4 days Ngorongoro & Serengeti Safari

This 4-day safari to Ngorongoro and Serengeti is pure, concentrated magic, designed for anyone who wants the two absolute heavyweights of Tanzania (the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater) without wasting a single minute beating around the bush. This itinerary is flexible; you can opt to fly to Arusha Airport from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam. Alternatively, you can choose to drive from Arusha straight into the heart of the northern safari circuit. On day one, you land among the ancient baobabs and giant elephant herds of Tarangire National Park, a place that feels like stepping into a prehistoric painting. The next morning, you sweep across the Ngorongoro Highlands (passing Maasai villages and endless views) and drop into the legendary Serengeti, where the plains roll out forever, and the sky feels bigger than anywhere else on earth. You’ll spend two glorious nights right inside the park, waking to lion roars, tracking cheetahs across golden grass, watching fat hippos wallow in muddy pools, and falling asleep under a ceiling of a million stars. Then comes the unforgettable finale: an early-morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater itself. This perfect volcanic bowl, 600 metres deep and 260 square kilometres wide, holds one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the planet. Black rhinos lumber across the green floor, huge-tusked elephants drink at the soda lake, prides of lions doze in the sunshine, and tens of thousands of flamingos turn the water pink. After a picnic breakfast with hyenas circling nearby, you can fly back to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam or Arusha the same afternoon, or just simply drive back in our jeep, full of stories and already missing the wild. In just four days, you get the two most famous names in African wildlife (The endless Serengeti, and the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater), all linked by quick flights and private game drives. It’s fast, intense, and absolutely packed with the very best Tanzania has to offer.

Best Time to Do This 4-Day Ngorongoro-Serengeti Safari

• June to October (peak dry season): The classic time. Short grass, animals concentrated around rivers and waterholes, river crossings in the north if you’re lucky with timing, and perfect crisp mornings. The crater is stunning with clear views all the way to the Serengeti on the horizon.
• January to mid-March: The secret sweet spot. The great herds are often in the southern/central Serengeti for calving season (thousands of babies, predators everywhere), the crater is green and beautiful, and there are far fewer vehicles than in peak season.
• Late November to mid-December: Lush scenery after the short rains, newborn animals, incredible birdlife, half-empty lodges, and often the best value of the year.

Add a Mount Kilimanjaro Climb to Your 4-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

Why settle for lions and rhinos when you can also stand on the roof of Africa? After your last morning in the Ngorongoro Crater, you’re already right next to Kilimanjaro. Instead of flying home, stay on and spend 6–8 more days trekking to the summit. You’ll walk through rainforest, giant heather zones, and lunar-like alpine desert until you reach Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m. Watching sunrise from the top, with the same Serengeti plains you just explored stretched out far below, is one of the most powerful travel moments imaginable. Mountain first, second second, is the perfect order: you arrive excited, already acclimatised from being at altitude on the crater rim, and ready to conquer the continent’s highest point. Speaking from experience, most mountain climbers love to combine this short safari with an 8-day Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route trek. See this sample itinerary.

Add Zanzibar Beach to Your 4-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

Four days of dusty game drives and early wake-ups deserve the best possible ending. When your crater game drive finishes, a short flight takes you straight from the bush to the beach. Trade safari boots for bare feet on powder-white sand, swap binoculars for a cold drink under palm trees, and let the Indian Ocean wash the dust away. Snorkel over colourful reefs, wander the spice-scented streets of Stone Town, eat fresh seafood grilled at sunset, or simply lie in a hammock and do nothing at all. Most people add 4–7 nights, just long enough to feel properly rested and still buzzing from the lions they saw a few days earlier. Safari + Zanzibar is the classic Tanzania one-two punch, wild adventure followed by total relaxation.