Tanzania Rewilded

A 4-day Tanzania safari in the northern parks
 
 
 Private mid-range safari · 4 days
Arusha
 
Tarangire
 
Ngorongoro Crater
 
Lake Manyara
The north in

Four Days

A 4-day Tanzania safari to Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara with your own vehicle and guide, staying in friendly, comfortable lodges. The same parks as our luxury trips, for a lot less.

4days
3 nights
3
Parks
$850
From, per person
Plan this safari
Day by day ↓
Download PDF ↓
 ArushaDay 1
 TarangireDay 2
 KaratuDays 2–3
 NgorongoroDay 3
 ManyaraDay 4
Safari permit
TR · AD04M
Quick Wilderness Mid-Range
 
Duration
4 days · 3 nights
Daily departures, your dates
Start / finish
Kilimanjaro Airport
Ends in Arusha on Day 4
Best months
June – October
Dry season, best game viewing
Travel style
Private · Mid-range
Guest house & valley lodge
Group
1 – 6 guests
Your own 4×4 & guide, never shared
Pace
Active · All ages
A park every day, drives ≤ 3 hrs

Why this4-Day Tanzania Safari Works

On safari, most of your money goes on the vehicle, the guide and the park fees, and those are exactly the same here as on our most expensive trips. What changes is the lodge. You sleep in smaller, simpler places with good food and a warm welcome, and you pay much less for it.

You still see three parks in three days: Tarangire’s elephants, a morning on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater and the forest and lakeshore of Lake Manyara. Travel as a group of four to six and the price per person drops further, because you share the vehicle and guide.

The route

Three Parks, Three Nights

About 500 km, driven by your own guide in a pop-up-roof Land Cruiser. Tap a stop to see it on the map.

  1. 01

    Arusha

    Guest house or coffee-farm villa for night one

    1 night
  2. 02

    Tarangire National Park

    The elephant park of the north

    Day visit
  3. 03

    Karatu

    Two nights in the farm valley below the crater

    2 nights
  4. 04

    Ngorongoro Crater

    Lions, buffalo and the hippo pool

    Day visit
  5. 05

    Lake Manyara National Park

    A last game drive, then Arusha

    Day visit
Road ≈ 500 kmParks 3Ends Arusha
Day by day

The Journey

✦

This is how the trip usually runs. Your guide will adjust each day around the weather, the wildlife and what you most want to see.

Kilimanjaro above the savannah
Kilimanjaro over the plains near the airport
Day01
Arusha

Land and Settle In

Your guide and driver meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and give you a short briefing before the one-hour drive to Arusha.

Tonight you stay at Kahawa House or Arusha Villa Karamu Coffee, both small, homely places with gardens. Have a rest, eat when you like and get ready for an early start.

Good to know

Food and drinks on arrival day are at your own cost. Your guide can suggest a good place to eat nearby if you’d rather go out.

  • Transfer≈ 1 hr by road
  • OvernightKahawa House or Arusha Villa Karamu Coffee
  • Meals
    BreakfastLunchDinner
Elephant country
Day02
Tarangire National Park → Karatu

A Day With the Elephants

It is about three hours to Tarangire National Park, and the landscape changes on the way, from farms to dry Maasai grazing land and then to the baobab bush of the park.

Tarangire is famous for its elephants, and in the dry season you can see several herds in a morning along the river. Your guide also looks for lions resting in the shade, giraffes, zebras and the big old baobabs that elephants strip for their bark. After a picnic lunch you drive two hours up to Karatu for the night.

  • Drive≈ 3 hrs to park · 2 hrs to Karatu
  • OvernightMarera Valley Lodge or Marera View Lodge
  • Meals
    BreakfastLunchDinner
Lions resting together in the grass
Lions resting in the open
Day03
Ngorongoro Crater → Karatu

Down Into Ngorongoro

Half an hour from the lodge you reach the crater gate and drive up to the rim. From there the road winds down the inside of the wall to the crater floor, 600 metres below, where thousands of animals live in one open bowl.

Expect wildebeest, zebra and buffalo in big numbers, hyenas, jackals and, most days, lions. Black rhino live here too, though they are few and often far off. You eat a picnic lunch by the hippo pool, then climb out in the afternoon and go back to the same lodge in Karatu.

  • Drive≈ 30 min to the crater gate
  • ActivityCrater game drive, about 6 hrs
  • OvernightMarera Valley Lodge or Marera View Lodge
  • Meals
    BreakfastLunchDinner
Baboons and flamingos
Day04
Lake Manyara National Park → Arusha

One More Park on the Way

Lake Manyara is just 30 minutes from Karatu, right on your way back to Arusha. The park is small, so a morning is enough to see it well: troops of baboons in the forest, elephants among the mahogany trees and hippos near the lake.

Flamingos gather on the lake when the water level suits them, and the lions here sometimes climb into the trees. After a picnic lunch you drive about three hours to Arusha, where the tour ends.

Honest note

The tree-climbing lions are real but not seen on most visits. Manyara is worth the stop for the forest and birds alone, so don’t count on the lions.

Where you sleep

Two Lodges, Three Nights

Simple, friendly places with good cooking. Two nights in the same valley lodge near Karatu means less packing and an easy start for the crater.

Marera Valley Lodge
Marera Valley Lodge

Karatu · Crater highlands · 2 nights on this trip.

1night

Kahawa House

Arusha · Guest house

A friendly, comfortable guest house with a garden, good home cooking and an easy drive to the airport. Or Arusha Villa Karamu Coffee, same standard.

GardenHome cooking
2nights

Marera Valley Lodge

Karatu · Crater highlands

A comfortable lodge in the green farming valley below the crater, with good food and a quiet garden. Or Marera View Lodge, same standard.

GardenValley views

Lodges are shown “or similar”. If one is full we’ll swap in a lodge of the same standard in the same area, and you’ll approve it first.

Timing & price

When to Go

June to October is the easiest time for game viewing, when the bush is dry and animals stay near water. From January to March the parks are green with young animals about. April and May are the rainy months, quieter and usually cheaper, though check the group price below.

Tarangire & Ngorongoro, month by month Highlighted: high season
MonthWeatherWhat it’s likePrice season
JanuaryDryWarm & greenShort dry spell. Green hills, newborn animals and far fewer vehicles.Mid season
FebruaryDryWarm & greenBaby wildebeest and zebra in the crater, and flamingos on the lakes.Mid season
MarchDry → wetWarm, some showersAfternoon showers begin. Good light and quiet game drives.Mid season
AprilLong rainsGreen seasonHeavy afternoon rain some days. Lush scenery and the lowest prices.Low season
MayLong rainsGreen seasonThe rains ease towards the end of the month. Very few other visitors.Low season
JuneDryCool & clearThe dry season starts. Grass shortens and animals are easy to spot.High season
JulyDryCool & clearElephants gather along the Tarangire River. Chilly mornings on the crater rim.High season
AugustDryCool & clearPeak dry season. Huge elephant herds in Tarangire.High season
SeptemberDryWarm & dustyWater is scarce, so animals crowd the rivers and swamps.High season
OctoberDryWarm & dustyThe last dry weeks. Some of the best game viewing of the year.Ask us
NovemberShort rainsWarm, showersShort afternoon showers. The bush turns green again.Ask us
DecemberShort rainsWarm, showersGreen and fresh, with busy holiday weeks from the 20th.High from 20th
Price per personYour groupDry seasonHigh seasonJune 1 + August + September+ 20 December – January 10Mid seasonJanuary 11 – March 31Warm, green and quietBest valueLow seasonApril 1 – May 31Long rains, fewer vehicles
1solo guest$2,292USD per person$2,292USD per person$2,092USD per person
2guests$1,330USD per person$1,330USD per person$1,220USD per person
3guests$1,150USD per person$1,150USD per person$1,065USD per person
4–6guests$850USD per person$850USD per person$910USD per person
 Check dates →Check dates →Check dates →
36%

Travel as a bigger group and save. A group of 4–6 pays up to 36% less each than two, because you share the vehicle and guide.

Prices are in US dollars, per person, sharing one private vehicle and guide. High season also covers 1 – 10 January. For October to mid-December, ask us for a quote.

No surprises

What's Included

Included / 08

  • Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roofCharging points, cool box and binoculars on board
  • Your own professional English-speaking safari guide
  • All park, crater and conservation fees on the route
  • Game drive inside the Ngorongoro Crater
  • Accommodation as listed, or similar, including camp concession fees
  • All meals as shown in the day-by-day
  • Drinking water, coffee and tea on safari
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure

Not included / 09

  • International flights to Kilimanjaro (JRO)
  • Tanzania visaSee our visa guide
  • Travel insuranceRequired. See our insurance guide
  • Optional activities and sightseeing not on the itinerary
  • Tips for guides and lodge staff
  • Laundry, drinks not listed and personal items
  • Meals and drinks on arrival day
  • Drinks with meals at the lodges
  • Local and domestic flights
Good questions

Before You Book

It means the lodges. Your vehicle, guide, park fees and route are the same as on our luxury trips. You stay at Kahawa House or Arusha Villa Karamu Coffee, then Marera Valley Lodge or Marera View Lodge: clean, comfortable and friendly, without spas or suites.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included from Day 2, and breakfast and lunch on Day 4. Food on arrival day and drinks with meals at the lodges are not, so you pay for those as you go. Drinking water, tea and coffee are on board during game drives.

It is busy but not rushed. You see a park every day, but no drive is longer than about three hours and you sleep two nights in the same lodge. If you want more time, add a day in the Serengeti or a slower morning in Karatu.

Travel as a bigger group. With four to six people the price per person is much lower than for two, because you share one vehicle and guide. Ask us to compare dates too; we’ll always tell you which season is cheapest for your group size.

Add to your trip

Related Activities

Ideas that fit well with this safari. Ask us and we’ll add any of them to your plan.

Meet the people
Culture

Maasai & cultural visits

Spend time in a Maasai village or with the Hadzabe near Lake Eyasi.

Read more →
Beach

Zanzibar beach days

Finish with warm sea, white sand and Stone Town’s old streets.

Read more →
Adventure

Climb Kilimanjaro

Add a climb to the roof of Africa before or after your safari.

Read more →
Destination

Ngorongoro Crater

A day on the floor of the world’s largest intact caldera.

Read more →
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Great parks,

Honest Prices

Send us your dates and group size and we’ll reply within 24 hours with availability and a clear quote.

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