7 Days Tanzania Budget Safari

Welcome to Arusha! This vibrant and lively town is where your adventure on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit will begin—and it’s also where your flight will arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. A representative from Chalema Tanzania Safaris will meet you after you clear customs, introducing you to our country and bringing you to the first stop on your Tanzania Budget Safari. You’ll be spending the night at the lovely Mambo Arusha Hostel. You’ll enjoy bright rooms with modern amenities, a comfortable lounge where you can relax after the rigors of international travel, and a comfortable bed at the end of the day.

We’ve maximized the value of your seven-day Tanzania Budget Safari by choosing campsites where you can enjoy the genuine spirit of adventure while getting even closer to nature. You’ll experience the first of these campsites when we visit Tarangire National Park, the first game reserve on our safari. The park is comprised of a sprawling baobab wilderness where huge herds of elephants wander the bush, lions hunt in the shadows of dusk, and plains game like impala and zebra gather in great numbers. We’ll reach the park after traveling about two hours from Arusha, spending plenty of time on a rewarding game drive to see as many animals as possible. This evening, we’ll pitch our tents at Migombani Camp: a secure campsite with modern showers and bathrooms—not to mention spectacular views stretching all the way to the nearby Lake Manyara.

Today is sure to represent one of the best days on your Tanzania Budget Safari. We’ll be visiting not one, but three spectacular wildlife destinations. After a morning game drive through Tarangire National Park, we’ll travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to arrive at Ngorongoro Crater. As we descend into this two-million-year-old volcanic caldera, you’ll discover how the steep walls of this unique geological formation have created a natural habitat for countless wildlife species. We’ll explore the crater this afternoon looking for lions, hyenas, elephants, and—if you’re lucky—the rare black rhinoceros. Later, we’ll leave the crater behind and continue our journey across Tanzania’s heartlands to reach the Serengeti National Park. This tremendous expanse of wild territory represents the country’s most well-known nature reserve, and you’ll get to see everything it has to offer over the next two nights. This evening, we’ll set up camp at one of several public campsites in the park’s central Seronera region.

The Serengeti is rightly renowned for its impressive diversity of big game, but did you know that the park is also home to more than 500 species of birds? The gentle coo of the Cape turtle dove is one of the most distinctive sounds of the African bush, and we’ll look for this iconic species and many of its colorfully feathered relatives as we further explore the Serengeti. We’ll actually have a full day in the park today, and we can either return to camp for lunch or enjoy a picnic right here on the Serengeti plains, with grazing wildebeest and zebra serving as our guests. Later, we’ll have your drink of choice for a classic African sundowner as we watch the sun set over the acacia-studded savanna of the Serengeti National Park.

This morning, we’ll bid a fond farewell to the unforgettable Serengeti National Park—but not before we savor a final game drive on our way out of this world-class wildlife reserve. We’ll have one last chance to catch a glimpse of majestic lions sunning themselves on rocky kopjes, leopards perched in the branches of fig trees, and hyenas lounging by the roadside. Then we’ll return through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the way to the next stop on our seven-day Tanzania Budget Safari: Lake Natron. This alkaline lake is the last of the major attractions on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit, and its red alkaline waters serve as an important refuge for the country’s population of lesser flamingoes. We’ll be staying at the Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge for the next two nights, where you’ll experience a bewitching combination of natural beauty, first-rate hospitality, and Maasai culture.

There’s a lot to see and do within the immediate vicinity of Lake Natron, and our home base at the Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge will allow us to experience it all. We’ll take a guided walk to the shores of the lake itself, learning about the semi-nomadic traditions of the Maasai under the watchful eye of the towering volcano called Ol Doinyo Lengai. We can also hike to the nearby Engaresero waterfall for a refreshing dip in the cool waters of this freefalling cascade. We can even arrange for you to visit a traditional Maasai village or trek to a number of interesting geological features in this part of East Africa’s famous Great Rift Valley. Later, we’ll return to the Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge to make the most of your last night on our Tanzania Budget Safari.

On the last day of our Tanzania Budget Safari, we’ll wind our way south and east through the dramatic landscapes surrounding Lake Natron to reach Arusha in time for your departing flight. We hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to the people, wildlife, and scenery that make Tanzania such an incredible destination, and we can’t wait to welcome you back when you’re ready to embark upon another adventure with Chalema Tanzania Safaris.