Tanzania · Private safari
Tanzania’s Classic Safari
Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Tanzania · Rwanda
Tanzania & Rwanda
Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Volcanoes
Bring classic safari days together with a Rwanda gorilla experience, connected by carefully planned flights and transfers.
Tanzania gives you the Serengeti and the crater; Rwanda adds a gorilla trek in the Virunga foothills. The flight between Arusha and Kigali is short, so the two experiences sit together neatly without a long overland crossing.
The route
- Stop 1
Serengeti
- Stop 2
Ngorongoro
- Stop 3
Volcanoes
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
3 stops · drag and zoom to explore
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- 01Serengeti
- 02Ngorongoro
- 03Volcanoes
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
9 days · 8 nights across 2 countries
Day01Arrive and settle into SerengetiSerengeti · overnight Serengeti
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Full days of game drives on the Serengeti plains, tracking whatever the season has brought to the area.
- Transfers
- Met at Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Arusha (ARK), then a transfer of a scenic drive from the Ngorongoro highlands, or a scheduled flight to a Serengeti airstrip.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Morning and afternoon drives from camp, with the middle of the day free to rest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
A day exploring a different sector, following the herds and the predators that shadow them.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Optional balloon safari at sunrise, weather and availability permitting.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05On to Ngorongoro highlandsNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
After breakfast you travel on to Ngorongoro. The afternoon is kept light: A descent into the Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch, exploring the crater floor.
- Transfers
- approximately 2 hours by road from Karatu or the Serengeti.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day06Ngorongoro — full dayNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
A morning crater visit or, on a longer stay, time in the surrounding highlands and forest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day07On to Volcanoes National ParkVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast you travel on to Volcanoes. The afternoon is kept light: Gorilla trekking day with park rangers, on a permit booked well in advance.
- Transfers
- approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali. Fly from Arusha to Kigali, then drive to Volcanoes National Park. Your gorilla permit date should be confirmed before the safari dates are fixed.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day08Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkey trekking or a second gorilla permit, subject to availability.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day09DepartureVolcanoes National Park · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali to Kigali (KGL) for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Crossing between countries
A light-aircraft flight within Tanzania, then a scheduled regional flight to Kigali and a road transfer into the Virunga foothills.
Proposed level
Luxury accommodation, proposed rather than committed. Specific properties and rates are shared privately in your proposal.
Safaris we sell
Journeys on this route
Each can run on its own, or be joined into the full combination above.
Tanzania · Private safari
Northern Circuit Discovery
Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange
Before you decide
- Gorilla permits are limited and date-specific; they are quoted separately.
- Allow a buffer day around the trek in case of flight delays.
- Rwanda is compact, so the drive from Kigali to the park takes about three hours.
Questions about this combination
Which comes first?
Either works. Most travellers do the safari first and the trek second, so the trek is not compromised by travel fatigue.
Do we need a Rwanda visa?
Check current rules for your nationality; Rwanda has changed its entry arrangements in recent years.
Can we add Zanzibar?
Yes, but it adds days. With nine nights we would keep the route focused.
