8-Day Ngorongoro & Serengeti Safari

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival – Welcome to the Land of Giants

We meet you right at Kilimanjaro Airport or in Arusha. From the moment you step out, the air smells different—earthier, real and natural. After the pickup, drive straight heading to Tarangire National Park, where herds of elephants roam free and baobab trees guard the land like ancient spirits.

Upon arrival, you participate in an afternoon game drive that introduces you to Tarangire’s raw magic: clusters of giraffes, zebra herds grazing in silence, and if you’re lucky, lions lazing in dry riverbeds before proceeding to your accommodation for dinner, relaxation and overnight.

Overnight Options (Tarangire):

• Budget: Zion Campsite
• Standard: Tarangire Simba Lodge
• Luxury: Tarangire Treetops by Elewana

Day 2: Tarangire → Serengeti – Through the Highlands

Enjoy another exciting sunrise safari game drive after a hearty breakfast, and later journey towards north to the Ngorongoro crater. You drive up the Ngorongoro Highlands, past misty hills and Maasai bomas, before descending into the Serengeti. The landscape shifts from green slopes to golden plains so wide they erase the horizon.

Your first Serengeti game drive begins the moment you enter. Wildebeest scatter. Elephants shadow the acacias. And your Serengeti Lion Safaris guide knows just where to follow the pulse.

Overnight Options (Serengeti):

• Budget: Pimbi Campsite (Central Serengeti)
• Standard: Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
• Luxury: Lemala Ewanjan or Melia Serengeti

Day 3: Central Serengeti – Big Cats & Endless Plains

Today you dive deep into the wild. You’re in the Seronera region—home to cheetahs sprinting through golden grass, lions sleeping on rocky kopjes, and leopards tucked into fig trees. Your guide lets you linger when something feels magical. Because safari isn’t about rushing—it’s about witnessing.

Overnight:

• Budget: Pimbi Campsite (Central Serengeti)
• Standard: Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
• Luxury: Lemala Ewanjan or Melia Serengeti

Day 4: Another Full Day in the Wild

Want to chase a sunrise over hippo pools? Follow vultures to a fresh kill? Or maybe sit still by a waterhole and just listen? This day is built for you. And with Serengeti Lion Safaris, every turn could reveal something you’ve never seen before—or never even imagined.

Picnic lunch is under the shade of a flat-topped acacia. The silence out here is its own kind of music.

Depending on the time of your visit, you may have this afternoon dedicated for Wildebeest migration as you witness the predator-prey hunt.

Overnight:

• Budget: Pimbi Campsite (Central Serengeti)
• Standard: Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
• Luxury: Lemala Ewanjan or Melia Serengeti

Day 5: Serengeti to Ngorongoro – From Plains to Peaks

Your last Serengeti game drive is a slow farewell to this incredible endless plain. You drive past zebra herds, nod goodbye to giraffes, and maybe spot a lioness guiding her cubs. Then the road climbs toward the Ngorongoro but, you spend the whole day in the stunning Ngorongoro Ndutu plains for yet another exciting wilnderness encounters. Here, see giraffes, elephants, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and several birds before driving to your Ngorongoro Crater lodge near a lush, green town nestled among rolling hills just outside the crater.

Overnight Options (Karatu):

• Budget: Kudu Lodge
• Standard: Eileen’s Trees Inn
• Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 6: Into the Heart – Full Day in Ngorongoro Crater

This is it. One of the most breathtaking days you’ll ever have. You descend into the Ngorongoro Crater—an ancient volcanic caldera that feels like nature’s own sanctuary.

In just one day, you might spot lions, black rhinos, elephants, flamingos, and spotted hyenas—all within a 20-km bowl of beauty. It’s surreal. You eat lunch near a hippo pool. And when the sun cuts across the rim at golden hour, it hits you: this place is alive in a way few places are.

Overnight:

• Budget: Kudu Lodge
• Standard: Eileen’s Trees Inn
• Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 7: Lake Manyara – The Hidden Gem

Today is softer, gentler and in a lesser crowded park but stunning. You descend into Lake Manyara National Park, a tropical forest vegetation, and baboons line the roads like tiny sentries. The lake shimmers, birds flash through the sky, and if you’re lucky, you might spot the park’s famed tree-climbing lions.

It’s the perfect way to wind down your day before your journey ends.

Overnight Options (Manyara):

• Budget: Migombani Campsite
• Standard: Rift Valley Photographic Lodge
• Luxury: Lake Manyara Tree Lodge

Day 8: Return to Arusha – One Last Glance

After breakfast, you start the easy drive back to Arusha. We can stop at a local artisan market, or a favorite roadside cafe for fresh juice. The pace is slower now but keep your eyes still scanning for wildlife, your heart still somewhere on the plains.

We’ll drop you at the airport or your lodge. But if we’re honest, part of you is staying behind.

At Serengeti Lion Safaris, we believe that travel should move you—not just across landscapes, but deep within. This 8-day journey doesn’t just show you Tanzania—it lets you feel it.