5 Days Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari.
This 5-day itinerary is a high-impact, deeply rewarding journey into Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit, perfectly condensed to cover the region’s two most celebrated destinations: the vast Serengeti National Park and the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. This itinerary is designed for efficiency and increases game viewing time, focusing on tracking the legendary Great Migration and securing sightings of the Big five. It delivers a powerful concentration of Africa’s finest wildlife and dramatic geological scenery, making it the best choice for those with limited time.
Tour Highlights.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Serengeti National Park.
Day 2: Full day in Serengeti National Park.
Day 3: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater.
Day 4: Descent into Ngorongoro crater.
Day 5: Departure.
Detailed itinerary.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Serengeti national park.
On the first day of the safari, your adventure begins with a pick-up from Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) by your safari guide from African Vacation Safaris, he will welcome you and brief you about the safari.
After you will start your safari with driving to Serengeti, offering beautiful views of the changing landscape as you travel through Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Upon your arrival at Serengeti gate, you will enter the park and then begin your en-route game drive directly to your lodge in the central Seronera region. You will check in your lodge for dinner and relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 2: Full day in Serengeti National Park.
On the second day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast you will meet your safari guide and then start an early morning game drive to catch predators like lions, hyenas, and others active before the heat sets in. Serengeti’s endless plains provide breathtaking opportunities to witness dramatic wildlife interactions. Your experienced guide will focus on the kopjes (rocky outcrops) where lions often lounge and the river areas where hippos and crocodiles reside.
Depending on the month, you will dedicate time to tracking the enormous migration, searching for the massive columns of wildebeest and zebra. You will enjoy a picnic lunch in the heart of the wilderness, ensuring increased time for exploration. Later, return to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Ngorongoro crater.
On the third day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast, you will meet your safari guide and then enjoy a morning game drive in Serengeti to explore the massive variety of animal species in the park.
Later you will head back through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Along the way you may stop briefly at Olduvai Gorge, an important paleoanthropological site. The afternoon drive takes you up the spectacular crater rim to Ngorongoro Highlands, where you will check into your lodge, often offering perfect views of the caldera or the surrounding coffee plantations. This evening is spent preparing for the early morning descent into the crater. Later you will be transferred to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Descent into Ngorongoro crater.
On the fourth day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast you will meet your safari guide and experience Ngorongoro crater, you will descent 600 meters (2000 feet) into the world’s largest intact caldera.
Due to the permanent presence of water and grazing, the crater floor supports an incredibly high density of wildlife, essentially making it a natural enclosure. You will spend the entire morning here, giving you the best chance to spot the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, and then rare black rhinos). Lunch is often a picnic enjoyed near the Hippo pool. In the mid-afternoon, you will ascend the crater wall and return to the Ngorongoro Highlands for a second night, celebrating the incredible sightings.
Day 5: Departure.
After a relaxed breakfast, you will check out and then begin the final drive back towards Arusha. You will have time for a final stop at a local craft market or coffee plantation before being dropped off at your hotel in Arusha or transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your international departure, concluding an intense and successful safari.
End of 5 Days Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari
Safari inclusions.
Your stay will include both accommodation and meals.
Park fees.
Guides and transport.
Safari activities.
Complimentary bottled drinking water is provided in the safari vehicle.
Safari exclusions.
Flights and Visas.
Optional activities (Hot air balloon safari over Serengeti).
Gratuities (tips for the guides and lodge/camp staff).
Personal expenses (laundry, alcoholic beverages, sodas, and imported drinks).