An 8-day Big Five safari in Tanzania typically includes visits to Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. This itinerary focuses on maximizing wildlife viewing opportunities, with a special emphasis on spotting the “Big Five”: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and African buffaloes. The safari often includes cultural experiences, such as visits to local tribes like the Hadzabe and Datoga near Lake Eyasi.
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to Springlands Hotel or a similar accommodation for an overnight stay. You will meet with our team for a briefing and receive day-by-day information about your safari. Enjoy a day at Springlands Hotel, where you can relax by the swimming pool and soak up the African sun.
The drive from Moshi to Tarangire National Park takes about three hours. The park is particularly stunning during the Dry season, as many migratory wildlife species return to the permanent waters of the Tarangire River. Large herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, elands, and oryx gather in Tarangire until the rainy season when they migrate again to areas with better grazing. You will be staying overnight at the Highview Hotel.
Start your journey at the Highview Hotel and head to Lake Eyasi. The area is known for its abundant birdlife and is a great place to spend a couple of nights. You can see a wide variety of wildlife, including leopards, hippos, monkeys, birds, greater and lesser flamingoes, storks, and pelicans around the meadows along the lake shores and in the forest. Several private campsites are located by the lake, offering grassy tent spaces and shower facilities made mostly from local materials. After exploring Lake Eyasi, return to the Highview Hotel for your overnight stay on a full-board basis.
The drive to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge takes three to four hours. Olduvai Gorge is an archaeological site in the eastern Serengeti Plains, where early human fossils were discovered many years ago. The amazing landscape resulted from the same tectonic forces that created the Great Rift Valley millions of years ago. Then, in the late afternoon, travel to Serengeti Wild Camp for an overnight stay.
After breakfast, you will have the opportunity to explore Serengeti’s wilderness areas for a full day, where you can view the game in the park. You can enjoy a picnic lunch at leisure while discovering this world heritage site, home to the largest concentration of plain game still roaming free on earth. Your overnight stay will be at Serengeti Wild Camp.
After breakfast, drive to Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive inside the crater. This is the best place in Tanzania to see black rhinos and prides of lions, including the magnificent black-manned males. You will also find lots of colorful flamingoes and a variety of water birds. Other game you can see include leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, other members of the antelope family, and a myriad of small mammals.
The drive from Highview Hotel to Like Manyara National Park takes one hours. is especially stunning during the Dry season when many migratory wildlife species return to the permanent waters of the like Manyara. Large herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, elands, and oryx gather in like Manyara until the rainy season, when they migrate to other grazing areas. We will drive back to Springlands Hotel or a similar hotel in Moshi in the late afternoon.
After an early breakfast, transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure.
