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Safari plan · 3 days · Northern circuit · Midrange

Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara Express

Tarangire’s elephants, a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor and the forest and lake of Manyara, from Arusha and back in three days — a taster of the north, with no Serengeti and no pretending otherwise.

ArushaTarangireNgorongoroLake ManyaraArusha
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Length3 days · 2 nights
ParksTarangire, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara
Starts & endsArusha
ComfortMidrange lodge in Karatu
Best monthsJune–October, December–February
OverviewThe routeDay by dayRatesWhere you sleepIncludedAdd-onsWhen to goFlights & extrasFAQEnquire
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IOverview

Three parks in three days, and honest about what that leaves out.

The shortest safari we would put our name to. Tarangire on the first afternoon, the Ngorongoro Crater floor at opening time on the second day, and Lake Manyara on the way home on the third. You sleep both nights in the same lodge in the Karatu highlands, so you unpack once.

Three days is a taster, not the full northern circuit. There is no Serengeti on this plan: it is too far to reach and enjoy in this time. If you have five days or more, the variations below and the longer plans add it properly. If three days is what you have, this is the best use of them we know.

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

A short loop out of Arusha, two nights in one place.

3 days, 2 nights, 1 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 Tarangire, Karatu, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and back Arusha NP L. Manyara N Arusha Tarangire Karatu Makuyuni Mto wa Mbu Manyara NP Crater floor
  1. 01Arusha → Tarangire → KaratuThe long day~4 h road · ~4 h game
  2. 02Karatu → the crater → Karatu~1½ h road · ~6 h game
  3. 03Karatu → Lake Manyara → Arusha~3 h road · ~4 h game
Overnight stopPassing throughSchematic, roughly to scale
IIIDay by day

Three 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.

Tarangire
Tarangire
The long day01/ 03

About 2½ hours to the gate, an afternoon in the park, and about 2 hours on to Karatu.

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

Tarangire, then up to Karatu

Travel
~4 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. South-west on tarmac through Maasai country, turning off at Makuyuni for the Tarangire gate.

  2. Midday

    Picnic lunch inside the park, usually above the Tarangire River, the only permanent water for a long way in the dry months.

  3. Late afternoon

    Out of the park before closing time and back up past Mto wa Mbu and the Rift escarpment to Karatu, arriving around dusk.

Why it is the long day

Sleeping in Karatu rather than at Tarangire costs you some driving today, but it saves a hotel move and puts you twenty minutes from the crater gate tomorrow.

The Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
02/ 03

Down at the gates’ opening, about six hours on the floor.

03°20′S 35°40′EDay 2 · Karatu → the crater → Karatu

The Ngorongoro Crater floor

Travel
~1½ h road
Game viewing
~6 h
Meals
B · picnic L · D
Sleep
Same lodge, second night
  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 back to Karatu. The rest of the day is yours — a walk in the coffee farms, or nothing at all.

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 rather than after a leisurely breakfast.

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
03/ 03

Down the escarpment to the Manyara gate, a morning in the park, about 2 hours back to Arusha.

03°22′S 36°41′EDay 3 · Karatu → Lake Manyara → Arusha

Lake Manyara, and home

Travel
~3 h road
Game viewing
~4 h
Meals
B · L
Sleep
Homeward
  1. Morning

    Down the escarpment to the park gate at Mto wa Mbu. Manyara is small and close: groundwater forest, baboon troops, elephants in the woodland and the lake below the Rift wall.

  2. Midday

    Lunch in the park or on the way out, depending on where the morning ends.

  3. Afternoon

    Back to Arusha on tarmac, arriving in the afternoon.

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.

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 nights in the Karatu highlands, no packing in between.

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.

Nights 1–22×

Karatu highlands

Farm or garden lodge

Karatu sits between all three parks: about twenty minutes from the crater gate and a short drive down the escarpment to Manyara. Two nights, one unpack.

Midrange here means
Cottage rooms, fireplaces, mains power, gardens to walk in.
Step up
A lodge on the crater rim itself — the view, at a noticeably higher price.

The properties we use

WhereMidrangeLuxury
Karatu highlandspropertyproperty

What ‘midrange’ means on this trip

  • En-suite. Your own bathroom both nights.
  • Hot water and power. Mains power in Karatu. The highlands are cool at night; the lodges have fireplaces or heaters.
  • Food. Full board, with picnic lunches in the parks. Tell us about diets early.
  • Same room twice. We chose one lodge for both nights rather than a different place each night.
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 three days
  • All park and conservation feesIncluding the crater service fee. Itemised on your quote
  • Two nights’ accommodationAs described above
  • 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
  • Optional activitiesCoffee farm tour, cultural visits
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

Two more days turn this into a proper circuit with two nights in the central Serengeti. It is the one thing this plan cannot give you.

Makes senseWhen you can find five days
Midrange Best of Tanzania →
+4 daysprice

The full week

Tarangire, two nights in the Serengeti and the crater, unhurried, starting and ending at Kilimanjaro Airport.

Makes senseA first safari with a week to give
The Great Midrange Journey →
Same lengthprice

Coffee and culture in Karatu

Use the free afternoon after the crater for a walk through a coffee farm near Karatu, or a visit arranged with a local community.

Makes senseIf you want a break from the vehicle
Cultural encounters →
Same lengthprice

A walk in Lake Manyara

On day three, trade some driving time for a guided walk where it is permitted in the Manyara area. Ask us what is running.

Makes senseIf you have been on safari before
Walking safaris →
+3–5 nightsprice

Finish on Zanzibar

Fly from Arusha to the island on day four. About an hour in the air.

Makes senseMost of the year
Zanzibar →
VIIIWhen to go

Rated for this route, not for the country.

This plan runs all year. Tarangire is at its best in the dry months, June to October, when elephants gather on the river. April and May bring the long rains: the roads slow down, the parks are green and quiet, and prices fall. The crater floor has resident animals in every month.

Jan
Dry spell, green parks
Feb
Dry spell, warm
Mar
Rains building
Apr
Long rains
May
Rains easing
Jun
Dry season begins
Jul
Dry, busy, cool
Aug
Dry, busy
Sep
Dry, Tarangire at its best
Oct
Dry, dusty
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 three reaches Arusha in the afternoon and the airport about an hour later. That is tight for an evening departure; a night in Arusha before flying is safer. Ask us.

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
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.

If three days is all you have, yes: you see three very different parks and the crater, which few places can match. But it is a taster. With five days we would add the Serengeti, and that changes the trip more than anything else.

The central Serengeti is about four hours beyond Karatu on gravel. In three days you would spend most of your time on that road. It needs at least two nights to be worth reaching.

Yes. The vehicle and guide are yours alone, so the days can bend around what you want to see and when you want to stop.

Almost certainly. Day one starts from Arusha after breakfast, and most international flights land in the evening. We can book the night before and after.

Yes. The driving days are moderate and you sleep in the same lodge twice. Some lodges set a minimum age; we choose ones that welcome the ages in your group.

Yes — Manyara first, Tarangire last. Tell us your dates and we will say which order works better.

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 Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara Express 3 days · 2 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.
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