6-Day Serengeti on a Budget
OVERVIEW
MORE ROAD. MORE WILD.
Six days opens up the Northern Circuit properly.
Begin beneath the forests and escarpment of Lake Manyara before heading into the Serengeti for two nights among its legendary plains. From there, descend into Ngorongoro Crater before finishing among Tarangire’s baobabs and elephants.
Camping keeps the journey adventurous and affordable, while a private vehicle and guide give you the freedom to experience each destination at your own rhythm.
No polished edges required. Just good roads, wild places and somewhere under the stars to sleep when the day is done.
DAY 01 / LAKE MANYARA - WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE RIFT.
Meet your Wildpack guide in Arusha and travel west toward the Great Rift Valley, where the escarpment rises dramatically above the landscape.
Your first game drive takes you into Lake Manyara National Park, a compact but remarkably varied wilderness. Groundwater forest gives way to open grassland, acacia woodland and the lake itself.
Look for elephants moving beneath the trees, troops of baboons, giraffes, zebra and buffalo. The lake and surrounding wetlands also attract an impressive variety of birdlife.
As afternoon turns toward evening, leave the park and continue to camp.
OVERNIGHT
Public Campsite / Budget Camping
MEALS
Lunch · Dinner
DAY 02 / SERENGETI - FOLLOW THE ROAD INTO THE ENDLESS.
After breakfast, climb into the Ngorongoro Highlands and continue through the conservation area toward Serengeti National Park.
The journey is part of the experience. Villages and highland landscapes gradually disappear, replaced by enormous grasslands and a horizon that seems to keep moving away from you.
Enter the Serengeti and begin game driving toward camp.
Lions, elephants, giraffes, cheetahs and large herds of grazing animals inhabit these plains, while the Great Migration transforms different parts of the ecosystem throughout the year.
Arrive at camp toward evening and watch your first Serengeti day disappear into the horizon.
OVERNIGHT
Serengeti Public Campsite
MEALS
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
DAY 03 / SERENGETI - LET THE PLAINS DECIDE.
There is nowhere you need to reach today.
And that’s rather the point.
Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti with your guide, following wildlife activity wherever it leads. An early start may reveal predators still active from the night, while the warmer hours bring a completely different rhythm to the plains.
Search for lions around rocky kopjes, leopards among acacia trees and cheetahs scanning the grasslands.
During migration periods, your guide will concentrate on areas where the herds are moving whenever conditions and location allow.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park before continuing your game drive into the afternoon.
OVERNIGHT
Serengeti Public Campsite
MEALS
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
DAY 04 / NGORONGORO - FROM ENDLESS PLAINS TO AN ANCIENT CRATER.
Wake for one final morning among the Serengeti plains.
Head out early for a game drive, taking advantage of the cooler hours before slowly beginning the journey toward Ngorongoro.
There is no sudden goodbye to the Serengeti. Wildlife continues along the road, giving you plenty of reason to keep your camera close as you travel east.
Eventually the open plains begin to rise toward the Ngorongoro Highlands.
Reach camp near the crater rim in the late afternoon, where cooler air and sweeping views signal another change of landscape.
OVERNIGHT
Ngorongoro / Simba Public Campsite or Similar
MEALS
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
DAY 05 / NGORONGORO → TARANGIRE - DOWN INTO AN ANCIENT WORLD
Start early and descend roughly 600 metres to the floor of Ngorongoro Crater.
Within the walls of this ancient volcanic caldera, grasslands, woodland and wetlands support an extraordinary concentration of animals.
Spend the morning game driving in search of lions, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippos and hyenas. Ngorongoro is also one of northern Tanzania’s important areas for spotting the endangered black rhino.
After a picnic lunch, climb back toward the crater rim and continue toward the Tarangire area.
Settle into camp for your final night beneath the Tanzanian sky.
OVERNIGHT
Tarangire Area Public Campsite / Budget Camping
MEALS
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
DAY 06 / TARANGIRE - SAVE THE GIANTS FOR LAST.
One last park. And it is a good one.
Enter Tarangire for a morning and afternoon game drive among enormous baobabs, open savannah and the river that gives the park its name.
Elephants thrive here, sometimes gathering in impressive numbers around water sources. You’ll also search for giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, antelope and predators including lions and leopards.
Stop for a picnic lunch before continuing your final game drive.
Eventually, turn the vehicle toward Arusha.
Six days. Four parks. Somewhere along the way, checking animals off a list stopped being the point.
MEALS
Breakfast · Lunch
END POINT
Arusha
$1,850
MAKE THIS JOURNEY YOURS
Safari Includes
- All Park Fees
- All transportation
- Professional private safari guide
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Private 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Accommodation as specified in the itinerary
- Government taxes and VAT
Safari Excludes
- International flights
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips
- Personal items
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Some Meals