Local experts in Tanzania +255 767 617 986
Guest reviews
Safari Escort
Plan My Trip
9-Day Tanzania Big Five Safari – Ultimate Wildlife & Game Drives
Tanzania Safari

9-Day Tanzania Big Five Safari – Ultimate Wildlife & Game Drives

Safari price
From $4,590
Make an Enquiry
Safari Escort journey

Trip Overview

The 9-Day Tanzania Big Five Safari – Ultimate Wildlife & Game Drives starts and finishes in Arusha. Its route includes Lake Natron, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Mount Meru, following the destination order and transfers set out in the day-by-day itinerary.

The journey is shaped around guided game drives in the listed parks, with each overnight stop positioned for the next stage of the route.

Every safari day brings a different perspective on Tanzania’s landscapes and wildlife. Explore the route below to see how activities, journeys between destinations and overnight stays fit together. Our local team can help you consider seasonal wildlife movements, the time available and accommodation preferences before you make a decision.

Where every day follows the rhythm of the journey
Giraffe in Arusha National Park below Mount MeruArusha National Park
Wildebeest moving across the plains of Serengeti National ParkSerengeti
Zebra and wildlife habitat inside Ngorongoro CraterNgorongoro Crater
Elephant habitat and baobab landscape in Tarangire National ParkTarangire
Moments along the route
Safari Highlights

Your Journey Highlights

  • Into the Forests – Arusha City to Arusha National ParkExperience this stage with the route, guiding and daily pace described in the detailed itinerary below.
  • Rift Valley Wonders – Arusha to Lake NatronExperience this stage with the route, guiding and daily pace described in the detailed itinerary below.
  • Into the Wild – Lake Natron to Serengeti National ParkTravel across the Serengeti with time for game viewing, adapting the day’s route to current wildlife activity and seasonal conditions.
  • Into the Heart of the Serengeti – Full Day Game DriveTravel across the Serengeti with time for game viewing, adapting the day’s route to current wildlife activity and seasonal conditions.
  • Plains of Wonder – Another Full Day in SerengetiTravel across the Serengeti with time for game viewing, adapting the day’s route to current wildlife activity and seasonal conditions.
  • Highlands Journey – Serengeti to KaratuTravel across the Serengeti with time for game viewing, adapting the day’s route to current wildlife activity and seasonal conditions.

Your Itinerary

Day 01

Into the Forests – Arusha City to Arusha National Park

  • Activity: Game Drive & Transfer
  • Meals Included: Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast in Arusha, your guide will meet you and take you on a short and beautiful drive to Arusha National Park. This small park is full of green trees, small lakes, and tall hills between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. You will go on a gentle game drive, looking for giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, and the black-and-white colobus monkeys playing in the trees. On a clear day, you might see both Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. After your nature adventure, return to Arusha for a quiet evening.

Accommodation

Masailand Safari Lodge

Masailand Safari Lodge is an Arusha-area property used as a comfortable staging point before or after safari. Its rooms, gardens and shared facilities provide more space to settle than a brief airport stop, while remaining connected to city services and road transfers. On-site dining supports early departures and relaxed arrival evenings according to the booked meal plan. The lodge’s role in these itineraries is to bridge international or domestic travel with the northern parks without altering the safari route.

LocationArushaStay styleSafari lodge
Day 02

Rift Valley Wonders – Arusha to Lake Natron

  • Activity: Trekking & Cultural Experience
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today you will travel into the wild and dry land of the Great Rift Valley. The drive is long but very beautiful, passing Maasai villages, tall mountains, and wide open valleys. When you reach Lake Natron, you will hike to a lovely waterfall hidden in a rocky canyon. Later in the day, enjoy a peaceful walk near the lake, where thousands of flamingos gather in the shallow waters. The view of the volcano and birds is magical.

Accommodation

Moivaro Tented Camp

Moivaro Tented Camp is a tented property used as a base for journeys through the Lake Natron and northern Rift Valley region. Its guest tents provide private sleeping space in a quiet natural setting after the long drive from Arusha or before the onward route to Serengeti. Shared dining and relaxation areas support meals and an early start for the next day’s activities. The camp is especially practical for itineraries combining Lake Natron’s volcanic landscape, waterfall walks and flamingo habitat with the wider northern circuit.

LocationLake NatronStay styleTented camp
Day 03

Into the Wild – Lake Natron to Serengeti National Park

  • Activity: Game Drive
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After an early breakfast, leave Lake Natron and drive across quiet land that is far from the usual path. The land is wild and open, with big views of volcanoes and hills. As you enter Serengeti through a special gate in the northeast, your wildlife adventure begins. Look for antelopes, giraffes, and lions as you move deeper into the park.

Accommodation

Kilima Valley Tented Camp

Kilima Valley Tented Camp is a safari camp serving travellers exploring the Serengeti ecosystem. Its tented rooms and shared dining spaces provide an under-canvas base close to the wildlife country covered during consecutive game-drive days. The camp’s position reduces unnecessary transfers and allows the guide to plan each day around current animal movement. It suits itineraries entering from Lake Natron and continuing across the Serengeti toward the Ngorongoro highlands.

LocationSerengetiStay styleTented safari camp
Day 04

Into the Heart of the Serengeti – Full Day Game Drive

  • Activity: Game Drive
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Wake up early to explore the wide open land of Serengeti. This park is famous for having more wild animals than anywhere else in Africa. You will go out when it’s still cool, a time when lions and cheetahs are active. Look for elephants, zebras, leopards, and hyenas in the grasslands and around rocky hills. Have a picnic in the wild, then continue your game drive in the afternoon.

Accommodation

Kilima Valley Tented Camp

Kilima Valley Tented Camp is a safari camp serving travellers exploring the Serengeti ecosystem. Its tented rooms and shared dining spaces provide an under-canvas base close to the wildlife country covered during consecutive game-drive days. The camp’s position reduces unnecessary transfers and allows the guide to plan each day around current animal movement. It suits itineraries entering from Lake Natron and continuing across the Serengeti toward the Ngorongoro highlands.

LocationSerengetiStay styleTented safari camp
Day 05

Plains of Wonder – Another Full Day in Serengeti

  • Activity: Guided Experience
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today is another day to enjoy the great beauty of Serengeti. Follow the movement of the animals and search for rare sights like hunting lions or the cheetah’s chase. If your visit matches the time of the Great Migration, you may see large groups of wildebeest and zebras crossing the plains together. Your guide will plan the day based on where the animals are most active.

Accommodation

Kilima Valley Tented Camp

Kilima Valley Tented Camp is a safari camp serving travellers exploring the Serengeti ecosystem. Its tented rooms and shared dining spaces provide an under-canvas base close to the wildlife country covered during consecutive game-drive days. The camp’s position reduces unnecessary transfers and allows the guide to plan each day around current animal movement. It suits itineraries entering from Lake Natron and continuing across the Serengeti toward the Ngorongoro highlands.

LocationSerengetiStay styleTented safari camp
Day 06

Highlands Journey – Serengeti to Karatu

  • Activity: Game Drive
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Enjoy a relaxed morning drive as you leave Serengeti behind. You may still see animals like rhinos or leopards before reaching the edge of Ngorongoro. Stop at the crater rim to see the view below, then continue to the cool highlands of Karatu. This small town is surrounded by green farms and coffee fields – a perfect place to rest.

Accommodation

Masailand Coffee Lodge

Masailand Coffee Lodge is a lodge-style property in the cultivated highlands around Karatu. Guest rooms and landscaped grounds provide a comfortable change of pace after the open plains of the Serengeti or a full day in Ngorongoro Crater. The main lodge provides dining and shared relaxation space for cooler highland evenings. Its Karatu location is convenient for Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the road back toward Arusha.

LocationKaratuStay styleSafari lodge
Day 07

Crater of Life – Full Day Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

  • Activity: Game Drive
  • Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

After breakfast, drive into the famous Ngorongoro Crater. This round valley was once a giant volcano. Now it is home to many animals, including the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Spend the day driving around the crater floor, watching hippos in the water, lions resting in the grass, and maybe even spotting the rare black rhino. Enjoy lunch near a pool before heading back to Karatu.

Accommodation

Masailand Coffee Lodge

Masailand Coffee Lodge is a lodge-style property in the cultivated highlands around Karatu. Guest rooms and landscaped grounds provide a comfortable change of pace after the open plains of the Serengeti or a full day in Ngorongoro Crater. The main lodge provides dining and shared relaxation space for cooler highland evenings. Its Karatu location is convenient for Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the road back toward Arusha.

LocationKaratuStay styleSafari lodge
Day 08

Elephant Realm – Tarangire National Park & Transfer to Karatu

  • Activity: Transfer
  • Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning, drive to Tarangire National Park, a peaceful place known for its big herds of elephants and tall baobab trees. Watch animals come to drink near the Tarangire River, and look for giraffes, zebras, lions, and many birds. In the afternoon, you will leave the park and head toward Karatu.

Accommodation

Masailand Coffee Lodge

Masailand Coffee Lodge is a lodge-style property in the cultivated highlands around Karatu. Guest rooms and landscaped grounds provide a comfortable change of pace after the open plains of the Serengeti or a full day in Ngorongoro Crater. The main lodge provides dining and shared relaxation space for cooler highland evenings. Its Karatu location is convenient for Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the road back toward Arusha.

LocationKaratuStay styleSafari lodge
Day 09

Lakeside Finale – Lake Manyara National Park & Return to Arusha

  • End of Tour in Arusha
  • Activity: Game Drive & Transfer
  • Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Begin the final day in Lake Manyara National Park, where groundwater forest, open floodplain and the lakeshore create a compact but varied wildlife habitat. Follow the park roads with your guide while looking for monkeys in the forest, elephants among the trees and waterbirds along the lake margin. After the game drive, leave the Rift Valley and continue to Arusha. The safari concludes on arrival in the afternoon, bringing the nine-day journey through northern Tanzania to a close.

Plan your safari
Your Safari Package

Included & Excluded

Included

Included in the published itinerary

  • All national park and conservation area entry fees
  • Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
  • Professional English-speaking safari guide
  • All scheduled game drives and crater descent
  • 8 nights’ accommodation in specified camps/lodges
  • All meals during the safari (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
  • Bottled drinking water and soft drinks during game drives
  • Transfers to/from Arusha or airport (if arranged)
Not included

Additional costs

  • International and domestic flights
  • Visa fees and travel insurance
  • Optional activities not mentioned in the itinerary (e.g., Oldoinyo Lengai hike)
  • Tips and gratuities for guide and lodge staff
  • Alcoholic beverages unless specified
  • Personal expenses (laundry, souvenirs, etc.)
Safari Escort safari specialist
Local Safari Expert

Ready to shape this trip around you?

Speak directly with our local safari team and let us tailor the trip around your travel plans.

Chat with a Safari Expert
3-Day Mikumi National Park Safari from Dar es Salaam with Maasai Experience
Tanzania Safari

3-Day Mikumi National Park Safari from Dar es Salaam with Maasai Experience

From $650View Safari
21-Day Southern, Northern & Zanzibar Beach Midrange Tanzania Safari
Tanzania Safari

21-Day Southern, Northern & Zanzibar Beach Midrange Tanzania Safari

From $9,890View Safari
15-Day Southern Circuit Tanzania Safari Combo Experiences
Tanzania Safari

15-Day Southern Circuit Tanzania Safari Combo Experiences

From $5,450View Safari
Before you go

Safari Questions,
Simply Answered

Ask our safari team

9 days / 8 nights. The day-by-day itinerary shows where each overnight falls. Check arrival and departure flight times before arranging onward travel, and ask us if you would prefer a slower pace or an extra night.

From $4,590 per person. Ask for a quote for your dates and group size. The final quote depends on travel dates, group size, room choice and any flights or extras. Request a written breakdown of park fees, accommodation, meals, transfers and exclusions before you book.

Arusha National Park – Green forests, Mount Meru views, Lake Natron – Home of flamingos and dramatic volcanic land, Engaresero Waterfall – Hidden waterfall near the base of Oldoinyo Lengai, Serengeti National Park – Wide open plains filled with wildlife, Ngorongoro Crater – A round valley full of wild animals, including the Big Five, Karatu Highlands – Rolling hills, farms, and coffee fields, Tarangire National Park – Land of elephants and big baobab trees, Lake Manyara National Park – Forests, birds, and tree-climbing lions

Masailand Safari Lodge, Moivaro Tented Camp, Kilima Valley Tented Camp, Masailand Coffee Lodge. Exact properties and room types depend on availability. Ask us to confirm each stay, its location, meal plan and any proposed alternative in writing before paying a deposit.