7-Day Tanzania Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater
Safari Overview
Experience an unforgettable 7-day Tanzania safari through four of the country’s most iconic wildlife destinations: Tarangire National Park, Central Serengeti, Western Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Starting and ending in Arusha, this safari combines spectacular landscapes, abundant wildlife, and the opportunity to experience the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Western Serengeti. You will spend 1 night in Tarangire, 2 nights in Central Serengeti, 2 nights in Western Serengeti, and 1 night near the Ngorongoro Crater.
Travel with an experienced safari driver-guide who will help you discover Tanzania’s wildlife, landscapes, and local highlights throughout the journey.
Best Time for the Great Migration
Based on migration patterns observed in recent years, wildebeest herds may be found in the Western Serengeti between May and June as they move northward through the Serengeti ecosystem.
For travelers hoping to experience the migration in this region, we recommend scheduling this safari between May and June. Wildlife movements are natural and unpredictable, however, so sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your Tanzania safari begins with a pickup from your hotel in Arusha at approximately 8:30 AM. After departing Arusha, you will travel to Tarangire National Park, with a picnic lunch prepared for your full-day game drive.
Tarangire is famous for its magnificent baobab trees, large elephant herds, and diverse wildlife. The Tarangire River is the park’s main water source and attracts animals throughout the year, particularly during the dry season.
During your game drive, keep an eye out for elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest, Oryx, eland, and lesser kudu.
You will enjoy a picnic lunch during the game drive before continuing your wildlife exploration. Later in the afternoon, you will leave the park and head to your camp or lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Camp/Lodge in or near Tarangire
Meals: Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Tarangire to Central Serengeti
After breakfast, you will depart Tarangire and continue toward the legendary Serengeti National Park.
The journey takes you through the scenic town of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before reaching the Serengeti around midday.
The Serengeti is one of Africa’s most famous wildlife destinations, renowned for its vast grasslands and extraordinary concentration of wildlife. After entering the park, you will enjoy an afternoon game drive across the endless Serengeti plains.
This is an excellent opportunity to search for large herds of antelope, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and buffalo, as well as predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards.
Your picnic lunch will be enjoyed either before entering the Serengeti or during the journey, depending on the day’s schedule.
After an exciting afternoon of wildlife viewing, you will continue to your accommodation for dinner and a well-deserved night’s rest.
Accommodation: Central Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Central Serengeti to Western Serengeti
Today you will travel from Central Serengeti to Western Serengeti, enjoying game viewing along the way.
You have two options for the morning. You can enjoy a relaxed breakfast and depart for a game drive around 9:00 AM with a packed lunch, or start at approximately 6:00 AM for an early morning game drive. You will then return to the accommodation for breakfast before continuing toward Western Serengeti.
During May and June, the Western Serengeti and Western Corridor can be an important area for the Great Wildebeest Migration. The herds may pass through areas around the Grumeti River and Kirawira, as they continue their northward movement through the Serengeti ecosystem.
The journey toward the Grumeti region provides excellent opportunities for en-route wildlife viewing. The Western Serengeti is also home to abundant resident wildlife, including zebras, hippos, gazelles, eland, topi, buffalo, lions, leopards, and black-and-white colobus monkeys.
Depending on your arrival time, you may have an opportunity to spend some time near the Grumeti River, where large numbers of animals gather. The river is home to hippos and Nile crocodiles and is an important water source for wildlife.
Enjoy a picnic lunch during the day’s game drive before continuing to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Western Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Full-Day Game Drive in Western Serengeti
Today is dedicated to exploring the Western Serengeti.
You can choose between a relaxed start with a full-day game drive beginning around 9:00 AM, returning to the lodge at approximately 6:00 PM, or an early start at 6:00 AM followed by breakfast at the accommodation and an afternoon game drive.
Between May and mid-June, the Great Wildebeest Migration may pass through the Western Serengeti and Grumeti region. This area is particularly famous for the dramatic Grumeti River crossings, where migrating wildebeest may encounter strong currents and waiting Nile crocodiles.
Witnessing a river crossing is a spectacular wildlife experience, but migration movements are unpredictable and sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Away from the migration, the Western Serengeti offers excellent year-round game viewing. Your safari guide will help you search for lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and other wildlife.
A picnic lunch will be served during the full-day game drive.
After an exciting day in the Western Serengeti, return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Western Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Western Serengeti to Central Serengeti
After breakfast, you will begin your journey back toward Central Serengeti and the Seronera area.
As with the previous days, you can choose between a relaxed departure around 9:00 AM or an early morning game drive beginning around 6:00 AM, followed by breakfast and departure toward Central Serengeti with a packed lunch.
The journey takes approximately three hours, with opportunities for wildlife viewing along the way.
Central Serengeti, particularly the Seronera Valley, is one of the richest wildlife areas in the park. The Seronera River provides a reliable source of water, attracting a wide variety of wildlife throughout the year.
As you approach Seronera, the landscape gradually changes from more rugged and hilly terrain to the open grasslands for which the Serengeti is famous.
The area is particularly well known for its large lion prides, making it an excellent destination for predator sightings. With luck, you may also encounter cheetahs, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, and other plains game.
Enjoy a picnic lunch during the day’s drive before arriving at your Central Serengeti accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Central Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park. This provides one more opportunity to experience the incredible wildlife of the Serengeti before departing for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
You will continue toward the Ngorongoro Crater, with a picnic lunch along the way.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Tanzania’s most remarkable natural attractions. Formed when a large volcano collapsed millions of years ago, the crater is surrounded by steep walls and contains a rich variety of habitats.
Its permanent water sources and fertile grasslands support an impressive concentration of wildlife, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, hyenas, zebras, wildebeest, and other plains animals.
Upon arrival, you will check into your accommodation near the crater rim and enjoy dinner before your final day of wildlife viewing.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Tour to Arusha
Your final day begins early with a quick breakfast before descending into the Ngorongoro Crater at approximately 6:30 AM.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. Its approximately 260-square-kilometre crater floor provides a spectacular setting for wildlife viewing.
Enjoy a 5-hour game drive on the crater floor, exploring its grasslands, forests, wetlands, and water sources. Keep your camera ready, as the crater is home to an impressive variety of wildlife.
You may encounter African elephants, buffaloes, black rhinos, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, lions, zebras, wildebeest, and gazelles.
You will stop for a picnic lunch near the scenic Hippo Pool before beginning the steep ascent out of the crater.
After leaving the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you will begin the approximately 4-hour drive back to Arusha.
You are expected to arrive in Arusha at around 6:00 PM, where you will be dropped off at your preferred location.
This marks the end of your 7-day Tanzania safari.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Highlights of This Tanzania Safari
- Explore Tarangire National Park, famous for elephants and baobab trees.
- Experience two distinct regions of the Serengeti National Park.
- Search for the Great Wildebeest Migration in Western Serengeti during May and June.
- Explore the wildlife-rich Seronera Valley in Central Serengeti.
- Visit the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater.
- Enjoy daily game drives with an experienced safari driver-guide.
- Start and finish your safari in Arusha, Tanzania.
- Experience some of Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife and landscapes in one itinerary.
Best Time to Take This Safari
This itinerary is particularly recommended for travelers visiting between May and June, when the Great Wildebeest Migration may pass through the Western Serengeti and Grumeti region.
Because wildlife migration follows rainfall, food availability, and natural conditions, the exact location of the herds changes from year to year. Your safari guide will monitor local conditions and help maximize your opportunities for wildlife and migration sightings.
