5-Day Tanzania Safari: All Four Northern Circuit Parks

Why a 5-day safari is a good first Tanzania safari

Five days is the shortest trip that covers all four of the classic northern parks: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Each park feels different, so you get real variety, with elephants and baobabs, forest and flamingos, endless plains and a crater full of wildlife. Prices start from $3,040 per person.

The pace is steady rather than slow. You change lodging most nights, and the last day is long. If you can spare another day or two, the 6-day and 7-day safaris give you more breathing room.

5-day Tanzania safari at a glance

5, 6 or 7 days on the northern circuit?

All three visit the same four parks. The sixth day adds another full day in the Serengeti, for about $565 more per person. The seventh day adds a full day in Tarangire, for about $625 more. More days mean more time watching animals, rather than more time driving.

Who the 5-day safari suits

It suits first-time visitors who want to see the best-known parks without taking a long holiday. It may feel hurried if you want to relax at camp, and families with young children may prefer a slower trip.

5-day Tanzania safari itinerary, day by day

Here is how this safari usually runs. Drive times are approximate, and your guide will adjust each day around the wildlife, the roads and the season.

1. 01

   Day 1: Moshi to Tarangire National Park

   • Overnight: Tarangire

   We collect you from your hotel in Moshi after breakfast and drive about three to four hours to Tarangire, with the plains opening up as you go. You enter the park around lunchtime and spend the afternoon on your first game drive along the Tarangire River. In the dry season, this river pulls in elephants by the hundred, and ancient baobabs give the park a look found nowhere else on the circuit. You sleep at a mid-range camp or lodge in the Tarangire area.

2. 02

   Day 2: Tarangire to Lake Manyara National Park

   • Overnight: Lake Manyara

   After a morning drive in Tarangire, you make the short journey of about an hour and a half to Lake Manyara. In the afternoon, you go down below the Rift Valley wall into a compact park with groundwater forest, hippo pools and a soda lake that attracts flamingos when conditions are right. The tree-climbing lions are famous, but do not count on them, because they are seen only some of the time. You sleep near the park, in the Mto wa Mbu area.

3. 03

   Day 3: Lake Manyara to the Serengeti

   • Overnight: Central Serengeti

   This is a big travel day, and one of the most beautiful. You climb over the green Ngorongoro highlands, stop at the rim for your first view of the crater, then drop to the vast plains of the Serengeti at Naabi Hill. The drive takes four to six hours with stops, and your game drive effectively starts as you enter the park. You reach the central Seronera area for the late afternoon, when the big cats begin to stir, and sleep inside the park.

4. 04

   Day 4: A full day in the central Serengeti

   • Overnight: Central Serengeti

   This is the day people come to Tanzania for. You leave early, when lions are often still on the move, and spend the day following your guide's knowledge of the Seronera Valley. The river here is a reliable place to find leopard resting in sausage trees, and rock outcrops called kopjes are favorite lookouts for lions. Back at camp in the middle of the day, or with a picnic in the bush, you rest through the heat before the late afternoon drive.

5. 05

   Day 5: Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, then back to Moshi

   • No overnight on this day

   This is a long last day. You leave the Serengeti at dawn, reach the Ngorongoro rim in the morning and descend for a game drive on the crater floor, where lion, buffalo, elephant and, with luck, black rhino live year-round. After a picnic lunch, you climb out and drive back to Moshi. Expect to return in the evening, tired and very happy.

What you can see on the 5-day Tanzania safari

Wild animals keep their own schedule, so no one can promise a sighting. What we can promise is enough time in the right places, with a guide who knows them.

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is known for its big elephant herds and its giant baobabs. In the dry season, the river is the only reliable water for miles around, which draws in huge numbers of animals. It is also excellent for birds, with over 500 species recorded.

Lake Manyara National Park

This small park packs a lot in, with forest, grassland, hippo pools and a soda lake below the Rift Valley wall. Flamingos gather when water levels suit them, and it is known for its tree-climbing lions and baboon troops.

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti is Tanzania's largest and most famous park. It has big cats in large numbers, and it hosts the Great Migration of over a million wildebeest. The central Seronera area has good wildlife year-round, while the migration moves through different areas through the year.

Ngorongoro Crater

The crater floor is home to a resident population of lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena and black rhino, within steep walls that make for some of the most striking scenery on safari. It gets busy, and leaving early helps.

How much does the 5-day Tanzania safari cost?

The 5-day Tanzania safari starts from $3,040 per person at mid-range level with two people sharing. The per-person price usually falls as your group grows, because the vehicle cost is shared, although room sharing can change that for odd numbers. Your final price is confirmed in your written quotation.

What the 5-day Tanzania safari price includes

Our Tanzania safari cost guide explains how prices work, and what to budget on top.

Your guide and vehicle on this safari

Your driver-guide is with you from the first morning to the last drive, and much of what you see depends on them. Our guides have worked on Tanzania tours for 7 years. They are graduates of the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka, and the National College of Tourism, and they hold certification from those institutions.

You travel in a private 4WD Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, clear windows for wildlife viewing and comfortable seats. The pop-up roof lets you stand up and watch wildlife in the open air. We run private safaris, so you choose your dates and share the vehicle only with your own group. If you are traveling alone and would like company to share the cost, ask us and we will check whether a suitable shared departure is available with a trusted partner company.

Tipping on safari

Tips are not included in the price, and they are appreciated. Common guidance is about $15 to $25 per traveler per day for your guide, or about $40 to $50 per vehicle per day on a private safari, plus about $10 to $15 per guest per night for camp and lodge staff.

What a day on this 5-day Tanzania safari feels like

Most days begin early. You are up with a hot drink before dawn, and out on the first drive as the sun comes up, when predators are active and the air is cool. You may stop for a picnic breakfast, or return to camp for a proper meal. Midday is hot, and many animals rest, so you do the same. The late-afternoon drive runs until the park closes around sunset, when the light turns gold. Then it is dinner, stories by the fire and an early night.

You can always change this rhythm. Because this is a private safari, your guide can start later, stay longer at a sighting or go back early if you prefer.

Where you stay on this safari

Prices are based on mid-range tented camps and lodges, usually with en-suite bathrooms and full-board meals, either in or close to the parks. Your written quote will list where you are staying. If you would prefer simpler rooms or a higher level of comfort, compare the budget and luxury prices above.

Safari rules worth knowing

Stay in the vehicle unless your guide tells you it is safe to get out. Keep your voice down near animals, do not stand on the roof, and never ask your guide to leave the track or get too close. Parks usually close around sunset, and your guide will plan around that.

Planning your 5-day Tanzania safari

Best time for this safari

June to October is the most reliable time, as animals gather around water and the grass is short. January to March brings calving on the southern Serengeti plains, and April and May are the wettest months. See our guide to the best time for a Tanzania safari.

Getting to the start in Moshi

This safari starts and finishes in Moshi. Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is about an hour away. Your airport transfers are included in the price. Extra hotel nights are not, but we can add them. Tell us if you would rather start in Arusha.

What to bring, and how to prepare

Neutral clothing, layers for cold early drives, a hat, sunscreen and binoculars will serve you well. See our safari packing list. See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you leave. Malaria is a risk in the safari parks, so ask about tablets and bring repellent. Travel insurance is not included, and we strongly recommend a policy that covers medical care and evacuation.

Adding to your trip

Moshi is the base for climbing Kilimanjaro, so many travelers combine the two. You can also add a day trip from Moshi.

5-day Tanzania safari: your questions answered