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Safari plan · 5 days · Northern circuit · Midrange

Manyara, Lake Eyasi & the Crater

Lake Manyara, two nights at Lake Eyasi spending time with Datoga and Hadzabe families on their terms, a coffee farm in Karatu and a last morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor — a safari that is as much about people as animals.

ArushaLake ManyaraLake EyasiNgorongoroArusha
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Length5 days · 4 nights
ParksLake Manyara, Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro
Starts & endsArusha
ComfortMidrange lodges & tented camps
Best monthsJune–October, December–February
OverviewThe routeDay by dayRatesWhere you sleepIncludedAdd-onsWhen to goFlights & extrasFAQEnquire
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IOverview

Two parks, and two days with the people who live beside them.

Lake Eyasi is a long, shallow soda lake south-west of Karatu, below the Rift escarpment. The Hadzabe, among the last people in Tanzania who live largely by hunting and gathering, live in the bush around it, and so do the Datoga, pastoralists known for their metalwork. This plan gives you two nights there, between a day in Lake Manyara National Park and a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor.

The visits are arranged through guides from the communities themselves, not staged for visitors. You join what people are doing that day, at their pace, and you take photographs only when someone says yes. A fee is paid to the community for each visit. It is not a game-drive trip: there is no Serengeti or Tarangire here, and the variations below add them if you want both.

Major attractions · 3
  1. 01Lake Manyara National Park
  2. 02Lake Eyasi
  3. 03Ngorongoro Crater
Trip detailsPrivate
Tour length
5 days · 4 nights
Country
Tanzania
Start / end
Your hotel in Arusha, both ways
Accommodation
Midrange
Tour type
Private cultural safari
Group size
Maximum per vehicle
Meal plan
Full board on safari
Best period
Jun–Oct · Dec–Feb
Activity level
Moderate — some walking in the bush
Request a free quote →Questions? WhatsApp +255 762 914 714
IIThe route

Out past Manyara, down to the lake, back over the crater.

5 days, 4 nights, 2 places to sleep. The solid line is this plan; the dotted lines are the other roads through the region. Point at a day to see its leg.

Route map: Arusha to Lake Manyara, Karatu, Lake Eyasi, the Ngorongoro Crater and back Arusha NP L. Manyara L. Eyasi N Arusha Karatu Lake Eyasi Makuyuni Mto wa Mbu Manyara NP Crater floor
  1. 01Arusha → Lake Manyara → Karatu~3 h road · ~4 h game
  2. 02Karatu → Lake Eyasi~1½ h road
  3. 03Around Lake EyasiTravel home
  4. 04Lake Eyasi → Karatu~1½ h road
  5. 05Karatu → the crater → Arusha~4½ h road · ~6 h game
Overnight stopPassing throughSchematic, roughly to scale
IIIDay by day

Five days, one at a time.

Each day lands on top of the last as you scroll: honest road time, game time, meals and where you sleep. Times are door to door in a safari vehicle and move with the season and what you stop for.

Groundwater forest and the lakeshore in Lake Manyara National Park — 1600×1200
Lake ManyaraADD IMAGE · Groundwater forest and the lakeshore in Lake Manyara National Park
01/ 05

About 2 hours to the Manyara gate, an afternoon in the park, a short climb to Karatu.

03°20′S 35°40′EDay 1 · Arusha → Lake Manyara → Karatu

Lake Manyara, up to Karatu

Travel
~3 h road
Game viewing
~4 h
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Farm or garden lodge
  1. Morning

    Your guide collects you from your Arusha hotel. West on tarmac to Makuyuni and on to Mto wa Mbu at the foot of the Rift escarpment, where the park gate is.

  2. Midday

    Manyara is small and close: groundwater forest, baboon troops, elephants in the woodland and the lake below the Rift wall. Picnic lunch in the park.

  3. Evening

    Up the escarpment to Karatu, cool and green, in time for dinner.

The tree-climbing lions

Manyara is known for lions that rest in trees. They are there some days and not others; we would not plan the day around them.

Lake Eyasi and the Rift escarpment in afternoon light — 1600×1200
Lake EyasiADD IMAGE · Lake Eyasi and the Rift escarpment in afternoon light
02/ 05

About 1½ hours, partly on gravel, then an afternoon with a Datoga family.

03°36′S 35°08′EDay 2 · Karatu → Lake Eyasi

Down to Lake Eyasi

Travel
~1½ h road
Game viewing
No game drive
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Small lodge or tented camp
  1. Morning

    South-west from Karatu, down through farmland and dry bush towards the lake. Lunch at your lodge.

  2. Afternoon

    With a local guide from the community, a visit to a Datoga homestead. The Datoga keep cattle and are known as metalworkers; if someone is at work at the forge that day, you may watch how arrowheads and jewellery are made from scrap metal.

  3. Evening

    Back at the lodge. Eyasi is hot and low, and the evenings are quiet.

How the visits work

Your guide from the community introduces you and translates. You follow what the family is doing; nothing is performed for you. Ask before every photograph.

Acacia bush and baobabs near Lake Eyasi in early morning light — 1600×1200
Lake EyasiADD IMAGE · Acacia bush and baobabs near Lake Eyasi in early morning light
03/ 05

A very early start, a morning on foot, the rest of the day at the lake.

03°36′S 35°08′EDay 3 · Around Lake Eyasi

Dawn with the Hadzabe

Travel
No transfer
Game viewing
No game drive
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Same lodge, second night
  1. Before dawn

    A short drive in the dark to meet a Hadzabe group with a guide from the community. If the men are going out hunting, you may walk with them, at their pace, through the bush. Some days they hunt, some days they gather; you join what is happening.

  2. Late morning

    Back to camp. There may be a chance to see how fire is made or how bows and arrows are prepared, if people choose to show you.

  3. Afternoon

    Rest, then a walk along the lakeshore, where flamingos and other water birds gather when there is water.

What to expect

It is not a show, and there is no guarantee of a hunt. Wear closed shoes and plain clothes, carry water, and be ready to walk for a couple of hours over rough ground.

Coffee bushes on a farm near Karatu, the crater highlands behind — 1600×1200
KaratuADD IMAGE · Coffee bushes on a farm near Karatu, the crater highlands behind
04/ 05

About 1½ hours back up to Karatu, then an afternoon on a coffee farm.

03°20′S 35°40′EDay 4 · Lake Eyasi → Karatu

Back to Karatu, a coffee farm

Travel
~1½ h road
Game viewing
No game drive
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Farm or garden lodge
  1. Morning

    A slow breakfast and the drive back up from the lake to the highlands.

  2. Afternoon

    A walk through a coffee farm near Karatu: picking, pulping, roasting and a cup at the end. The farms here grow coffee on the lower slopes of the crater highlands.

  3. Evening

    Karatu is cool at night; you will want a fleece at dinner.

The Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
05/ 05

Down at the gates’ opening, about six hours on the floor, then about 3 hours to Arusha.

03°22′S 36°41′EDay 5 · Karatu → the crater → Arusha

The crater floor, and home

Travel
~4½ h road
Game viewing
~6 h
Meals
B · picnic L
Sleep
Homeward
  1. Dawn

    Up to the rim and down the descent road as it opens. Early vehicles have the floor largely to themselves for the first hour.

  2. On the floor

    Grassland, soda lake, swamp and a small forest in one sealed bowl. It is the likeliest place in Tanzania to see black rhino, though never a certainty.

  3. Afternoon

    Up the ascent road and down the escarpment to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon.

The six-hour rule

Time on the crater floor is limited per vehicle, currently about six hours. That is why we go down at opening.

IVRates

Priced by group size, because the vehicle is shared.

Park fees, accommodation, vehicle, guide and meals as listed — per person, no booking fees. Rates move with the month and lodge availability; your quote is fixed once you book.

Midrange · price per person, sharing
Group size1 person2 people3 people4 people5 people6 people
From yearraterateraterateraterate
Single supplementamount
Children

Child policy: ages, sharing discount, lodge minimum ages

What moves the price

What changes itHow much

  • The month you travel

    The dry season and the Christmas weeks are peak rates at almost every camp. The long rains are the lowest.

  • How many share the vehicle

    The vehicle and guide cost the same for two people or six, so the per-person price falls as the group grows.

  • Where you sleep

    The same night can cost several times more at one camp than at another a short drive away.

  • Flying instead of driving

    A light-aircraft seat replaces hours in the vehicle, and costs more than the time it saves.

  • Park fees

    Fixed per person per day by the authorities, and the same whoever you book with. We show them as their own line.

Not sure which level suits you? Tell us your dates, group and budget and we will send an itemised quote with named properties.

Request a free quote →
On request
On request
VWhere you sleep

Two places in four nights, two of them at Lake Eyasi.

Each night is described by type first, because the right camp depends on your month. The properties we normally use at each level are listed below; your quote confirms them against availability.

Night 11×

Karatu highlands

Farm or garden lodge

Between Manyara and Eyasi, and cool after the Rift valley floor.

Midrange here means
Cottage rooms, fireplaces, mains power, gardens to walk in.
Step up
A lodge on the crater rim itself.
Nights 2–32×

Lake Eyasi

Small lodge or tented camp

Two nights near the lake means the dawn visit is a short drive, not a pre-dawn trip from Karatu.

Midrange here means
En-suite rooms or tents, solar or generator power. Simple, and hot by day.
Step up
Ask us — the choice at Eyasi is small, and we will tell you honestly what a step up would get you.
Night 41×

Karatu highlands

Farm or garden lodge

Twenty minutes from the crater gate, so you are on the floor at opening.

Midrange here means
Cottage rooms, fireplaces, mains power. Often the same lodge as the first night.
Step up
A lodge on the crater rim itself — the view, at a noticeably higher price.

The properties we use

WhereMidrangeLuxury
Karatu highlandspropertyproperty
Lake Eyasipropertyproperty

What ‘midrange’ means on this trip

  • En-suite everywhere. Your own bathroom every night, including at Eyasi.
  • Power. Mains in Karatu; solar or generator at Eyasi. Bring a power bank.
  • Heat and cold. Eyasi is low and hot; Karatu is high and cool at night. Pack for both.
  • Food. Full board. Tell us about diets early.
VIThe fine print

What is in the price, and what isn’t.

✓Included

  • Private 4×4 safari vehiclePop-up roof, charging points, window seat for everyone
  • A professional driver-guideThe same guide for all five days
  • Local guides from the communitiesFor the Datoga and Hadzabe visits
  • All park and conservation feesIncluding the crater service fee. Itemised on your quote
  • Four nights’ accommodationAs described above
  • Coffee farm visit, Karatu
  • Meals as listed each dayFull board on safari
  • Drinking water in the vehicle
  • Collection and drop-offYour hotel in Arusha

–Not included

  • International flights
  • Tanzanian visaApply online before you travel
  • Travel insuranceRequired. It must cover medical evacuation
  • Tips for guide and camp staffWe send guidance with your booking
  • Drinks at lodges and campsUnless the property includes them
  • Nights in Arusha before and afterWe can book them
VIIAdd-ons & changes

The plan is a starting point, not a package.

The changes people ask for most, each with what it costs you in days or hours. Not in the standard price — arranged on request, and most can be combined.

+2 daysprice

Add the Serengeti

After the crater, carry on over the highlands for two nights in the central Serengeti instead of returning to Arusha.

Makes senseIf you want the big game too
Midrange Best of Tanzania →
Same lengthprice

Tarangire instead of Manyara

Start with Tarangire’s elephants and baobabs rather than Manyara. A longer first day.

Makes senseJune to October
Tarangire →
Same lengthprice

More time with the communities

Replace the coffee farm with a second visit at Eyasi, or a visit near Karatu arranged with an Iraqw family.

Makes senseIf the people are why you came
Cultural encounters →
Same lengthprice

Birds on the lakes

Manyara and Eyasi are both good birding lakes. We can give you a guide who knows the birds and slow the days down for them.

Makes senseNovember to April, when migrants are in
Birding →
+3–5 nightsprice

Finish on Zanzibar

Fly from Arusha to the island after day five. About an hour in the air.

Makes senseMost of the year
Zanzibar →
VIIIWhen to go

Rated for this route, not for the country.

The visits at Lake Eyasi run all year; the communities live there in every season. The dry months, June to October, are the easiest: the tracks to Eyasi are dusty rather than muddy, and Manyara and the crater are at their busiest. In the rains, from about March to May, the Eyasi tracks can be slow and the lake itself fuller and greener.

Jan
Dry spell, warm
Feb
Dry spell, hot at Eyasi
Mar
Rains building
Apr
Long rains, slow tracks
May
Rains easing
Jun
Dry season begins
Jul
Dry, cool nights
Aug
Dry, busy
Sep
Dry
Oct
Dry, hot
Nov
Short rains
Dec
Green, quieter
Three bars — the route at its bestTwo — good, with trade-offsOne — possible, and quiet
IXFlights & extras

Getting there.

Arrive

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

About an hour by road from Arusha. Day one leaves Arusha after breakfast, so land the day before and spend a night in Arusha; we can arrange it.

Depart

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

Day five reaches Arusha in the late afternoon, and the airport is about an hour further. Only the latest departures work the same day; otherwise stay a night. Ask us before booking.

Via Nairobi

Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO)

Workable: a short regional flight or a road transfer across the Namanga border to Arusha. It adds most of a day, so allow an extra night.

What else to budget.

Not part of the safari price, in order of how much they matter.

  • Tanzanian visaApply online before travel
    Current fee
  • Travel insuranceMust cover medical evacuation
    Typical cost
  • TipsGuide and camp staff, per day
    Guideline
  • DrinksAt lodges and camps
    Typical range
  • Personal spendingLaundry, crafts, extras
    Varies
  • Community feePaid to the Hadzabe and Datoga communities for each visit
    Amount, and whether it is in the quote
XWhy book with us

Only what we can prove.

01

Arusha, since 2010

A Tanzanian company, locally owned, running safaris and climbs from Arusha for more than fifteen years.

02

Licensed and registered

TALA-licensed through the Tanzania Tourist Board and registered with BRELA. Ask us for the numbers; we will send them.

03

One guide, one vehicle

The same guide drives you from the first day to the last. Nobody else joins your vehicle.

04

Every fee on its own line

Park, conservation and concession fees are shown separately on your quote, so you can see exactly what goes to the authorities.

XIQuestions

The ones we are asked most.

They are arranged through guides from the communities, and you join what people are doing that day rather than a performance. That also means nothing is guaranteed: the hunt may be short, or not happen at all.

A community fee is paid for each visit, and the local guides are from the communities. We will show the fee on your quote.

Only with permission, asked each time through your guide. Some people will say no, and that is the end of it.

The morning with the Hadzabe is on foot, usually a couple of hours over rough, thorny ground, at their pace. Wear closed shoes. The rest of the plan is easy.

Yes. The vehicle and guide are yours alone for all five days.

Older children often get the most from it. The early start and the walk are the things to think about. Tell us the ages and we will say honestly.

Begin here

Send us your dates. We will send you the real version.

Named camps, the right direction of travel for your month, every fee on its own line — and a straight answer if another plan would suit you better.

Rather talk it through?WhatsApp us+255 762 914 714
Safari request Manyara, Lake Eyasi & the Crater 5 days · 4 nights · private
01When, and what for?
How fixed are the dates?
What do you want from it? Pick any
02Who’s coming?
Travelling as
03How you like it
Style of camp

Not a commitment. It lets us send something realistic instead of something you have to reject.

04Where to reach you
We need a name to write back to.
That email address does not look complete.
Step 1 of 4
Other safari plans
7 days · Northern circuitThe Great Midrange JourneyRead the plan →
3 days · Northern circuitTarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara ExpressRead the plan →
5 days · Northern circuitMidrange Best of TanzaniaRead the plan →
4 days · Northern circuitSerengeti Fly-inRead the plan →
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