5-Day Budget Camping Safari
A 5-day budget camping safari from Arusha to Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, with two nights camping inside the Serengeti and a camp cook and all camping equipment included.
The classic northern circuit for travellers who would rather spend their budget on game drives than on lodges. You start among the elephants and baobabs of Tarangire, sleep two nights at a campsite inside the Serengeti with the sounds of the wild around your tent, spend a night on the cool Ngorongoro crater rim, and finish with a morning on the crater floor. The vehicle, guide and cook are yours alone, and the crew handles the tents and cooking so you can concentrate on the wildlife.
Highlights
- Elephants and baobabs in Tarangire
- Two nights camping inside the Serengeti
- A full day in the central Serengeti, good all year round
- A night camping on the Ngorongoro crater rim
- A morning game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Private vehicle, driver-guide and camp cook
Your driver-guide collects you in Arusha or at Kilimanjaro Airport in the morning and drives south-west to Tarangire National Park. The afternoon game drive follows the Tarangire River, where elephant herds, zebra and wildebeest come to drink among the park's baobab trees. You spend the night at a simple lodge near Mto wa Mbu, about an hour or two from the park.
Meals: lunch and dinner. Overnight: simple lodge near Mto wa Mbu.
After breakfast you climb up through the Ngorongoro highlands and drop down onto the open plains of the Serengeti. The game drive begins as soon as you enter the park and continues on the way to camp. Your crew pitches the tents at a public campsite in the central Serengeti, and the cook prepares dinner while the sun goes down.
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight: camping in the central Serengeti.
A full day in the central Serengeti around the Seronera valley, where water and grazing are available all year, so resident wildlife stays through every season. Your guide will look for lions, leopards and cheetahs, as well as elephant, giraffe, hippo and large herds of grazers. Lunch is a packed lunch on the plains, and you return to the same campsite for the night.
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight: camping in the central Serengeti.
A last morning game drive in the Serengeti, then you drive back east and climb onto the Ngorongoro highlands. The scenery changes from open savannah to cool forest, often wrapped in mist. You camp near the rim of the crater, ready for an early start. Nights up here are cold, so keep warm layers close.
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight: camping on the Ngorongoro crater rim.
An early start takes you down into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best places in Tanzania to see black rhino. On the open crater floor you can also expect lion, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hyena and flamingos on the soda lake. After a picnic lunch you climb out of the crater and drive back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon.
Meals: breakfast and lunch.
Price Per Person, By Group Size
| Group Size | Price Per Person |
|---|---|
| 2 travellers | $1,600 |
| 3 travellers | $1,490 |
| 4 travellers | $1,430 |
| 5 travellers | $1,330 |
| 6 travellers | $1,240 |
| 7 travellers | $1,170 |
| 1 or 8+ travellers | On request |
Price per person sharing in US dollars, for a private safari, based on the number of people travelling together in one vehicle. The same price applies all year.
Includes
- Pick-up and drop-off in Arusha or at Kilimanjaro Airport
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Camp cook and all camping equipment
- 1 night at a simple lodge, twin or double room
- 3 nights camping in dome tents with sleeping mats
- All park, crater and camping fees and government taxes
- Meals as listed in the itinerary
- Drinking water on game drives
Excludes
- International and domestic flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Sleeping bag (available to rent)
- Tips for the guide and cook
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Extra nights before or after the safari
- Tanzania's compulsory inbound travel insurance for foreign visitors (44 US dollars per person, from 1 October 2026)
- Any government increase in park fees or taxes after booking
