4‑Day Tanzania Budget Safari

Your 4-day Tanzania budget safari begins with a morning pickup from your hotel in Arusha. You then drive across the dramatic floor of the Great Rift Valley toward Lake Manyara National Park, a compact yet astonishingly diverse park famous for its lush groundwater forests and vibrant wildlife.

Lake Manyara takes its name from the Maasai word for Euphorbia tirucalli—a resilient, drought-tolerant shrub traditionally used for building protective livestock enclosures (bomas). The park’s towering mahogany and fig trees create a cool, green refuge that contrasts beautifully with the open plains and the shimmering soda lake.

Despite its small size, Lake Manyara National Park hosts an impressive array of wildlife. Expect sightings of elephants, buffalo, Masai giraffes, zebras, and numerous antelope species. Troops of baboons and monkeys thrive in the forested zones, while hippos occupy the lakeshore and its deeper pools. With a bit of luck, you may even spot the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, often seen draped lazily over the branches of acacia trees. Birdlife is equally spectacular, with flamingos, pelicans, hornbills, and a wide variety of forest and lakeshore species.

By late afternoon, continue to the cool highlands of Karatu for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Eileen’s Trees Inn, Karatu. 
Meal Plan: Lunch (packed) & Dinner.

After breakfast, your Tanzania budget safari continues as you depart Karatu and drive through the scenic Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing the Malanja Depression and wide open highland landscapes on your way to the legendary Serengeti National Park.

On arrival at the Naabi Hill Gate, your guide handles the park formalities while you stretch your legs with a short walk among the Naabi Hill kopjes—massive granite outcrops that offer sweeping views of the plains. After enjoying your picnic lunch here, you proceed into the Serengeti for a full afternoon of game viewing.

The Serengeti—named from the Maasai word Siringet, meaning “endless plains”—more than lives up to its name. Its vast grasslands support one of the world’s densest concentrations of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, and the iconic herds of the Great Migration, depending on the season. As you traverse the Central Serengeti (Seronera region), you’ll explore river valleys and wide savannas known for outstanding year-round game viewing.

By evening, arrive at your tented camp for a classic bush experience, complete with sweeping views and the sounds of the African night.

Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Weavers Camp, Central Serengeti

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Your third day on this 4-day Tanzania safari adventure begins with an early morning game drive in the Serengeti—one of the most rewarding times to be out in the bush. At sunrise, predators are still active, and with a little luck you may witness lions on the move, cheetahs scanning the plains, and hyenas returning from a night of hunting. Your guide may lead you to the famous Seronera hippo pools and, if you wish, stop at the Seronera Visitor Centre to learn more about the Serengeti ecosystem as you leave the Serengeti.

After a hearty breakfast back at your tented camp, you continue exploring the rich wildlife areas of Central Serengeti, tracking animals along the river valleys and open plains as you transfer back to Ngorongoro Highlands.

By late afternoon, you arrive in Karatu—a charming highlands town located just outside Ngorongoro Conservation Area —where you settle in at the welcoming lodge for relaxation and later dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Eileen’s Trees Inn, Karatu

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

After an early breakfast, register at the Loduare Main Gate and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a spectacular morning game drive. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site inside the crater.

The Ngorongoro Crater, with its towering 2,000-ft walls, hosts a remarkable density of wildlife. Expect close encounters with lions, zebras, hippos, elephants, jackals, black rhinos, numerous antelopes, flamingos, and a rich variety of birds. Your experienced guide, in constant contact with other drivers through VHF radio, will expertly locate hidden wildlife to maximize your sightings.

After the game drive, your driver will return you to Arusha, where you will be dropped off at your hotel, completing your 4-day Tanzania budget safari.