Super Luxury SafarisSuper Luxury Safaris
3 day itinerary

3 Day Camping Safari: Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Manyara

The three-day northern loop on canvas: Tarangire, a crater morning, and Lake Manyara, with two nights camping near Karatu.

From $3,600 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 Arusha.

Start: Arusha End: Arusha

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. End Arusha (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 a safari tent in the Karatu highlands, with a cook and a hot bucket shower
  2. Day 2 Ngorongoro Crater in a safari tent in the Karatu highlands, with a cook and a hot bucket shower
  3. Day 3 Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

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Camping Safaris

This is the three-day Tarangire–crater–Manyara loop with tents instead of lodges — the same parks, the same private Land Cruiser, and nights close enough to hear hyena. You sleep on a farm campsite near Karatu, eat with a safari cook, and wake for the crater with dust still on your boots.

Small-group joining dates run when we have two or more bookings on the same start day. Private camping is always available on your own dates. Upgrade any night to mid-range, luxury or high-end if you want a proper bed — the stay table below is the menu.

Safari tents on the northern circuit

Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire elephants

Farms fall away about two hours after you leave Arusha after breakfast. Baobabs appear, then the park gate, then the river. Skip the idea of a transfer with a short game drive tacked on — Tarangire is where this safari starts. Private Land Cruiser, pop-up roof, window seat yours for the whole trip.

This is elephant country. Whole families walk the Tarangire River and the Silale swamp in the dry months. Giraffe work the acacias, and lion use the shade of the same giants you came to photograph. A picnic holds you in the park until the light tilts and the herds move toward water.

A distant call centre does not set the day. Your Super Luxury Safaris’ Guide knows the quiet track that week, and the Super Luxury Safaris Team still answers WhatsApp after dinner.

Overnight in a safari tent in the Karatu highlands, with a cook and a hot bucket shower.

Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater

Northern-circuit mornings do not come better than this. Roughly 600 metres down onto the crater floor while the grass is still cold. Zebra, wildebeest and buffalo on the short grass. Hippo holding the pools. Lion often in the open. Black rhino are never guaranteed — we never pretend they are — but a closed caldera is the fairest chance you will have.

A rushed snack at the gate is not the plan. Picnic lunch is on the floor. Time to wash off the dust as we climb out. Still looking, not watching the clock. You will talk about this day for years.

Overnight in a safari tent in the Karatu highlands, with a cook and a hot bucket shower.

Day 3: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

Lake Manyara

We do not promise tree-climbing lion, though they use the acacias some seasons and we look. Lake Manyara remains 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, woodland elephants that feed in the open.

Your ticket decides Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport after the game drive. This is a committed morning, not an optional extra on the way to the airport. Too early a flight means 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.
  • Two-person safari tents, sleeping mats, camp chairs, tables and a cook for meals in camp.
  • Park-side or farm campsites 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
  • Sleeping bag (bring your own or rent one in Arusha before departure)

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 itinerary is quoted on camping. Any night can move to mid-range, luxury or high-end — see the stay table on this page.
  • Tents, mats, a cook and camp furniture are included. Bring a sleeping bag or rent one in Arusha before we leave.
  • Public campsites are simple: shared wash blocks, no generator luxury.
  • Same timing as the lodge three-day: morning start from Arusha, and no international departure before 19:00 on day 3.

OUR AFFILIATES

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