6 Day Budget Camping Safari
Camp under open skies in the Serengeti and on the Ngorongoro rim on this six-day budget safari that covers the four classic northern parks.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Route
- Arusha – Tarangire – Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Lake Manyara – Arusha
- Start / end
- Starts and ends in Arusha (pick-up from your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport)
- Best time
- June to October offers the easiest camping and wildlife viewing, though the trip runs year-round and January to March is excellent in the southern Serengeti.
- Trip style
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser for your group only, with a driver-guide and cook. Nights are spent in dome tents at public campsites with shared toilet and shower blocks.
Tour overview
This six-day camping safari is built for travelers who want the full northern circuit without paying for lodges. You visit Tarangire, spend two nights inside the Serengeti, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater and finish with Lake Manyara, sleeping at the same public campsites that rangers and overland travelers use. It suits backpackers, students, friends traveling together and anyone who prefers wildlife over room service.
Camping does not mean roughing it more than necessary. Your cook travels with you and prepares hot breakfasts, packed or picnic lunches and three-course dinners, while your guide handles the driving, park permits and setting up camp. At night you hear lions and hyenas around Seronera and wake to mist rolling over the crater rim at Simba Campsite.
Because you stay inside the parks rather than outside them, you spend less time on the road and more time on game drives, especially at dawn and dusk when predators are most active.
Highlights
- Two nights camping inside the Serengeti at Seronera
- Morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater for a chance at the Big Five
- Tarangire's elephant herds and giant baobab trees
- Night on the crater rim at Simba Campsite
- Private cook preparing fresh meals at every camp
- Lake Manyara's tree-climbing lion habitat and groundwater forest
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your guide picks you up from your Arusha hotel in the morning for the drive of about 2 hours to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is famous for its large elephant herds, which gather along the Tarangire River, especially in the dry season. Spend the day on game drives among ancient baobab trees, looking for giraffe, zebra, buffalo, lions and a wide variety of birds. Lunch is a picnic at a viewpoint over the river. Late in the afternoon you leave the park and drive about 1 hour to Mto wa Mbu, where your cook has dinner ready at camp.
Day 2Mto wa Mbu to the Serengeti
After breakfast you climb the Rift Valley escarpment through Karatu and into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing along the forested crater rim with your first views into the caldera. The road then drops onto the short-grass plains, often dotted with Maasai herders and their cattle. After a picnic lunch at Naabi Hill Gate, you enter the Serengeti and game drive toward Seronera, the center of the park, looking for cheetahs, lions and big herds of plains game. The drive takes about 5 to 6 hours including stops. Dinner and overnight at the Seronera public campsite.
Day 3Full Day in the Serengeti
Today is dedicated to the Serengeti. Head out early, when the light is soft and predators are on the move, then return to camp for a hot breakfast or carry it with you. The Seronera River valley is one of the best places in Africa to find leopards resting in sausage trees and lion prides on the kopjes. Depending on the season, your guide may also take you toward the herds of the Great Migration. Picnic lunch is taken in the park, and an afternoon game drive continues until sunset before dinner around camp.
Day 4Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti before packing up camp. You then drive back across the plains, exiting at Naabi Hill and climbing into the Ngorongoro highlands, a journey of about 3 to 4 hours. In the afternoon you reach Simba Campsite on the crater rim, at around 7,500 feet above sea level. Evenings here are cold, so have warm layers ready. Zebra and buffalo sometimes wander through the campsite at night, and the view down into the crater at sunset is a memorable end to the day.
Day 5Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
Rise early, take breakfast and descend about 2,000 feet into the Ngorongoro Crater as the gates open. The crater floor is home to an estimated 25,000 large animals, including black rhino, lions, hyenas, elephants, buffalo, hippos and flamingos on the soda lake. Vehicle time on the floor is limited to about 6 hours, so your guide makes the most of the cool morning hours. After a picnic lunch at the hippo pool, you climb out of the crater and drive about 1.5 hours to Mto wa Mbu for dinner and a final night at camp.
Day 6Lake Manyara National Park and Return to Arusha
After breakfast you enter Lake Manyara National Park, just a few minutes from camp. The park's groundwater forest shelters troops of baboons and blue monkeys, while the open floodplains near the lake attract elephants, giraffes, buffalo and, in many months, flocks of flamingos and pelicans. Lions here are known for sometimes resting in trees. After a picnic lunch in the park, you drive about 2 hours back to Arusha, where your guide drops you at your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport in the late afternoon.
What is included
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All park entry and conservation fees, including the Ngorongoro Crater service fee
- Camping fees at public campsites
- Quality dome tents, foam mattresses and camping equipment
- Safari cook and all meals as listed in the itinerary
- Unlimited bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Pick-up and drop-off at your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport
- Government taxes and fuel
Not included
- International flights and Tanzania visa
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tips for your guide and cook
- Sleeping bag (available to rent)
- Soft drinks, beer and other beverages
- Optional activities such as the Serengeti hot-air balloon
- Personal items and laundry
Good to know
- Public campsites have shared flush toilets and showers; hot water is not always reliable.
- Nights on the Ngorongoro crater rim can drop close to freezing, so bring a warm jacket, hat and a sleeping bag rated for cold nights.
- Pack in a soft bag rather than a hard suitcase so it fits easily in the vehicle.
- Accommodation before and after the safari in Arusha can be added on request.
Frequently asked questions
Is a budget camping safari safe?
Yes. Public campsites in the parks are used every night by safari groups and are patrolled by rangers. Your guide will brief you on simple rules, such as staying in your tent at night and using a flashlight when walking around camp.
Do I need my own camping gear?
No. We provide tents, mattresses, camping chairs, tables and cooking equipment. You only need to bring or rent a sleeping bag and your personal items.
Can we see the Great Migration on this safari?
It depends on the month. The central Serengeti has excellent resident wildlife year-round, and from roughly December to March the herds are usually within reach in the south, while from July to October they are typically further north.
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