Private Multi day Safari tour in Tanzania

The unusual strength of this safari is its variety. You do not simply sit in a vehicle for nine days. You walk with an armed ranger in Arusha and Ngorongoro, paddle on Lake Momella, take a night drive at Lake Manyara, and spend two full days among the animals of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. It is a broad Northern Tanzania circuit, not a short park sampler.

I like the balance between classic wildlife viewing and more active outings. I also like the practical all-inclusive setup: transport, park fees, camping equipment, sleeping bag, meals, drinks, and a professional driver-guide are included. The main concern is the physical load. The two 17-kilometer crater-rim walks make this a serious walking safari, not a gentle add-on to a game-drive holiday.

Key points to know before booking

• Five major wildlife areas: Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Tarangire.
• Several ways to see nature: vehicle game drives, canoeing, guided walks, and a night drive.
• Two full Serengeti days: useful for reaching different habitats and improving your chances of seeing big cats and migration activity.
• A demanding crater-rim section: 34 kilometers of walking over two days, with a Maasai warrior, donkeys carrying luggage, and an armed ranger.
• Camping is part of the price: expect public and bush camps rather than a lodge-based holiday.
• Private format: only your group takes part, but the exact group size and assigned guide should be confirmed before payment.

A nine-day route with more variety than the usual safari

At $3,900 per person, this is a substantial purchase. The value depends on what you want from Tanzania. If your only aim is to see the Serengeti from a safari vehicle, a shorter trip may suit you better. If you want a private route with walking, canoeing, night viewing, several parks, camping, and most meals included, the price begins to make more sense.

The published rating is 4.9 from 20 ratings, with 100 percent recommending the experience. The strongest praise attached to this operator centers on organization, friendly service, good food, capable guides, and well-run camping trips. Names connected with company trips include Peter, Sanga, Josef Igombe, Joseph, and Emily, although your own guide is not named in the tour details. Ask for that information before booking.

The schedule is full. You will spend long hours on rough park roads, rise early for wildlife viewing, and sleep at campsites. That is part of the appeal, but you should not mistake this for a soft-edged lodge break.

Day 1: walking and canoeing in Arusha National Park

Pickup is scheduled from your Arusha hotel or the airport at 8:30 a.m. You then drive to Arusha National Park for about four hours of walking with an armed ranger.

This is a fine way to begin. Arusha National Park gives you a close look at smaller details that can disappear during a fast vehicle drive. You may see giraffes, zebras, antelope, buffalo, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and possibly elephants near the trail. The walking format also teaches you to read tracks, sounds, and animal movement at ground level.

After lunch, you take a canoe safari on Lake Momella. Hippos, buffalo, giraffes, waterbuck, and many bird species may appear around the water. The canoe is a quiet way to approach animals, though sightings are never guaranteed and the experience is more about patience than a rapid list of species.

The setting also offers views toward Mount Meru and, in clear conditions, Kilimanjaro. At the end of the day, you drive to Mc Ellys Hotel for dinner and the night.

This opening day is active and varied, but it is also long. The listed duration is about eight hours, so wear comfortable walking shoes and keep a small day bag accessible. The tour includes a sleeping bag, but accommodation details should be confirmed if the hotel arrangement matters to you.

Day 2: Lake Manyara from morning light to night

You meet the guide at Mc Ellys Hotel at 8:30 a.m. and drive to Lake Manyara National Park with picnic lunches. The morning is set aside for a game drive, with possible sightings of lions, hippos, antelope, impala, and zebra close to the vehicle.

Lake Manyara changes with the season. During the flamingo season, the lake shore can fill with feeding birds. The exact timing of that spectacle is not guaranteed, so treat it as a seasonal bonus rather than the main reason to book.

After lunch, you leave the vehicle for a guided walk accompanied by an armed ranger. This break matters. Several hours of sitting in a safari vehicle can be tiring, and a walk gives you a different sense of scale and sound.

The unusual feature comes later. After an early dinner, you return to the park at about 8 p.m. for roughly three hours of night game viewing. Darkness changes the experience, and nocturnal activity can include animals you would not notice during daylight. The tour description does not promise particular night species, so the value lies in the chance to see the park under different conditions.

This is another full day, listed at about seven hours before the night drive is added. Expect a late finish and an early start the next morning.

Days 3 and 4: reaching the Serengeti and giving it time

Day 3 begins after breakfast with the long drive toward Serengeti National Park. The route passes through the Ngorongoro area and continues to Nabi Hill Gate, where lunch is planned around 2:30 p.m. The driver handles the park entry process while you take in the views.

You may see Ngorongoro Crater from viewpoints along the way, but this day is not a crater game drive. The first Serengeti wildlife viewing comes later, with an afternoon drive continuing toward sunset.

The Serengeti is worth more than a rushed pass through. Its open grasslands, rocky kopjes, river valleys, and changing animal concentrations reward time. You camp after dinner, so be ready for a basic setup rather than private rooms. Camping equipment, a sleeping bag, meals, and drinks are included, which keeps the logistics simpler.

Day 4 starts very early, at about 5:45 a.m., with breakfast and picnic lunch boxes. You then spend a full day on safari, returning to the park’s roads and wildlife areas selected by the guide.

A sunrise drive can be one of the best times for viewing because the day is cool and animals may be active. The route may include a hippo pool, lion prides, wildebeest movement, and the kopjes scattered across the plains. Migration sightings depend heavily on the season and the animals’ location. No safari can guarantee that the herds will be nearby.

Two days in the Serengeti are a major strength of this plan. They give your guide more room to adjust the route rather than treating the park as a single afternoon stop. They also reduce the pressure to see everything at once, though the long driving distances still make these demanding days.

Day 5: from Serengeti plains to the Ngorongoro rim

After breakfast, you continue with a game drive en route to Simba Campsite on the Ngorongoro Crater rim. You may stop at Olduvai Gorge and the small Dr. Leakey Museum. The museum visit is optional, so ask whether there is enough time and whether an entrance charge applies.

The route passes through the Serengeti and may include sightings of lions, cheetahs, leopards in trees, flamingos, water birds, kingfishers, and other animals around the Seronera River Valley and Lake Magadi. The wide plains are the visual heart of the trip, but they are also the reason this day can feel long.

You finish at a campsite on the crater rim. The location gives you a strong sense of the area before the next day’s descent. The elevation can also mean cooler conditions than the lower parks, so pack a warm layer even if your daytime clothes are light.

Day 6: six hours on the Ngorongoro Crater floor

The morning begins with a descent of about 610 meters into Ngorongoro Crater. You spend around six hours on the crater floor with a picnic lunch.

This is one of the most concentrated wildlife days in the program. Possible sightings include black rhino, lion, elephant, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, hyena, jackal, and many water birds. At Soda Lake, flamingos may be present. The enclosed shape of the crater makes it a powerful setting for wildlife viewing, but animal movements still vary from day to day.

The crater is not a place to rush. Give yourself time to watch behavior, not just collect photographs. Lions resting near a road, buffalo moving across open ground, or a rhino at a distance can be more memorable than a long checklist.

You return to Simba Campsite on the rim for dinner and another night. The six-hour game drive is shorter than the Serengeti days, but the early start and rough roads still make it a tiring outing.

Days 7 and 8: a demanding walk along the crater rim

This is the section that changes the character of the trip. After breakfast, you drive a short distance to the walking start point on the northern rim. You then walk through acacia forest with a Maasai warrior, donkeys carrying luggage, and an armed ranger.

Day 7 covers about 17 kilometers and lasts six to seven hours. You may see birds, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, bushbuck, and other wildlife, along with wide views into Ngorongoro Crater. The night is spent at Leianai Bush Campsite.

Day 8 adds another 17 kilometers from Leianai to Ilkiepusi Bush Camp. The route continues through acacia forest, with crater views from above and possible sightings of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, elephant, giraffe, and birds.

The combination of a Maasai companion, ranger, pack donkeys, and bush camps gives this portion a more human and physical feel than a standard game drive. It is also the clearest reason to take the fitness warning seriously. A moderate fitness level is listed, but 34 kilometers over two days can be strenuous, especially after a week of early mornings and vehicle travel.

Ask in advance about the walking pace, luggage arrangement, footwear, water access, and camp facilities. The supplied details confirm donkeys carry luggage, but they do not explain the exact camping setup. Bring a good day pack, sun protection, and clothing suitable for changing temperatures.

Day 9: Tarangire’s elephants and baobabs

After breakfast, you walk about half a kilometer to meet the vehicle and continue to Tarangire National Park. A full-day game drive with a picnic lunch follows before the evening return to your Arusha hotel.

Tarangire covers about 2,600 square kilometers and is especially important during dry periods, when animals gather around water. The park can produce large numbers of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and fringe-eared oryx. Lions, cheetahs, and leopards are also possible.

Birdlife adds another layer. Green wood hoopoes, Fischer’s lovebirds, white-bellied go-away birds, and giant kingfishers are among the species named for the park. You do not need to be a serious bird watcher to appreciate this variety, but a small pair of binoculars will make the day better.

Ending in Tarangire gives the route a different final note from the Serengeti and crater. The return to Arusha is scheduled for late evening, so do not plan a tight onward connection that night.

What the $3,900 price includes

The package includes:

• Park and parking fees listed in the tour details
• All stated activities
• Private transportation
• A professional driver-guide
• Camping equipment and sleeping bag
• Meals, including eight lunches, eight dinners, and seven breakfasts
• Drinks
• Taxes and VAT

That is a useful list for comparing safari quotes. A lower headline price may exclude park fees, camping gear, meals, or guide services. Here, the main cost is bundled into one nine-day private trip.

Some items remain outside the price. International flights, roundtrip airport transfers, accommodation before and after the tour, bath towels, tips, personal items, and any government increase in park fees are excluded. The summary says pickup is offered, but the detailed exclusions say roundtrip airport transfer is not included, so confirm exactly where pickup applies.

The itinerary also includes several public or bush camps. If you want lodge rooms, private bathrooms, or a slower schedule, this is probably not the right format. If you value a private route and active days more than polished accommodation, the package offers solid practical value.

Who will enjoy this safari most

I would recommend this trip to you if you want a broad introduction to Northern Tanzania and prefer variety over a single-park focus. It works well for a private group that wants to shape the pace with its own guide and combine wildlife drives with walking and canoeing.

It also suits people who are happy with camping and long travel days. The strongest parts require patience, early starts, and a willingness to accept that wildlife sightings cannot be controlled.

I would think twice if you have limited mobility, dislike rough roads, need reliable private bathrooms, or want a relaxed holiday. The crater-rim walks alone make this more active than many nine-day safaris.

The company has received especially strong praise for organization, food, guide service, and customer care. Still, ask for a written day-by-day confirmation of accommodation, guide name, vehicle arrangements, airport pickup, and any current park-fee changes before sending payment.

Should you book it?

Book this safari if you want a private, active Northern Circuit trip with five wildlife areas and several ways to experience nature. The two Serengeti days, six-hour Ngorongoro Crater drive, Lake Manyara night outing, Arusha canoe safari, and 34-kilometer crater-rim walk give the itinerary real range.

Skip it if you want a short, comfortable safari built around lodges and easy vehicle viewing. For the right person, $3,900 buys a full program with many major costs covered. Just arrive prepared for camping, long drives, early mornings, and a serious walk at the end.

FAQ

How long is the safari?

The experience lasts approximately nine days, beginning in Arusha and ending with a late return to an Arusha hotel on Day 9.

Which parks and protected areas are included?

The route includes Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater, and Tarangire National Park.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private tour or activity. The exact group size is not specified.

Are meals included?

Yes. The package includes seven breakfasts, eight lunches, and eight dinners, along with drinks.

Is airport pickup included?

Pickup is offered from an Arusha hotel or airport at the start of the tour. Roundtrip airport transfer is listed as excluded, so confirm the exact airport pickup and return arrangements before booking.

How much walking is involved?

You walk for about four hours in Arusha on Day 1, take a guided walk at Lake Manyara, and walk about 17 kilometers on both Days 7 and 8 along the Ngorongoro rim. A moderate level of physical fitness is required.

What is the cancellation policy?

You receive a full refund if you cancel at least three full days before the experience start time. Cancellations and changes made within three full days are not accepted for a refund.