# 6-Day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari Three nights in the Serengeti instead of one or two, so you have two full days on the plains with time to wait at a sighting and go further afield. Lake Manyara on the way to the Ngorongoro highlands, three nights in the central Serengeti with two full days there, then a night near the crater and a morning on the crater floor. A private, comfort-level safari for travellers who want more Serengeti time. - **Length:** 6 days, 5 nights - **Route:** Lake Manyara National Park → Serengeti National Park → Ngorongoro Crater - **Style:** Private - **Comfort:** Mid-range - **Pace:** Balanced - **Best months:** January, February, March, June, July, August, September, October ## About this journey ## The shape of the trip Six days, with three nights based in the Serengeti. You start with Lake Manyara on the way to the Ngorongoro highlands, cross to the central Serengeti, then come back for a night near the crater and a final morning on the crater floor. ## What the extra Serengeti time buys The difference between two and three Serengeti nights is bigger than it sounds. Two full days with no transfer mean your guide can go beyond the Seronera valley: south-west to the Moru Kopjes, out onto the eastern plains, or towards the herds if they're within reach in your month. You can also slow down. Sit with a lion pride for an hour. Take a day where you only go out at dawn and in the late afternoon. Photographers tend to need time at a sighting more than a long list of places, and this trip gives it. ## Why Lake Manyara first Lake Manyara National Park lies at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, about 2 hours from Arusha, and it's on the road to the highlands anyway. Groundwater forest, a hippo pool and the lakeshore make a gentle first game drive before the bigger parks. If you'd rather start in Tarangire, that swap is easy; it adds a little driving. ## Comfort and luxury versions As written, this is a comfort-level safari: a mid-range lodge near Karatu, a mid-range tented camp in the central Serengeti, and a mid-range lodge on the highlands for the last night. On the luxury version you stay in smaller camps and finish on the crater rim. You can also split the Serengeti nights between two areas, say two central and one in the south or north, depending on the season. That split needs the right camp in each area, and it's the main thing to settle when you plan. ## When to go The central Serengeti works all year because of its resident predators. From December to March the herds are usually on the southern plains, sometimes within a long day's reach of Seronera. From July to October they're usually far to the north. June to October brings dry weather and easier tracks. In the long rains, roughly April and May, roads slow down and some camps close. If you're unsure which month suits you, the [best time to visit Tanzania](/travel-guide/best-time-to-visit-tanzania) guide breaks it down. ## Day by day ### Day 1: Arusha to Lake Manyara and the highlands After a morning pick-up in Arusha, you drive about 2 hours west to Mto wa Mbu and the gate of Lake Manyara National Park, under the Rift Valley escarpment. The park opens with groundwater forest, where baboons and blue monkeys move through the trees, then gives way to open grassland along the lakeshore. Elephants and giraffe are regulars, and the hippo pool is a good place to stop. Manyara's lions sometimes climb trees, though you can't count on it. Late in the afternoon you climb the escarpment to your lodge near Karatu. - Meals: Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 3 h ### Day 2: Into the central Serengeti You leave the highlands after breakfast and follow the crater rim road through montane forest, stopping at a viewpoint to look down into Ngorongoro. Past the rim, the land opens into the Serengeti plains, and it doesn't close again for the rest of the day. After lunch at Naabi Hill Gate, the drive towards Seronera becomes your first Serengeti game drive. You arrive at camp in the late afternoon, about 5 to 6 hours after setting out, with three nights ahead of you. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 5 h 30 min ### Day 3: The central Serengeti Your first full day in the Serengeti. You head out early, when the plains are cool and lions are still moving after the night. The Seronera River valley is the place for leopards, which spend the day stretched along the branches of sausage trees. Cheetahs prefer the open short grass. Lunch can be back at camp or a picnic under an acacia. The afternoon drive runs until the light turns gold and the park closing time sends you home. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ### Day 4: The Serengeti, further afield With a second full day, your guide can go further. The Moru Kopjes, south-west of Seronera, are granite outcrops with old Maasai rock paintings and a fair chance of lions resting on the rocks. Between December and March the herds are usually on the southern plains, and a long day out towards them may be possible. In June you might head west instead, if the herds are moving through. Or simply stay around Seronera and give more time to fewer sightings. It's your vehicle, so the plan is yours. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ### Day 5: Serengeti to the Ngorongoro highlands A last dawn drive, then you leave the Serengeti heading east, retracing the plains road past Naabi Hill. If you like, you can stop at Olduvai Gorge, the site where fossils of early human ancestors were found, and look round its small museum. Then the road climbs back to the highlands. Allow about 5 to 6 hours of driving. Tonight you stay on the Ngorongoro highlands, close enough for an early start into the crater. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 5 h 30 min ### Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater and back to Arusha The crater is at its best in the morning. You drive down into a basin of grassland, swamp and soda lake ringed by steep forested walls, and the wildlife is right there. Herds of buffalo and zebra graze close to the tracks, hyenas wander between them, and lions often lie out in the open. The crater floor is also home to a few black rhino. You eat a picnic lunch at one of the picnic sites, then climb out and drive about 3 to 4 hours back to Arusha. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch - Driving: about 4 h ## Included - Private safari vehicle with pop-up roof and driver-guide - Park and conservation fees for the itinerary - Accommodation as listed in the itinerary - Meals as listed in the itinerary - Drinking water in the vehicle - Airport transfers at the start and end of the safari ## Not included - International flights - Visas - Travel insurance - Tips for your guide and camp or lodge staff - Drinks unless stated - Optional activities such as hot-air balloon flights - Your hotel night in Arusha before day 1 ## Questions ### What do three Serengeti nights give us that two don't? A second full day with no transfer. With two nights you get one full day, which most guides spend around Seronera. With three, your guide can plan a longer outing, to the Moru Kopjes or towards the herds if they're within reach, and still have a day for staying put. It also gives you slack if one day's weather or sightings are poor. ### Can we spend the Serengeti nights in two different areas? Often, yes, especially on the luxury version. A common split is two nights in the central Serengeti and one in the area where the migration is expected for your month, such as the southern plains early in the year. It depends on camp availability and adds some driving, so it's best decided when you plan your dates. ### Is Lake Manyara worth a stop? As a first afternoon, yes. It's small, close to the road and quite different from the bigger parks, with groundwater forest, a lakeshore and the Rift Valley wall behind it. It won't match the Serengeti for big cats, and it isn't meant to. If you'd rather see Tarangire's elephants, ask us to swap it; the first day gets a little longer. --- Source: https://untamedsafariexperience.com/safaris/6-day-serengeti-ngorongoro-safari Last updated: 2026-10-25 Plan a journey: https://untamedsafariexperience.com/plan-your-safari