3 days Serengeti & Crater — Three Days
Two parks in three days with a full day inside the crater at the end. The shortest trip that still gets you into the Serengeti.
Wildlife
Tarangire, Serengeti & Crater — Camping
The same four-day camping loop entered through Tarangire instead of Manyara — baobabs and elephant herds on the first day rather than forest.
Opens your browser’s print dialog. Choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy.
At a glance
- Destinations
- Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
- Best for
- Wildlife safari
- Travel style
- Budget · Drive
- Activity level
- Easy — most of the day is spent in a vehicle or on a boat
- Best time to travel
- June to October is a strong window for this camping route, particularly for wildlife near the Tarangire River. The Serengeti and crater remain worth visiting outside it, but wet tracks can slow a four-day itinerary.
- Start and end
- Starts and ends in Arusha
Why this journey
- Tarangire’s elephant herds and baobabs on day one
- A night in the Serengeti and a crater descent on the last morning
- Camping under the stars, meals cooked in camp
- Optional visit to a Maasai community near the crater
- Four days, three parks, budget throughout
Day by day
Identical in length and cost to the Manyara version; the difference is the first day. Tarangire in the dry season concentrates elephants along its river in numbers you will not see anywhere else on the route.
Day 1 — Arusha City to Tarangire National Park
Depart Arusha after breakfast for the roughly 2-hour drive to Tarangire. On arrival, a packed lunch before an afternoon game drive where elephants, giraffes, zebras and birds may be spotted. Return to Panorama Safari Camp for dinner and evening stargazing.
Stay Panorama Safari Camp Meals Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 — Tarangire to Serengeti National Park
Early breakfast and a morning game drive in Tarangire, then a 4–5 hour drive to the Serengeti with a packed lunch en route. An afternoon game drive across the plains before setting up camp at Seronera Public Campsite.
Stay Seronera Public Campsite Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 — Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater
An early morning game drive in the Serengeti at sunrise when wildlife is active, then back for breakfast and a 3–4 hour drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Set up camp at Simba Public Campsite and have lunch. An optional afternoon Maasai village visit is available.
Stay Simba Public Campsite Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4 — Ngorongoro Crater tour to Arusha
After early breakfast, descend into the crater for a game drive through its unique ecosystem, with a picnic lunch inside the crater. Game viewing continues in the afternoon before the 3-hour drive back to Arusha, arriving in the evening.
Meals Breakfast & Lunch
Stay and travel
Camping and simple lodges or park bandas, with a cook travelling with the group.
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
3 days 
4 days Manyara, Serengeti & Crater — Camping
Manyara, one night in the Serengeti and the crater, camping the whole way. Four days is tight, and it is the cheapest route to all three.
Wildlife
5 days Serengeti & Crater, from Zanzibar
Five days off the island and into the northern parks, flying both ways — Tarangire, the Serengeti and the crater, with no day lost to the coast road.
Wildlife
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.