of the north and is a network of large rivers, dense Miombo woodlands, floodplains, and grasslands.
It has one of the world’s largest populations of the endangered African wild dog as well as large and important populations of numerous other iconic species including elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, black rhino, giraffe, eland, greater kudu, hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, and Pel’s fishing owl.
Dinner and overnight at Roho ya Selous Camp.
Days 13 & 14: Full days in Nyerere National Park
You will spend the next two days exploring the incredible Nyerere National Park. Apart from game drives, you will also be able to do other activities including boat safaris along the great Rufiji River, walking safaris, bush meals and sundowners, and cultural visits to the local villages.
Dinner and overnight at Roho ya Selous Camp.
Day 15: Departure Day
After a final breakfast in Nyerere National Park, you will fly back to Arusha. You will be dropped off either at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home or at your hotel if you will be staying longer in Tanzania. This concludes your 15-day safari adventure in the stunning and incredibly diverse wilderness areas of Tanzania.
Estimated charges (in US Dollars): Range from $9,450 to $11,645 per person
These are adult rates. Children are usually charged about 50%-75% of the adult rate.
Exact charges will depend on various factors including the safari operator you travel with, the time of year, exact accommodations you stay at, activities you choose to include in the package, and so on.
Things typically included in the package:
- Transport and game drives in a private 4x4 safari Land Cruiser
- Services of a professional safari guide
- All domestic flights included in the itinerary
- All park entry fees
- Accommodation at the selected safari lodges and camps
- All meals (full board) throughout the safari
- Drinking water in the game drive vehicles
- All activities except those listed as “optional”
- Airport pickups and transfers
Things typically not included in the package:
- International flights
- Items of a personal nature, including visa fees and insurance
- Drinks other than water - alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, etc.
- Optional activities and additional excursions
- Souvenirs and trinkets
- Tips for the guides and/or staff
This is just an idea of one of the countless different ways you could structure a safari through Tanzania. There are many other amazing places that you could visit in the country which we have not included here of course, such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (world's tallest free-standing mountain), Mahale Mountains National Park for chimpanzee trekking, Ruaha National Park, Katavi National Park, the Zanzibar Archipelago, and much more.
TRAVEL PROTECTION
Whenever going on wildlife-viewing trips, especially to remote wilderness areas, we highly recommend getting a good travel protection that includes emergency field evacuation.
👉Here's the travel protection cover that we recommend
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