Super Luxury SafarisSuper Luxury Safaris
3 day itinerary

3 Day Tanzania Safari from Arusha

A compact private loop from Arusha: elephants in Tarangire, a full morning on the Ngorongoro floor, and a committed last morning at Lake Manyara.

From $4,800 per personFinal quote depends on travel dates, lodge choice and group size.

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Route map

From start to finish

Starts in Arusha and ends in Kilimanjaro Airport.

Start: Arusha End: Kilimanjaro Airport

Tanzania

  1. Start Arusha (Day 1)
  2. Tarangire National Park (Day 1) Land Cruiser
  3. Karatu (Day 1) Land Cruiser
  4. Ngorongoro Crater (Day 2) Land Cruiser
  5. Karatu (Day 2) Land Cruiser
  6. Lake Manyara (Day 3) Land Cruiser
  7. Arusha (Day 3) Land Cruiser
  8. End Kilimanjaro Airport (Day 3) Land Cruiser

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Digital itinerary

Day by day

Every package has a shareable digital itinerary: overnight notes, the route, and a print-ready PDF view.

  1. Day 1 Arusha to Tarangire National Park in the Karatu highlands, in the camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end lodge named on your
  2. Day 2 Ngorongoro Crater in the Karatu highlands, in the camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end lodge named on your
  3. Day 3 Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

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Lodge Safaris Mid-range Safaris

Three days is enough for a real northern Tanzania safari if you sleep near the parks instead of driving back to town every night. This Super Luxury itinerary leaves Arusha after breakfast, spends two nights in the Karatu highlands, and finishes with a Lake Manyara morning before we return you to your hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport.

You travel in a private Land Cruiser with a Super Luxury Safaris’ Guide who knows the Tarangire river, the crater descent road, and the groundwater forest at Manyara. Choose camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end — we confirm the class on your quote.

Baobabs at sunset in Tarangire

Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Baobabs at the heart of Tarangire National Park

Breakfast in Arusha, then the farms drop behind you in about two hours. Baobabs show first, the park gate next, the river after that. This is not a transfer with a short game drive tacked on. Tarangire is where the safari starts, in a private Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof and a window seat that stays yours for the whole trip.

It is elephant country. In the dry months whole families walk the Tarangire River and the Silale swamp. Giraffe work the acacias. Lion take the shade of the same giants you came to photograph. We stay out for a picnic so you are still in the park when the light tilts and the herds move toward water.

Your Super Luxury Safaris’ Guide already knows which track is quiet that week. You are not following a convoy from a distant call centre. You travel with the Super Luxury Safaris Team that will still answer WhatsApp after dinner.

Overnight in the Karatu highlands, in the camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end lodge named on your quote.

Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater floor from the rim

This is the morning that sells the northern circuit. We drop roughly 600 metres onto the crater floor while the grass is still cold. Zebra, wildebeest and buffalo pack the short grass. Hippo hold the pools. Lion are often in the open. Black rhino are never guaranteed — and we never pretend they are — but this closed caldera is the fairest chance you will have.

Picnic lunch is on the floor, not a rushed snack at the gate. We climb out with time to wash off the dust. You will talk about this day for years; we pace it so you are still looking, not watching the clock.

Overnight in the Karatu highlands, in the camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end lodge named on your quote.

Day 3: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

Wildlife along the Lake Manyara shoreline

Lake Manyara is a park with a personality of its own: groundwater forest under the Rift escarpment, a soda lake that draws flamingos when the water is right, and woodland elephants that feed in the open. Tree-climbing lion use the acacias some seasons; we look, we do not promise.

This is a committed morning, not an optional extra on the way to the airport. After the game drive we continue to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport as your ticket requires. If your flight is too early, we skip the park, we do not charge the fees, and we tell you that before you pay.

The package

What is included — and what is not

Two separate lists, so you can see what the itinerary price covers before you request a quote.

Covered

Included in this itinerary

In the package price, for the dates and lodge or camp class on your quote.

  • Current TANAPA and Ngorongoro conservation fees for every park named in the day plan.
  • Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof, fridge and a window seat for every guest.
  • Arusha-based Super Luxury Safaris' Guide and all game drives written in the day plan.
  • Lodge or camp nights as confirmed on your quote.
  • Bottled water in the vehicle.
  • Hotel or airport collection in Arusha or at Kilimanjaro International Airport, and the return drop-off.
  • All meals (full board) at the lodges, camps or hotels named on your itinerary.
  • An evening of live music and traditional dance performances at select camps, arranged for your dates.

You arrange these

Not included

Budget separately, or ask us to add them to your proposal.

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes and visa or eTA fees
  • Alcoholic drinks and any specialty dining not named on your quote
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature, laundry and souvenirs
  • Travel insurance
  • Optional extras such as a hot-air balloon, Maasai village visit or spa, unless added to the quote

When to travel

Season and routing

Year-round wildlife. December to March we can sleep toward Ndutu if calving is on. July to October we can place Serengeti nights toward the Mara River if you want crossings. The day order below is the standard loop; we only change camp locations, not the number of nights, when you send dates.

Where you sleep

Choose your stay style

Four ways to travel the same parks. Pick one style for the whole safari, or mix nights — we quote what you actually want. Names below are properties we often confirm. The lodge or camp on your quote is the booking; nothing here is reserved until you approve it.

  1. Camping Safari tents, a cook, the night sounds of the park. The honest, close-to-the-ground way to safari.
  2. Mid-range En-suite lodges and tented camps we use most — a proper bed, a shower, and the game still at the door.
  3. Luxury Pools, full-service dining, the better rooms in the same parks.
  4. High-end Suite camps and private houses when the trip is built around silence and space.

Tarangire National Park

Camping

Tarangire public campsite or a private farm site on the park edge — Super Luxury tents, a cook, baobabs at first light.

Mid-range

Tarangire Safari Lodge, Tarangire Sopa Lodge — classic rooms above the river, elephants on the floodplain below.

Luxury

Tarangire Treetops, Sanctuary Swala — raised decks and a quieter night inside the park.

High-end

Oliver’s Camp, Chem Chem Lodge — suite tents and private guiding when the quote is built around Tarangire.

Karatu highlands (Manyara and crater gateway)

Camping

Pamoja Farm Camp, Kizumba Campsite, or a similar private farm campsite with a cook, tents and a hot bucket shower.

Mid-range

Farm of Dreams Lodge, Eileen’s Trees Inn, Marera Valley Lodge — en-suite rooms, gardens and a quiet night after the parks.

Luxury

Ngorongoro Farm House, Tloma Lodge, Kitela Lodge — larger rooms, a pool, and coffee-estate grounds above Karatu.

High-end

The Manor at Ngorongoro, Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge — butler service, wide views and a slower evening before the crater.

Before you book

Practical notes

  • This loop needs a morning start from Arusha. If you land at Kilimanjaro after 12:00 we sleep you in town that night and begin Tarangire the next morning — we do not promise a full park day after a late arrival.
  • Day 3 is a Lake Manyara game drive, then the drive to Arusha. Do not book an international departure before 19:00. If your flight is earlier, we skip Manyara, drive you straight to the airport, and we do not charge Manyara park fees.

OUR AFFILIATES

Singita Elewana Collection Meliá Karibu Africa Safaris Legendary Expeditions