Private or Group Tanzania safari
3 Days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari
The shortest route that reaches both the Serengeti plains and the crater floor.
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Tanzania
- Budget
- Private or Group
Choose your level
One route, three ways to travel it.
The road, the parks and the day-by-day itinerary are the same at every level. What changes is where you sleep, what you travel in and what it costs.
Trip facts
- Duration
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Country
- Tanzania
- Destinations
- Serengeti · Ngorongoro
- Safari level
- Budget
- Travel type
- Private or Group safari
- Starts
- Arusha
- Ends
- Arusha
- Price
- On request
Overview
The journey at a glance.
This is the compressed version of the northern circuit: straight through to the Serengeti on the first day, a crossing back via Olduvai on the second, and the crater descent on the third.
It works because the two destinations are so different. The Serengeti is open, enormous and moving; Ngorongoro is enclosed, dense and resident. Seeing both in three days is tight, but it is a real trip rather than a sampler.
If you have the days, adding one more night in the Serengeti transforms it — that is the four and five-day versions of this route.
RouteArusha · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Arusha
Featured journeySerengeti and Ngorongoro are repeatedly praised in Ndurumo client reviews, and the lodge depth supports strong upgrades.
Your route
4 points.
One unfolding story.
Where you stay, and for how long. The full route is listed in text below the line, so it reads the same however you are viewing this page.
- 01ArushaIn transit
- 02Serengeti1 night
- 03Ngorongoro1 night
- 04ArushaIn transit
Day by day
3 days, read as a journey.
Timings are indicative and depend on road and park conditions on the day. Meals shown are those included in the safari price.
Day 1Arusha → Serengeti
West across the highlands and down onto the plains.
An early start from Arusha, climbing past Karatu and over the Ngorongoro highlands before the land opens out into the Serengeti. You reach the park in the afternoon with a game drive en route to camp.
- Activities
- Road transfer from Arusha · Game drive en route
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti · Seronera Camp
Day 2Serengeti → Ngorongoro
A long morning on the plains, then up to the rim.
An early breakfast and out with picnic lunches for a long morning game drive in the central Serengeti — the granite kopjes here are reliable ground for lion, and the woodland edges are where leopard turn up. You leave around midday, with an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge, and reach the Ngorongoro highlands by evening.
- Activities
- Morning game drive with picnic lunch · Optional Olduvai Gorge stop
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro · Simba Campsite
- Optional
- Olduvai Gorge stop (USD 35 pp, paid locally)
Day 3Ngorongoro → Arusha
Down into the crater.
An early descent onto the crater floor, which is where the trip earns itself. Roughly 260 square kilometres of grassland, swamp and soda lake hold a resident population that includes black rhino, big-tusked elephant and well-studied lion prides. You ascend around midday and drive back to Arusha.
- Activities
- Ngorongoro Crater game drive · Road transfer to Arusha
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Overnight
- The journey ends today
Accommodation · Budget
A place to pause between chapters.
These are properties Ndurumo may recommend or use at this level on this route. Final accommodation is confirmed with your quotation and remains subject to availability.
Serengeti · Budget1 night
Seronera Camp
Seronera Camp is basic camping, sold honestly as such.
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safari
Ngorongoro · Budget1 night
Simba Campsite
Simba Campsite is basic camping, sold honestly as such.
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safari
Compare accommodation at all three levels
Budget
- Serengeti
- Seronera Camp
- Ngorongoro
- Simba Campsite
Midrange
- Serengeti
- Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
- Ngorongoro
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, or similar
Luxury
- Serengeti
- Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp
- Ngorongoro
- Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro, Gibb's Farm
What you’ll experience
The character of this route.
- 01
The central Serengeti and its granite kopjes
- 02
A descent onto the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- 03
Black rhino, in one of the few places they are reliably seen
- 04
An optional stop at Olduvai Gorge
- 05
Two of the northern circuit's defining landscapes in three days
Package detail
What the price covers.
These lists apply to the budget version of this route. Optional extras are listed against the day they fall on.
What’s included
- Transport in a 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser
- Airport pick-up on arrival
- Accommodation as set out in the itinerary
- All meals while on safari (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Services of a professional Ndurumo driver-guide
- All park and reserve entrance fees
- All game drives listed in the itinerary
- Statutory taxes
Not included
- International flights
- Kenya or Tanzania visas and entry fees
- Travel and personal insurance
- Single-occupancy supplement
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Optional activities, including balloon safaris and village visits
- Items of a personal nature
- Tips for your guide and lodge staff
Pricing
Clear before you commit.
Price depends on travel dates, group size, accommodation level, park fees at the time of travel and vehicle arrangements.
We are reconfirming the rate for this package, so we are not publishing a figure we cannot stand behind. Send us your dates and we will price it properly against current park fees and camp availability.
- Travel dates
- Required for a quotation
- Group size
- Required for a quotation
- Occupancy
- Per person sharing; single supplement quoted separately
- Child rates
- Quoted where the property applies them
This route, shaped around you
Begin with the journey already chosen.
Your enquiry carries this route and level automatically, so you only add the details we genuinely need to price it.
Is three days enough for the northern circuit?
It reaches both headline destinations, but with a lot of driving relative to game-viewing time. Four or five days gives the Serengeti a full day, which is where the difference shows.
Why are some Tanzania prices shown as On Request?
Several of our current Tanzania pages repeat the same base figure across different durations, which we do not think is a safe basis for a quotation. We are reconfirming those rates, and in the meantime we price each Tanzania enquiry against the actual dates, park fees and camps.
Is the price per person?
Yes. Published rates are per person sharing a twin or double room. Solo travellers pay a single-occupancy supplement, which we quote with the rest of the trip.
What does the final price depend on?
Travel dates, the number of people travelling, your accommodation tier, park fees at the time of travel and vehicle arrangements. We reprice every enquiry for the exact dates rather than working from a fixed sheet.
Can the itinerary be changed?
Yes. The route below is the standard shape of the trip. Nights can be added or moved, and destinations can be swapped, as long as the driving distances still work.
Are park fees included?
Yes. All park and reserve entrance fees for the parks in the itinerary are included in the quoted price.
What vehicle will we use?
Road safaris use a 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser. Private departures have their own vehicle; group departures share the vehicle with fellow travellers.
Can children join this safari?
Yes. Tell us your children's ages when you enquire and we will confirm which properties on the route suit them and whether child rates apply.
Continue exploring
Other routes worth following.
4 Days Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari
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- 4 days / 3 nights
- Tanzania
- On request
4 Days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Arusha · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Arusha
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Tanzania
- On request
5 Days Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Arusha · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Arusha
- 5 days / 4 nights
- Tanzania
- On request
3 Days Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Let’s mark this route.
Share your dates and party, and we will come back with a quotation for this itinerary at the level you have chosen — or tell you honestly if a different route fits better.
A guided enquiry, not an instant booking. No obligation.
