Ngorongoro Crater
A wildlife amphitheatre inside an ancient volcanic caldera.
Explore Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania · Lodge Safaris
The same two-day Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater safari as our joining-group trip, but with a private vehicle and guide just for you.
Set your own pace: stay longer at a sighting, start earlier, or stop for photos whenever you like.
Route

Your guide collects you from your Arusha hotel in the morning, and after a short briefing you set off on the roughly two-hour drive to Tarangire National Park. This is baobab country: huge, centuries-old trees stand above the grassland, and the Tarangire River draws one of the largest concentrations of elephants in Tanzania, especially in the dry season.
Your guide plans the game drive around the latest sightings, looking for lions, leopards and cheetahs as well as the giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and warthogs that graze the river valley. Lunch is a picnic at the Tarangire River viewpoint, where animals come down to drink (keep an eye on your lunch box, the vervet monkeys are bold).
You leave the park at around 4:30 pm and drive to your lodge in Mto wa Mbu for dinner and the night.

After an early breakfast you drive up to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and stop at the viewpoint. The view is unforgettable: a 600-metre-deep, 20-kilometre-wide volcanic caldera with lakes, swamps, forest and grassland laid out below you.
Then you descend to the crater floor for your game drive. The steep walls keep most animals inside all year, so wildlife is dense and easy to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, zebras, wildebeest, hippos and flamingos are all regulars. The crater is also one of the best places in Tanzania to look for the endangered black rhino, which takes patience to find.
After a picnic lunch by the hippo pool you climb back out of the crater in the afternoon and drive back to Arusha, arriving in the early evening.
Northern Tanzania is good all year. The long dry season (June to October) is best for general game viewing, January to March is calving season in the southern Serengeti, and the April–May rains bring green landscapes and lower prices.
Yes. Every itinerary can be tailored: upgrade or change lodges, add extra nights, or combine your safari with Zanzibar or a Kilimanjaro climb. Tell us what you have in mind when you enquire.
Light, neutral-coloured layers, a warm fleece for early mornings (the Ngorongoro rim gets cold), a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, binoculars and a camera with a spare battery. Soft bags pack into safari vehicles and light aircraft more easily than hard suitcases.
Tailor-made
Send your travel dates and group size. We can adjust the length, lodges and route, and will reply with an itinerary and per-person quote.
Destination guides
Read more about the parks and places this itinerary visits: highlights, wildlife and the best time to go.
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