Route: Zanzibar → Tarangire → Ngorongoro Crater → Lake Manyara → Zanzibar
Transport: Domestic flight (Zanzibar–Arusha round trip) + private 4×4 safari vehicle
Accommodation: Safari lodges/tented camps (mid-range standard)
Activities: Game drives, crater tour, optional cultural stop
Arusha Airport/JRO Airport
4 Days
Morning flight departs from Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) to Arusha Airport (ARK). Flight duration: approx. 1.5 hours.
Upon arrival at Arusha (typically around 09:00–09:30), a driver-guide meets you outside the terminal.
Depart immediately by road to Tarangire National Park. Distance: ~120 km. Drive time: approx. 2 hours.
Enter Tarangire National Park through the main gate (park entry formalities handled by guide).
Begin game drive inside the park. Focus areas include the Tarangire River valley, known for its elephant herds, baobab trees, and frequent sightings of giraffes, lions, zebras, and warthogs.
Lunch is packed and served at a designated picnic site inside the park (Matete or Silale).
Continue the game drive in the afternoon toward the Silale Swamp or southern plains, depending on animal movement and road conditions.
Around 16:30–17:00, exit the park and continue to Karatu for overnight stay. Distance: ~75 km. Drive time: approx. 1.5 hours.
Arrive at the lodge around 18:30.
Dinner served at the lodge between 19:00–20:00.
Overnight at a mid-range lodge in Karatu (e.g., Marera Valley Lodge, Eileen’s Trees Inn).
Breakfast at lodge starting at 07:00.
Departure from Karatu at 08:00 toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Stop briefly at the Loduare Gate for entry permits into Ngorongoro.
After the gate, the vehicle ascends to the crater rim. Weather is cooler; elevation is over 2,200 meters.
Optional stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater floor.
Continue drive to a lodge located either on the crater rim (if booked inside the conservation area) or return to Karatu for overnight.
Lunch is provided at the lodge (hot lunch) or packed depending on the lodge location.
The afternoon is at leisure. Short walks, coffee plantation visits, or simply rest at the lodge.
Dinner served at the lodge in the evening.
Overnight in Karatu or on the Ngorongoro Crater rim.
Early breakfast at lodge.
Departure by 06:30 for crater descent. Entrance to the crater requires permit checks at the descent road gate.
The descent takes 20–30 minutes down a steep road (600m drop in elevation).
Begin a full-day game drive on the crater floor. Wildlife is densely concentrated here. Common sightings include:
African buffalo, wildebeest, zebra
Black rhinoceros (rare, but possible)
Lions, hyenas, jackals
Elephants near Lerai Forest
Hippos in permanent freshwater pools
Picnic lunch is taken at the Ngoitokitok Hippo Pool site, which includes basic toilet facilities.
After lunch, continue the game drive until around 14:30.
Exit the crater via Seneto ascent road.
Return to Karatu for overnight stay. Estimated arrival at lodge: 16:00.
Dinner served at lodge between 19:00–20:00.
Overnight in Karatu.
Breakfast at lodge at 06:30.
Depart for Lake Manyara National Park at 07:30. Distance: 20–25 minutes to gate.
Game drive inside Lake Manyara begins at 08:00. The park has a groundwater forest, lake shore with flamingos and hippos, and open plains.
Continue driving until 10:30–11:00.
Exit park and begin drive back to Arusha Airport. Distance: approx. 130 km. Drive time: 2.5 hours.
Arrive at Arusha Airport by 13:30.
Domestic flight from Arusha to Zanzibar typically departs around 14:30 or 15:00 (subject to airline schedule).
Arrive in Zanzibar by late afternoon. Transfer back to hotel arranged separately.
