4-Day Incredible Tanzania Safari

Day 1: Arusha (D)

Your safari begins with pickup at Arusha Regional Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport for transfer to the Moivaro Lodge in Arusha for your first night in Tanzania. Depending on your arrival time, you'll have either a town trip or Arusha National Park tour after lunch. Enjoy some leisure time to freshen up during the evening. Shopping and sightseeing in Arusha is the main focus of this first day.

Overnight: Moivaro Lodge

Day 2: Arusha – Tarangire National Park (B, L, D)

After a quick briefing about your tour, your Tanzania lodge safari gets underway as you depart Arusha, heading to Tarangire National Park, one of the top game parks on the northern safari circuit. It's named after the Tarangire River, which flows through the park and attracts large numbers of animals during the dry season. Considered one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in northern Tanzania with a diverse landscape and vegetation, Tarangire is home to high grasses, dense bush, and lots of baobab trees. The wildlife is varied, but the park is particularly known for big cats, including lions that climb trees, which is rare behavior.

Overnight: Maramboi Tented Camp

Day 3: Tarangire National Park – Lake Manyara National Park (B, L, D)

Leave Tarangire after breakfast and head toward nearby Lake Manyara National Park, a scenic gem described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I have seen in Africa.” On the way, pass through Mto wa Mbu, a village that 120 different tribes call home.

You'll arrive at the park after a lunch stop and spend the afternoon on a game drive, admiring animals and the contrasting scenery. Stay the night in Karatu, near the Ngorongoro Crater.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Farm House

Day 4: Ngorongoro – Arusha

Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the lodge, and then head for Ngorongoro Crater, where you'll descend the steep crater walls to explore this wilderness teeming with wildlife, including some of the Big Five animals. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the caldera is 11 miles (18 km) in diameter with walls as high as 1,970 feet (600 meters). The fertile crater supports a variety of species in different habitats, from elephants, monkeys, hyenas, and jackals to herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, and antelope; the crater also boasts one of the highest concentrations of lions in the world.

Overnight: Planet Lodge in Arusha