7 Days Tanzania Camping Safari – Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park (Standard Camping)
This 7-Day Tanzania Camping Safari takes you to Tanzania’s remarkable destinations in the northern circuit where you will visit Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park, and the lesser-known Lake Natron in the Great Rift Valley.
Highlights of 7-Day Tanzania Camping Safari
Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park
Day 2: Tarangire – Lake Natron
Day 3: Lake Natron – Serengeti National Park
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
Day 5: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater – Mto wa Mbu
Day 7: Departure
Detailed Itinerary of 7-Day Tanzania Camping Safari
Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park
On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or after breakfast at your hotel in Arusha, you will meet your guide and after a short briefing, you will head off to Tarangire National Park.
Tarangire with its savannah, baobab trees, seasonal swamps and lagoons is home to huge herds of elephants. Animals in the park gather at the Tarangire River the only permanent water source in the park and you will be in position to see a selection of mammals ranging from giraffes, bushbucks and hartebeests to the weird looking gerenuk and fringe-eared oryx. Tarangire National Park is also home to buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests which are always closely followed by a range of predators such as lions. Leopards and cheetahs are rarely spotted but they are available in the park.
Later in the afternoon, head to your campsite inside the park, where you will spend the night in a tent.
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 2: Tarangire – Lake Natron
After breakfast, leave the Tarangire and head to the multi-cultural village of Mto wa Mbu. From here you will journey along a very bumpy gravel road along the Rift Valley Escarpment with Ol Doinyo Lengai “the holy mountain of the Masai in the distance”
Today’s destination is the Maasai village of Ngare Sero, an oasis in the hot and dusty Rift Valley. In the distance you will notice a pink glow from thousands of flamingoes breeding and feeding on the algae of the alkaline Lake Natron. In the afternoon you will join a Maasai guide on a walk to a nearby waterfall before you return to the campsite for your overnight.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 3: Lake Natron – Serengeti National Park
Have an early start, then travel along adventurous dirt tracks with breath-taking views as your vehicle climbs out of the Rift Valley to reach the grassy plains of the Serengeti by midday. In the Maasai local language the Serengeti means “endless plains” and you will see the grassland savannah stretching to the horizon. The Serengeti is the most famous park in Tanzania, and is home to largest animal migration on the planet – hundreds of thousands of animals trek to find fresh grass and water.
Spend the night at a campsite in the northern or central part of the park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
The entire day is dedicated to game viewing in the Serengeti National Park. You will either go on a full day game drive or join early morning and afternoon drives in the Seronera area. Between December and May, the huge herds of wildebeests and zebras will be seen, with calves and foals being born between January and March. Also, the Seronera area is the best place in Serengeti to spot the shy and nocturnal leopard.
Spend the night at a campsite in the Seronera area.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 5: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Enjoy breakfast, then go for another game drive in the Serengeti looking for wildlife species you might have missed on the previous game drives. Animals tend to be more active in the morning before the temperatures soar around midday.
After lunch, you will leave the plains of the Serengeti and travel to the highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will camp at a campsite directly on the Ngorongoro Crater’s edge with a magnificent over the collapsed volcano. This is a perfect spot to enjoy a sundowner at sunset.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater – Mto wa Mbu
Wake up at sunrise, enjoy breakfast at drive down into the 600m deep crater. The slopes are forested but soon the landscape changes to savannah with the occasional acacia tree here and there. The wildlife in the crater is just breathtaking and with a little luck you might see the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. You will also see warthogs, wildebeests, zebras, hippos and more than 500 bird species.
After the morning game viewing and picnic lunch in the crater, you will travel to Mto wa Mbu where you will overnight on a campsite.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at a campsite
Day 7: Departure
After a leisurely breakfast, you will start your journey to Arusha, where you will arrive around mid-day. You will be dropped off at the airport or at the airport for your flight back home or to your next destination.
End of 7 Days Tanzania Camping Safari
Included
- transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- professional English-speaking guide
- professional safari cook
- 6 nights’ stay in dome tents
- camping equipment (tents, sleeping mats, chairs, tables etc)
- meals according to the itinerary
- drinking water
- activities as per itinerary
- all national park fees
- Flying Doctors insurance (AMREF) during the safari
Excluded
- flights (international and domestic)
- meals not indicated in the itinerary
- alcoholic and soft drinks
- sleeping bag (can be rented at extra cost)
- optional activities
- tips
- personal expenses, visa fees, travel insurance
