Overview
Day by day
Price
5-Day Tanzania Classic Lodge Safari – Day by Day Itinerary
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through Tanzania’s most iconic national parks with our 5-Day Classic Lodge Safari. This experience is tailored for travelers who want to explore the African wilderness in comfort, combining thrilling wildlife encounters with cozy, scenic lodges at the end of each day.
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Arusha in the morning. Drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its large herds of elephants and iconic baobab trees. Enjoy a full-day game drive, spotting wildlife like lions, giraffes, zebras, and more. In the evening, head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge near Tarangire
Day 2: Tarangire to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, set off for the legendary Serengeti National Park. En route, pass through the beautiful Ngorongoro Highlands. Upon arrival, enjoy a game drive across the vast plains teeming with wildlife. Look out for predators such as lions and cheetahs.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge inside Serengeti
Day 3: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Spend the whole day exploring Serengeti. Take morning and afternoon game drives to increase your chances of seeing the Big Five and the seasonal Great Migration (if timing allows). In between, relax at the lodge and enjoy the views.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Same lodge in Serengeti
Day 4: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Enjoy a final morning game drive in Serengeti before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Arrive at your lodge on the crater rim in the late afternoon. Relax and take in the stunning views as you prepare for the crater safari. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge near Ngorongoro
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater – Back to Arusha
After an early breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day game drive. Spot rhinos, elephants, buffalos, and more in this unique ecosystem. After lunch, return to Arusha, where your safari ends.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
- You visit
- Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)(Start) TarangireSerengetiNgorongoro Arusha(End)
- Highlights
- Wildlife safarisGreat migration
- Vehicle used
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your exciting safari begins with a morning pick-up from your hotel in Arusha by your professional driver-guide. After a short briefing, you’ll embark on a scenic 2-hour drive southwest to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s sixth-largest national park and a hidden gem often less crowded than others.
Tarangire is famous for its massive elephant herds, ancient baobab trees, and its seasonal Tarangire River, which draws a variety of wildlife during the dry season. Upon entering the park, you'll begin your first game drive, exploring the open savannah and acacia woodlands.
Look out for:
- Elephants bathing at the riverbanks
- Lions resting in the shade
- Zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes, and impalas grazing
- Giraffes peeking through the treetops
- And, with some luck, sightings of leopards or cheetahs
Tarangire is also a bird-lover’s paradise, home to more than 500 bird species, including colorful lilac-breasted rollers, ostriches, and hornbills.
Enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the park’s designated areas with beautiful views. After lunch, continue with more game viewing until late afternoon.
Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Tarangire to Serengeti National Park
After an early breakfast at your lodge, you’ll check out and begin your journey towards the world-famous Serengeti National Park. This is a long but incredibly scenic drive that takes you through the Ngorongoro Highlands, offering panoramic views and glimpses of traditional Maasai villages along the way.
You’ll arrive at Serengeti’s Naabi Hill Gate around midday, where you’ll stretch your legs, enjoy a picnic lunch, and take in the sweeping views of the endless plains.
After lunch, enter the Serengeti — Tanzania’s most iconic park and home to the Great Wildebeest Migration. The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word “Siringet”, meaning “endless plains,” and the vast savannah here is teeming with wildlife all year round.
Spend the afternoon on a thrilling game drive, exploring the central Serengeti (Seronera area), well-known for its high predator population. Keep your eyes out for:
- Lions lounging on kopjes (rocky outcrops)
- Cheetahs scanning the plains for prey
- Leopards resting in acacia trees
- Massive herds of buffalo, gazelle, and wildebeest
By late afternoon, you’ll head to your lodge or tented camp inside Serengeti for dinner and an overnight stay, surrounded by the sounds of the wild.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Seronera Safari lodge or tented camp
Day 3: Serengeti National Park – Full Day Game Drive
After breakfast, you’ll spend a full day exploring the endless plains of the Serengeti, one of the most iconic safari destinations in Africa. This park is home to the Big Five and famous for the Great Migration (depending on the season).
Your game drive will take you across different regions of the park, where you may spot lions lounging in the grass, cheetahs on the hunt, elephants roaming freely, and vast herds of wildebeest and zebras.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the wild, surrounded by breathtaking views. Later in the afternoon, return to your lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Central Serengeti
Day 4: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, enjoy a final morning game drive in Serengeti as you make your way out of the park. You’ll have another chance to spot wildlife on the move during the early hours of the day.
After lunch, drive toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, one of Africa’s most stunning natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll pass through scenic landscapes and Maasai villages along the way.
Arrive at your lodge located near the crater rim in time to relax and enjoy dinner with sweeping views of the Ngorongoro Highlands.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater – Back to Arusha
Start your day early with breakfast, then descend into the Ngorongoro Crater — the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and one of the best places in Africa to see the Big Five.
Enjoy a half-day game drive on the crater floor, where you may spot lions, elephants, hippos, buffaloes, black rhinos, and an incredible variety of birdlife. The scenery is breathtaking, with lush vegetation and a high concentration of wildlife.
After a picnic lunch inside the crater, begin your drive back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon. You’ll be dropped off at your hotel or airport, marking the end of your unforgettable 5-day safari adventure.
Breakfast, Lunch
