7 Day Tanzania Big Five Safari

Tanzania’s northern safari circuit is your gateway to adventure, and it all begins here in the mountainside town of Arusha. Nestled on the slopes of the volcanic Mount Meru, Arusha is a bustling hub of vibrant Tanzanian culture—and the first stop on your Tanzania Big Five Safari. After you arrive at the nearby Kilimanjaro International Airport, we’ll bring you to Arusha Planet Lodge on the outskirts of the city. Tropical gardens, charming red-roofed cottages, and warm hospitality are the order of the day at this welcoming little hotel. Tonight, you can enjoy a dip in the lodge pool before dinner or simply take the time you need to recover from your flight.

Our destination today is Lake Manyara National Park, which we can reach in about two hours. The park is one Tanzania’s smaller wildlife reserves, but it boasts an astounding variety of wildlife, and it serves as the perfect introduction to the country’s splendid natural scenery. We’ll follow the winding road which loops throughout the park on our game drive, and with any luck we’ll be able to tick a few of the Big Five from our list: the park is home to lions, elephants, and buffalo. Notably, the lions which live along the shores of Lake Manyara are known to climb trees, and the opportunity to photograph this unusual behavior is sure to be a highlight of your Tanzania Big Five Safari. Later this afternoon, we’ll drive to nearby Karatu to check in at our gorgeously landscaped and exceptionally welcoming accommodations at the lovely Marera Valley Lodge.

We’ll get an early start this morning to make the three-hour drive to the Serengeti National Park, the next destination on our Tanzania Big Five Safari. Along the way, we’ll pass through the wilds of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai herdsmen walk side-by-side with wandering giraffes and zebra. When we arrive in the Serengeti, you’ll quickly understand how this park has achieved its stellar worldwide reputation. We’ll discover endless horizons, acacia trees dotting the savanna like lone sentinels, and—of course—a remarkable concentration of predators and prey alike. We’ll spend our time in the Serengeti searching for Thomson’s gazelles, cheetah, topi, eland, and the next species on our Big Five list: the mysterious and secretive leopard. Today, we’ll enjoy a rewarding game drive on the way to Embalakai Camp, where we’ll be spending the next two nights under canvas in classic safari tents.

Our exploration of the Serengeti National Park continues today with a full-day game drive. We’ll venture far and wide in search of the wildlife species you’ve come to see, including some of the Big Five. But the Serengeti has much more to offer, including more than 500 bird species—from extra-large avian superstars like the ostrich and kori bustard to the smallest lovebird. As the sun climbs into the sky and the heat of the day builds, we can either return to camp for lunch or select a scenic spot in the bush to enjoy a picnic. Then it’s back into our vehicle for an afternoon game drive, spotting hippos splashing in shallow muddy water, hyenas trotting across the savanna carrying scraps of bone in their jaws, and indolent lions lounging across granite outcrops of rock. Tonight, we’ll savor a classic African sundowner as shadows lengthen across the bush and the sounds of the night emerge one by one.

The next stop on our Tanzania Big Five Safari is the ancient geological formation known as Ngorongoro Crater. We’ve already caught a glimpse of this massive volcanic caldera on our way to the Serengeti; now we’ll take the time to descend onto the lush savanna which characterizes this natural paradise. The crater is known for its thriving populations of lions and hyenas, but there’s enough variety here to impress even the most experienced travelers. If we’re lucky, we’ll have the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the critically endangered black rhinoceros: a truly prehistoric mammal whose dignity and presence simply cannot be denied. Best of all, the rhino is also likely to represent the last of the Big Five on our list. After exploring the crater, we’ll travel onwards to Karatu to spend another night at the delightful Marera Valley Lodge.

The final destination on our Tanzania Big Five Safari represents something of a hidden gem amongst the game reserves of our country’s northern safari circuit. After breakfast, we’ll be traveling east and south, skirting the edge of Lake Manyara once again to venture into the baobab woodlands of Tarangire National Park. This pristine wilderness encompasses nearly 3,000 square kilometers of expansive bush, and it’s especially renowned for its high concentration of elephants. If you’re visiting during the driest part of the year between June and September, you’ll also get to witness a large-scale influx of zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo as they migrate here in search of water. But Tarangire is a fantastic place to visit at any time of year, and you’ll quickly fall in love with its splendid scenery and abundant wildlife. We’ll be staying at the Tarangire Simba Lodge tonight, enjoying roomy accommodations in safari tents with distinctive thatched roofs.

It’s been a spectacular week, but our seven-day Tanzania Big Five Safari is drawing to a close. We’ll have the morning at Tarangire Simba Lodge to relax at our leisure, lingering to fully enjoy the ambience of one of Tanzania’s finest wildest spaces. Then we’ll make the return journey to Arusha, arriving at the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your outgoing flight. Thank you for choosing Chalema Tanzania Safaris to arrange your Big Five safari!