4 Day Luxury Safari
Four days of private game drives and premium lodges, from Tarangire's elephants to a crater-rim lodge overlooking Ngorongoro and a treehouse-style stay at Lake Manyara.
- Duration
- 4 days
- Route
- Arusha – Tarangire – Ngorongoro Crater – Lake Manyara – Arusha
- Start / end
- Starts and ends in Arusha (pick-up from your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport)
- Best time
- Excellent year-round; June to October brings peak wildlife in Tarangire, and November to March is greener and quieter.
- Trip style
- Fully private 4x4 Land Cruiser with a senior driver-guide. Luxury lodges with full-board dining, chosen for location and service.
Tour overview
Short on time but not willing to compromise on comfort? This four-day luxury safari pairs three of northern Tanzania's most rewarding parks with some of the finest lodges in each location. Driving distances are short, so you spend your days on game drives and your evenings enjoying exceptional food, fireside drinks and big views.
You begin with Tarangire's elephant herds, then sleep on the very edge of the Ngorongoro Crater with the caldera spread out below your room. After an early descent to the crater floor, you continue to Lake Manyara for a final night in a beautiful lodge inside the park, followed by a relaxed morning game drive.
It works perfectly as a standalone escape, as an add-on after a Kilimanjaro climb or business trip, or as the first part of a Zanzibar beach holiday.
Highlights
- Private Land Cruiser and expert guide throughout
- Night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim with caldera views
- Early-morning crater descent for Big Five sightings
- Tarangire's elephants and baobab landscapes
- Stay inside Lake Manyara National Park
- Short drives and premium lodges for a relaxed pace
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your guide meets you at your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport and drives about 2 hours to Tarangire National Park. Enjoy your first game drive along the Tarangire River, where elephants gather in large family herds, alongside giraffes, zebras, impalas and buffalo. Lions, leopards and the rare fringe-eared oryx also live in the park. Lunch is served at your lodge or as a picnic in the park. In the late afternoon you check into your luxury treehouse-style suite, with a sundowner overlooking the bush.
Day 2Tarangire to the Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Wake to birdsong and enjoy a morning game drive in Tarangire before breakfast or straight after. Then drive west through Mto wa Mbu, up the Rift Valley escarpment and through the green farmland of Karatu, about 3 hours in total. You climb through montane forest to your lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, perched about 2,000 feet above the crater floor. Spend the afternoon relaxing, walking along the rim with a ranger or simply watching the light change over the caldera.
Day 3Ngorongoro Crater to Lake Manyara
Descend into the crater soon after sunrise, when the light is beautiful and the floor is at its quietest. Over about 6 hours you search for black rhino, lions, cheetahs, elephants and hyenas among great herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo, with hippos in the pools and flamingos on the soda lake. After a gourmet picnic lunch on the crater floor, ascend and drive about 1.5 hours to Lake Manyara, where you check into your lodge inside the park in time for a sundowner.
Day 4Lake Manyara Game Drive and Return to Arusha
Start the day with a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. The park's mahogany and fig forest shelters elephants and troops of baboons, while the lakeshore attracts flamingos, pelicans and storks in many months. This is also one of the few places where lions are known to climb trees. After lunch at the lodge you drive about 2.5 hours back to Arusha, where your guide drops you at your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport for your onward journey.
What is included
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and senior English-speaking driver-guide
- All park entry and conservation fees, including the Ngorongoro Crater service fee
- Three nights in luxury lodges as listed
- All meals as listed, including gourmet picnic lunches
- Selected house drinks where included by the lodge
- Unlimited bottled drinking water, binoculars and charging in the vehicle
- Private transfers from 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 lodge staff
- Premium wines, spirits and champagne unless stated by the lodge
- Optional activities such as hot-air balloon flights
- Spa treatments, laundry and personal items
Good to know
- Lake Manyara Tree Lodge sits deep inside the park, so arrival times are planned around park opening hours.
- Nights on the crater rim are cool year-round; pack a fleece or light jacket.
- Lodges can be swapped for other luxury properties depending on availability and your preferences.
- This safari combines easily with a Zanzibar beach extension via a short flight from Arusha.
Frequently asked questions
Is four days enough for a safari?
Four days is enough to see Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara without rushing. If seeing the Serengeti is a priority, we recommend adding at least two nights there.
Why stay on the crater rim?
A rim lodge puts you minutes from the descent road, so you can be on the crater floor early, before it gets busy, and enjoy spectacular views from your room.
Can this be booked for a special occasion?
Yes. Let us know if you are celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary or birthday, and we will pass this on to the lodges so they can add special touches where possible.
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