6 Day Private Camping Safari
Your own Land Cruiser, guide and private cook on a six-day camping safari through Tarangire, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Route
- Arusha – Tarangire – Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Lake Manyara – Arusha
- Start / end
- Starts and ends in Arusha (pick-up from your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport)
- Best time
- The dry season from June to October is the most comfortable for camping, though private camping safaris run throughout the year.
- Trip style
- Fully private 4x4 Land Cruiser with driver-guide and dedicated cook. Nights in spacious dome tents at public campsites with shared facilities.
Tour overview
This private camping safari gives you the freedom of your own vehicle and crew at a fraction of lodge prices. Nobody else joins your group, so you decide when to start in the morning, how long to stay with a lion pride and when to break for lunch. Your private cook travels with you and prepares every meal fresh at camp.
The route follows the classic northern circuit: a night camping near Tarangire, two nights in the central Serengeti, a night on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and a final game drive at Lake Manyara. Sleeping inside the parks means you hear the bush come alive at night and can be on game drives within minutes of waking.
It is ideal for families with older children, groups of friends, photographers and adventurous couples who want privacy and flexibility on a sensible budget.
Highlights
- Private vehicle, guide and cook for your group alone
- Two nights camping inside the Serengeti
- Flexible schedule built around your interests
- Ngorongoro Crater game drive with a chance of black rhino
- Campfire evenings on the crater rim
- Freshly cooked meals prepared at every camp
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your private guide and cook collect you from your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport and drive about 2 hours to Tarangire National Park. Spend the afternoon on game drives along the Tarangire River, where elephants, giraffes, zebras and buffalo come to drink and lions often rest in the shade. The park's silhouetted baobab trees make wonderful photo subjects at sunset. Your crew sets up camp at a public campsite near the park, and your cook prepares a hot dinner while you watch the stars come out.
Day 2Tarangire to the Serengeti
After an early breakfast you travel through Mto wa Mbu and Karatu and climb into the Ngorongoro highlands, pausing at a crater viewpoint. The road then descends onto the Serengeti plains, and after lunch at Naabi Hill Gate you game drive to Seronera. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours with stops, but with a private vehicle you can stop whenever something catches your eye. Arrive at camp in the late afternoon, where your cook prepares dinner as the evening sounds of the Serengeti begin.
Day 3Full Day in the Serengeti
Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti at your own pace. You might leave before sunrise with a flask of coffee to catch lions returning from a hunt, then come back to camp for a cooked breakfast, or take a packed lunch and stay out all day. Your guide focuses on what interests you most, whether that is tracking leopards along the Seronera River, waiting for cheetahs on the plains or searching for the migration herds when they are in range. Dinner at camp under the stars.
Day 4Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti before your crew breaks camp. Drive back across the plains and climb into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a journey of about 3 to 4 hours, with an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge to learn about the early human fossils discovered there. In the afternoon you reach Simba Campsite on the crater rim. The evening is cool, so gather around the campfire with a warm drink while your cook prepares dinner.
Day 5Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater at first light, ahead of most vehicles. The crater floor holds lions, black rhino, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, zebras, hyenas and jackals, with hippos in the pools and flamingos on Lake Magadi. You have about 6 hours on the crater floor, with a picnic lunch by a hippo pool. In the afternoon, climb out of the crater and drive about 1.5 hours to Mto wa Mbu, where your crew sets up camp for the final night.
Day 6Lake Manyara and Return to Arusha
After breakfast you head into Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. The park is compact but varied, with dense groundwater forest full of baboons and blue monkeys, open grassland with elephants and giraffes, and a soda lake often lined with flamingos and pelicans. Look for the park's lions, which are sometimes seen resting in trees. After lunch you drive about 2 hours back to Arusha, where your guide drops you at your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport.
What is included
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Dedicated private safari cook
- All park entry and conservation fees, including the Ngorongoro Crater service fee
- Camping fees at public campsites
- Spacious dome tents, mattresses, camp chairs and tables
- All meals as listed in the itinerary
- Unlimited bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Pick-up and drop-off at your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport
- Government taxes and fuel
Not included
- International flights and Tanzania visa
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tips for your guide and cook
- Sleeping bag (available to rent)
- Soft drinks, beer and other beverages
- Optional activities such as the Serengeti hot-air balloon
- Personal items and laundry
Good to know
- Let us know about dietary requirements in advance; your private cook can prepare vegetarian, vegan and most special diets.
- Public campsites have shared toilets and showers, which are basic but cleaned daily.
- Bring warm clothes for the night on the crater rim, where temperatures can approach freezing in June to August.
- Your private safari can start on any date that suits you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between this and a group joining safari?
On a private camping safari the vehicle, guide and cook are for your group only, and you choose the start date and daily pace. On a group joining safari you share the vehicle with other travelers on fixed dates.
Are the tents big enough to stand in?
Our dome tents are sized for two people with luggage, and you can sit up comfortably inside. Taller walk-in tents can be requested on some departures.
Can children join a camping safari?
Yes. Children of most ages enjoy camping, though we recommend it for kids who are comfortable with basic facilities and long drives. We can suggest family-friendly adjustments to the itinerary.
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