Classic
6 Days Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari
Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
From $3,450 per person
View the 6 Days Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro SafariBespoke · 6 Days / 5 Nights
One Conservation Area. Crater, Calving Plains and the Cradle of Humankind.
A private 6-day Ngorongoro Conservation Area safari that swaps long transfer days for time on the crater floor and the Ndutu plains.
- Your investment
- From $7,400 pp (Non-Resident)
Overview
6 Day Ngorongoro Conservation Area Safari
Most safaris pass through Ngorongoro in a day. This one stays. You descend into the crater at first light, stand where the earliest human footprints were found at Olduvai, then follow the wildebeest herds onto the short-grass plains of Ndutu, where thousands of calves are born each day in season. You fly out on the last day, so no day is lost to the road back.
At a glance
- 6 days / 5 nights, private 4x4 and guide throughout
- 2 nights on the crater rim
- 2 nights in a small mobile camp that moves with the migration
- Best December to March
- Guides available in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese
Route
- Day 1 · Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) → Arusha
- Day 2 · Arusha → Ngorongoro Crater rim
- Day 3 · Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Day 4 · Ngorongoro Crater → Olduvai Gorge → Ndutu
- Day 5 · Full day at Ndutu
- Day 6 · Ndutu → flight to Arusha or Zanzibar
| Day | Where | Stay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Arusha | Gran Meliá Arusha |
| 2 | Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater Rim | Meliá Ngorongoro Lodge |
| 3 | Ngorongoro Crater Floor | Meliá Ngorongoro Lodge |
| 4 | Olduvai Gorge to Ndutu | Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp |
| 5 | Full Day at Ndutu | Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp |
| 6 | Ndutu and Flight Out |
Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha → Ngorongoro Crater → Olduvai Gorge → Ndutu → fly to Arusha or Zanzibar
Mix and match your camps
You can mix Classic, Signature and Bespoke accommodation within this safari.
Day by day
Itinerary
-
Day 1
Arrival in Arusha
Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to Arusha. The rest of the day is yours to rest by the pool before your safari briefing.
≈ 50 km ≈ 1 hr driveWhere you stay
Gran Meliá Arusha
pool, spa, gardens, Mount Meru views
- Meals: Dinner
-
Day 2
Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Drive west through the Rift Valley and climb into the Ngorongoro highlands. After lunch, walk the crater rim with a ranger and watch the light change over the caldera 600 metres below.
Optional: Maasai village visit, coffee farm stop in Karatu
≈ 190 km ≈ 4 hrs driveWhere you stay
Meliá Ngorongoro Lodge
crater views, heated pool, spa
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 3
Ngorongoro Crater Floor
You descend at dawn, before most vehicles arrive. The crater holds lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and some of Tanzania's last black rhino in one enclosed landscape. Picnic lunch is at the hippo pool before a slow afternoon drive back up.
Distance: about 15 km to the descent road
Where you stay
Meliá Ngorongoro Lodge
- Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
-
Day 4
Olduvai Gorge to Ndutu
Leave the highlands for the open plains. Stop at Olduvai Gorge and its museum, then the Shifting Sands, a dune that creeps across the plain each year. By afternoon you are among the herds at Ndutu.
Distance: about 60 km, 1.5 hours to Olduvai
Optional: Maasai boma visit
Where you stay
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp
a handful of en-suite tents, safari showers, positioned each season beside the herds
- Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
-
Day 5
Full Day at Ndutu
A full day on the calving plains with no fixed schedule. In season the wildebeest give birth here, and cheetah, lion and hyena are never far behind. Your camp sits among the herds, so the game drive starts at your tent.
Where you stay
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 6
Ndutu and Flight Out
One last morning game drive, then a short transfer to Ndutu airstrip for your flight to Arusha, Kilimanjaro or on to Zanzibar.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance: about 10 km to the airstrip
Departure day, no overnight stay
Included
Includes & Excludes
Your investment
From $7,400 pp (Non-Resident)
Included
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and professional guide
- All Ngorongoro Conservation Area entry, crater and concession fees
- 5 nights' accommodation and meals as listed
- Ndutu to Arusha scheduled flight
- Airport transfers, drinking water on game drives
Not included
- International flights and visa
- Travel insurance
- Tips, drinks at lodges, personal items
- Optional activities
Options
- Upgrade the rim: andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or Entamanu Ngorongoro
- Alternative at Ndutu: andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas
- Add a day: Empakaai Crater hike from the rim
- Extend: fly from Ndutu straight to Zanzibar
Best time
December to March, when the migration is on the Ndutu plains and calving peaks in late January and February. The crater is excellent all year. From April to November we recommend replacing Ndutu with the Serengeti. Our Ndutu camp is mobile and is here only while the herds are.
Planning
How it works
-
01
Describe your dream
Tell us your dates, your group and what you most want to see. We reply within 24 hours with a first itinerary and price.
-
02
Confirm
We adjust the camps, pace and budget until it fits you. A deposit then secures your dates and rooms.
-
03
Start packing
You receive your final itinerary, packing list and travel documents. Your guide is waiting when you land.
Plan your safari
Let's plan your trip to Ngorongoro: 6 days of crater, Ndutu and Olduvai.
We reply within 24 hours.
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