5-Day Budget Camping Safari – Northern Tanzania Adventure

Tour Overview

Price Start From $ 1395 Per Person, 2 Pax

Embark on a 5-day budget-friendly camping safari across Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destinations: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park.

Perfect for travelers seeking adventure at an affordable price, this safari offers incredible wildlife viewing, scenic landscapes, and authentic overnight camping experiences. You will travel in a 4×4 safari vehicle with a professional guide and enjoy freshly prepared meals while staying at public campsites close to nature. From elephant herds and big cats to flamingo-filled lakes and volcanic craters, this safari promises unforgettable memories.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha-Tarangire National Park

Your adventure begins with a morning departure from Arusha heading toward Tarangire National Park, famous for its massive elephant herds and iconic baobab trees. As you enter the park, you will immediately notice its peaceful atmosphere and diverse landscapes of open grasslands, acacia woodlands, and the life-giving Tarangire River.

During the game drive, you may encounter large groups of elephants bathing or grazing, along with giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and various antelope species. Lions are often spotted resting under trees or stalking prey, while leopards occasionally lounge in branches. The park is also a paradise for bird lovers, with hundreds of bird species recorded. After a full day of wildlife viewing and a picnic lunch inside the park, you will head to your campsite for dinner and overnight under the African sky.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Accommodation: Budget Camping

Meals: Lunch& Dinner

Day 2: Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, you travel through the scenic Ngorongoro Highlands toward the world-famous Serengeti National Park. The drive itself is spectacular, offering panoramic views of rolling hills before the landscape opens into the endless golden plains that define the Serengeti.
Upon arrival, you begin your afternoon game drive in the central Serengeti (Seronera area), known for its high concentration of predators. This region is one of the best places to spot lions, cheetahs, and leopards throughout the year. Depending on the season, you may witness part of the Great Migration, where thousands of wildebeest and zebras move across the plains in search of fresh grazing. After an exciting day, you head to your campsite inside the park for dinner and overnight surrounded by the sounds of nature.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park
Accommodation: Budget Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch& Dinner

Day 3: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti

Today is dedicated to exploring the vast ecosystem of Serengeti National Park. An early morning game drive offers the best opportunity to see predators in action, as animals are most active during the cooler hours. Watching the sunrise over the plains while searching for wildlife is a truly unforgettable experience.

Throughout the day, you will explore different areas of the park, follow wildlife movements and track sightings shared by guides. Besides lions, cheetahs, and leopards, you may encounter elephants, buffalo, hippos wallowing in pools, crocodiles along riverbanks, and large herds of grazing herbivores. The Serengeti’s endless horizon and abundant wildlife make it one of Africa’s greatest safari destinations. After a picnic lunch and continued exploration, you return to camp for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Accommodation: Budget Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch& Dinner

Day 4: Serengeti-Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, you depart the Serengeti and head toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Upon arrival, you descend approximately 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The crater floor is home to an extraordinary concentration of wildlife within a relatively small area, making it one of the best places in Tanzania to see the Big Five in a single day. You may spot endangered black rhinos grazing on the open plains, large lion prides, elephants with impressive tusks, and numerous hyenas. The crater also features a soda lake that attracts flamingos and other water bird. Picnic lunch near a hippo pool, you ascend the crater walls and drive to your campsite in Karatu or Mto wa Mbu for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Accommodation: Budget Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch& Dinner

Day 5: Lake Manyara National Park-Arusha

On your final day, you visit Lake Manyara National Park, a small but diverse park nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The park is known for its lush groundwater forest, open grasslands, and alkaline lake that attracts thousands of flamingos during certain seasons.

Lake Manyara is famous for its rare tree-climbing lions, often seen resting on acacia branches. You may also encounter elephants, baboons, hippos, giraffes, and a wide variety of birdlife. The combination of forest, lake, and escarpment scenery makes this park uniquely beautiful. After a morning game drive and picnic lunch, you return to Arusha in the afternoon, marking the end of your unforgettable 5-day Tanzanian camping safari.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park

Accommodation: No

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch