The Crater & Lake Manyara

Two parks, one night, no wasted driving. The crater on the first day while the light is good, Manyara on the way back to Arusha.

2 days · Starts and ends in Arusha · Mid-range · Private journey

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A Maasai herder on the grasslands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

At a glance

Destinations: Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara
Best for: Wildlife safari, Culture & history
Travel style: Mid-range · Drive
Activity level: Easy — most of the day is spent in a vehicle or on a boat
Best time to travel: Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater can be visited in every season. June to October generally gives drier driving conditions over this short break; rain brings greener scenery, and the crater-rim evening stays cool year-round.
Start and end: Starts and ends in Arusha

Why this journey

A full day on the crater floor, not a half-day squeeze
Lake Manyara’s groundwater forest on the way back
One night only, so the total cost stays modest
Maasai grazing land inside the conservation area, and a village visit if you want one
A good add-on either side of a Kilimanjaro climb

Day by day

The shortest trip that does both. The crater takes the whole of day one, with the descent early; Manyara takes the second morning on the road home. The Maasai still graze cattle inside the conservation area, which is why it is not a national park.

Day 1 — Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater

Early morning pickup from Arusha with scenic views of Mount Meru, villages and the Rift Valley escarpment. On reaching the crater reservation, visitors take in a wide view over the caldera. The crater hosts black rhinos, cheetahs, lions, leopards, elephants, zebra, and birds like ostrich, vultures, and flamingos, and visitors might see hyenas or jackals hunting flamingos on the crater soda lake. Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok Swamp (a hippo pool), then an afternoon game drive before ascending the crater and driving to the accommodation.

Stay Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury / Ngorongoro Farm House / Jambo Camp Meals Lunch & Dinner

Day 2 — Lake Manyara to Arusha

After breakfast, on to Lake Manyara National Park, famous for prolific birdlife and other inhabitants such as hippos, monkeys, tree-climbing lions, and much more. Afternoon return to the agreed Arusha drop-off point.

Meals Breakfast & Lunch

Stay and travel

Comfortable mid-range lodges and tented camps, inside the parks wherever the route allows.

A 4×4 with a roof hatch and a window seat for everyone, driven by your guide throughout.

Camps fill, and roads change with the rains. Where something has to change we substitute at the same level and tell you before you travel, not after.

Included and excluded

What is included

Every activity named in the day-by-day
Accommodation as listed, or a similar alternative if a camp is full
Meals as noted against each day
Transfers between the agreed pick-up and drop-off points
Park, reserve and conservation area fees
An English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide
A 4×4 with a roof hatch, or the vehicle the route calls for
Drinking water through the day
Government taxes
Boat safari and transfers
TANAPA armed ranger where the park requires one
Ngorongoro crater service fee

Not included

International flights, airport taxes and visa fees
Travel, medical and baggage insurance
Personal spending — drinks, laundry, telephone
Tips for your guide and crew
Anything not listed as included

Practical information

Visas, insurance and tipping: A visa is arranged before travel or on arrival. Travel and medical insurance is a condition of booking. Tipping is customary and we will suggest a range rather than set one.

Related journeys

Every route here can be changed

Tell us what you would keep, what you would drop and how long you have. We will send back a version that is yours.

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