Tour Overview
Ask any experienced safari traveller what Tanzania’s two greatest wildlife highlights are, and the answer is almost always the same: the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. This 3 Days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari pairs both into one perfectly balanced itinerary, and it is, quite rightly, one of the best-selling short safaris in Tanzania.
The Serengeti needs little introduction. Covering nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open savannah, acacia woodland, and riverine forest, it is the world’s most famous national park and the stage for the most spectacular wildlife event on earth, the Great Wildebeest Migration. Even outside migration season, the Serengeti’s permanent resident wildlife is extraordinary: lions in abundant prides, leopards in fever trees, cheetahs on open plains, and enormous herds of elephants and buffalo moving through landscapes that feel older than time itself.
The Ngorongoro Crater offers a different but equally powerful experience. Enclosed within the walls of an ancient caldera, the crater floor is home to one of the densest concentrations of large mammals anywhere in Africa. Here, in this natural amphitheatre, the Big Five, including the rare black rhino, coexist in a space small enough to observe in a single day.
Three days. Two iconic destinations. A safari you will never stop talking about.
Route: Arusha → Serengeti National Park → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
Best For: First-time safari visitors, couples, short holiday seekers
Meals Included: All meals included from Day 1 dinner to Day 3 lunch
Accommodation: Nights 1–2: Serengeti safari lodge or tented camp
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha – Ngorongoro Highlands – Serengeti
Departing Arusha after an early breakfast, your safari vehicle climbs through the cool Ngorongoro Highlands, a lush, misty world of crater rims and Maasai villages that feels a million miles from the dusty lowland plains. As you descend the western escarpment into the Serengeti, the landscape opens up dramatically. Suddenly, the endless plains are before you.
Your guide uses their deep knowledge of the park to find wildlife in the most rewarding spots. In the late afternoon, enjoy your first game drive as the golden light transforms the Serengeti into something out of a wildlife documentary. Overnight at your lodge or tented camp.
Day 2: Full Day in the Serengeti
A full day in Africa’s most celebrated national park is a gift. Rise at dawn for the morning game drive, when predators are at their most active. Your guide will help you track lion prides, leopards draped in acacia trees, and the extraordinary cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal.
Depending on the time of year, you may be treated to the Great Migration, the largest overland movement of animals on earth, where over two million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle traverse the Serengeti ecosystem. Evenings are for relaxing at camp, sharing stories from the day, and listening to the sounds of the African night.
Day 3: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha
After an early morning game drive to make the most of your final Serengeti hours, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Descend into the crater, Africa’s Garden of Eden, for a half-day wildlife experience among lions, rhinos, hippos, flamingos, and elephant. After a picnic lunch on the crater floor, ascend to the rim and make the scenic drive back to Arusha.
What’s Included & Excluded
What’s Included
✓ All park and conservation fees
✓ Professional English-speaking safari guide
✓ 4×4 safari land cruiser / game drive vehicle
✓ Accommodation as specified per itinerary
✓ All meals as specified (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
✓ Safari bottled drinking water
✓ Flying doctors emergency evacuation insurance
✓ Airport/hotel transfers
What’s Excluded
✗ International and domestic flights
✗ Visa fees (Tanzania visa ~USD 50)
✗ Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
✗ Tips & gratuities for guides and camp staff
✗ Personal items, laundry, and souvenirs
✗ Alcoholic and soft drinks
✗ Optional activities (balloon safari, guided walks)
✗ Items of personal nature
