8-Day Arusha, Mkomazi, Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival – Karibu Tanzania!

Upon your arrival in Tanzania, we will meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport or your Arusha hotel. Our team at Serengeti Lion Safaris welcomes you like family, not clients. After the meet, greet, transfer and settle into your lodge as you enjoy a quiet dinner, and prepare for the journey ahead.

Depending on the time of arrival, you may proceed for a short tour near Arusha. Feel free to ask your safari guide for suggestions and advice.

Overnight Options (Arusha):

• Budget: Green Mountain Hotel
• Standard: African Tulip Hotel
• Luxury: Legendary Lodge

Day 2: Arusha National Park – Mist, Monkeys & Mount Meru

This morning, you head into Arusha National Park, a lush, forested gem just outside the city. Canoe Lake Momella, walk near giraffes on the foothills of Mt. Meru, and spot black-and-white colobus monkeys leaping through fig trees.

It’s a soft, green start—gentle but stirring.

Overnight Options (Arusha):

• Budget: Green Mountain Hotel
• Standard: African Tulip Hotel
• Luxury: Legendary Lodge

Day 3: Off the Map – Full Day Safari in Mkomazi

After an early breakfast, leave Arusha and drive east to the lesser-visited Mkomazi National Park—a magnificent wild space near the Kenyan border. This dry, open land is home to unique species like fringe-eared oryx, lesser kudu, and African wild dogs. With the Pare Mountains on one side and Kilimanjaro on the other, it feels like a secret world carved by time. This incredible park is great for sightseeing black rhinos but, you will see other fascinating wildlife such as elephants, giraffes, wild dogs and more.

Overnight Options (Mkomazi/Tanga Route):

• Budget: Mambo View Point Eco Lodge
• Standard: Babu’s Camp
• Luxury: Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat

Day 4: Mkomazi → Tarangire – Into Elephant Territory

Today you drive back west to Tarangire National Park, known for its towering baobabs and massive elephant herds. You’ll arrive in time for a full afternoon game drive. Expect lazy lions in the grass, giraffes browsing the treetops, and the winding Tarangire River bringing life to everything. Enjoy the beautiful Tarangire – known best for the giant baobab trees and for having the largest herds of elephants.

Overnight Options (Tarangire):

• Budget: Zion Campsite
• Standard: Tarangire Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Lemala Mpingo Ridge Lodge

Day 5: Tarangire → Serengeti via Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, leave Tarangire early morning and head north to Serengeti through Ngorongoro’s cool highlands, past Maasai villages and misty crater edges. By afternoon, you descend into the Serengeti, and the world opens up. Golden plains, scattered kopjes, and animals that move like shadows.

Your first game drive is already packed with magic as you sightsee the many impressive Serengeti wildlife including but not limited to several lions, cheetahs, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, elephants, moongose and more.

Overnight Options (Central Serengeti):

• Budget: Pimbi Public Campsite
• Standard: Serengeti Kati Kati Camp
• Luxury: Melia Serengeti or Ole Serai Moru Kopjes

Day 6: Full Day in Serengeti – Let the Plains Speak

This is your day to feel it all. Wake to lion roars echoing in the distance. Track cheetahs through golden grass. Watch elephants move with timeless grace. The Serengeti isn’t something you see—it’s something you live.

Your Serengeti Lion Safaris guide follows the signs, not the clock. You’ll stop for a picnic under an acacia tree and drive until sunset paints the sky with fire.

Overnight:

• Budget: Pimbi Public Campsite
• Standard: Serengeti Kati Kati Camp
• Luxury: Melia Serengeti or Ole Serai Moru Kopjes

Day 7: Serengeti Sunrise → Transfer to Ngorongoro/Karatu

One last Serengeti game drive, just you and the dawn. Upon your arrival in Ngorongoro, you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater—a lost world full of life. Rhinos graze the open floor, lions prowl near the lake, and jackals trot along the roads. It’s quiet, contained, and deeply moving. In the early evening, start the ascend up the rim and later you journey back through the highlands and spend the evening in Karatu, a peaceful town near Ngorongoro Crater. Breathe in the cooler air and sleep easy—you’ve come far.

Overnight Options (Karatu):

• Budget: Karatu Safri Camp Lodge
• Standard: Africa Safari Karatu
• Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 8: Into the Crater → Return to Arusha

Today, you shall finalize your safari adventure by having a short walking safari or cycling safari around Ngorongoro for the vast wildlife encounter before you depart. After the exploration, you return to Arusha for your onward flight or hotel stay. Tired, yes—but filled with something rare: Africa, in your bones.