5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

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Overview

5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

This 5-day mid-range safari combines Tanzania’s top northern circuit highlights with a final cultural experience at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Visit Tarangire National Park, spend a full day in Serengeti, explore the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater, and end with a refreshing Materuni Waterfalls and Chagga coffee tour. Travel in a comfortable 4x4 Land Cruiser with an experienced safari guide and stay in carefully selected mid-range lodges and tented camps.

Day By Day Itinerary

5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)
For Real Adventure

Arrival in Arusha
Arusha Airport

As you arrive at Kilimanjaro or Arusha Airport, you will be met by our representative and driven to your hotel in Arusha. Located at the base of Mount Meru, this charming city is the starting point for your safari adventure.

Take your time to discover the beauty of Arusha city from Clock tower (the halfway between Cairo Egypt to Johannesburg South Africa) and take walking to Maasai Market, proceed to Arusha Declaration monument and museum, central market to learn different African spices, vegetable and fruits, visit Arusha City bus terminal, then later drive back to your hotel. Transfer from Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha is 1.5 hours, while from Arusha Airport to the city takes 30 minutes.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Pazuri Inn
  • Gold – Forest Hill Hotel
  • Platinum – Gran Meliá Arusha

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Tarangire-national-park

After breakfast, begin your journey into the wild with a scenic drive to Tarangire National Park, a hidden gem teeming with wildlife. The park is famous for its towering baobab trees and enormous elephant herds. During the dry season, the Tarangire River becomes a vital water source, attracting animals in incredible numbers. Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park takes 2.5 hours departure is early to catch the morning wildlife activity.

On your game drive, watch for lions, zebras, wildebeests, and rare species like the Greater kudu, fringed-eared oryx, and ashy starling. Pause for a picnic lunch under an acacia tree before continuing your safari.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Farm of Dreams
  • Gold – Ngorongoro Farm House
  • Platinum – Acacia Farm Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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After an early breakfast, drive through the highlands of Karatu and enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, eventually descending into the legendary Serengeti National Park. Transfer times are vital for guests to plan ahead, as roads can be rough, often referred to as the “African Massage” due to their bumpy conditions.

Your route takes you into the Seronera Valley, a prime wildlife region known for its big cat sightings and the year-round Seronera River. You’ll arrive in time for an afternoon game drive—your first taste of Serengeti’s endless plains and rich wildlife.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Land of Nature Camp
  • Gold – Anantya Serengeti Camp
  • Platinum – Nyota Luxury Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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Over the next two days, follow the famous Great Wildebeest Migration in the northern Serengeti. Depending on the season, witness dramatic river crossings or vast herds moving across the savannah. On Day 4, include a 2-hour transit game drive, offering scenic views and wildlife encounters during the transfer. This region is also home to resident predators like cheetahs, hyenas, and lions, as well as towering giraffes, agile gazelles, and countless bird species. Spend your days exploring different areas of the park with your guide, soaking in the rhythm of the wild. On Day 4, a 2-hour game drive will be included, providing scenic views and exciting wildlife encounters along the way.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Heritage Mara Camp
  • Gold – Lemala Mara Tented Camp
  • Platinum – Serengeti River Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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Return south for a full day in the Central Serengeti, where the high concentration of wildlife makes every drive thrilling. Keep your camera ready—you could spot a leopard lounging in a tree, a lion pride on the hunt, or a cheetah sprinting across the plains. Go on a game drive en route to the central Serengeti. End the day around a campfire under the stars, listening to the distant calls of nocturnal animals.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Land of Nature Camp
  • Gold – Anantya Serengeti Camp
  • Platinum – Serengeti Sametu Tented Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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Enjoy a leisurely morning game drive as you depart Serengeti and travel to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Along the way, take in scenic landscapes and perhaps spot more wildlife en route to your lodge on the crater rim.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp
  • Gold – Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp
  • Platinum – Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw by Karibu Camps

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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Today, descend into the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to nearly 30,000 animals. With its permanent water source and nutrient-rich soil, the crater floor is a haven for wildlife year-round.

Search for black rhinos, hippos, elephants, and zebras, and enjoy close encounters with lions, hyenas, and perhaps even a leopard. Enjoy a picnic lunch in this stunning natural amphitheatre before returning to your lodge. The transfer from Ngorongoro Crater to Karatu typically takes approximately 1 hour.

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Farm of Dreams Lodge
  • Gold – Ngorongoro Farm House
  • Platinum – Kitela Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

Best Time for a Safari in Tanzania – African Overland

Early morning breakfast, then depart to Lake Manyara for a game drive.
The park has a varied habitat that attracts a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, Lake Manyara’s unique tree-climbing lions, zebra, buffalo, giraffe, baboons, warthog, as well as large flocks of flamingos attracted by the algae in the lake. 

Accommodation Options

  • Silver – Lake Manyara Best View Lodge
  • Gold – Motto Cottages
  • Platinum – Manyara’s Secret

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Game Viewing:  Enjoy unlimited game drives within the park with the national park rules and guidelines

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You will visit a Maasai village to learn about the local culture. You will visit Maasai families at Mto wa Mbu. You will be able to discover the traditional life of the Maasai, their culture, their traditions, and visit their bomas (grouping of huts of an extended family).

Departure: Depending on your flight details you will get transferred to Kilimanjaro or Arusha Airport to connect your flight back home.

  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, and Lunch
  • Game Viewing: Enjoy a 3-hour game viewing experience, followed by an approximately 2.5-hour transfer to Arusha after the activity ends.
Arusha Airport

01 5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

DAY 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, your professional safari guide will pick you up from your hotel in Arusha for a short safari briefing before departing towards Tarangire National Park, approximately a two-hour drive away. Tarangire is renowned for its massive elephant populations, ancient baobab trees, and the Tarangire River, which serves as the primary water source for wildlife during the dry season. The park offers excellent opportunities to spot elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes, impalas, warthogs, and predators such as lions and leopards. You will enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park while overlooking the beautiful wilderness before continuing your afternoon game drive. As the sun begins to set, you’ll leave the park and drive to Mto wa mbu for dinner and an overnight stay.

 

Meals: Lunch & Dinner Accommodation: Budget Camping

02 5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

DAY 2: Mto wa mbu – Central Serengeti National Park

After an early breakfast, depart for Serengeti National Park via the scenic Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Upon entering Serengeti, your game drive begins immediately. The vast plains are home to abundant wildlife including lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes, hyenas, and many antelope species. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush as you continue exploring the Central Serengeti, one of the best wildlife viewing areas in Africa. Arrive at your campsite in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight. 

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner Accommodation: Budget Camping

Tarangire-national-park
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03 5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

DAY 3: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Highlands – Mto wa mbu

After breakfast, enjoy a relaxed morning game drive as you exit Serengeti, with a final chance to spot wildlife across the endless plains. Continue through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, enjoying scenic landscapes, Maasai villages, and breathtaking highland views. You may stop at a crater viewpoint for photos. Proceed to Mto wa mbu, where you will arrive in the afternoon and relax at your campsite.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Accommodation: Budget camping

4 5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

DAY 4: Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha

After an early breakfast, descend 600 meters into the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The crater offers one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the world, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, flamingos, and the rare black rhinoceros. The scenery inside the crater is equally spectacular, with grasslands, lakes, forests, and swamps all within a collapsed volcanic caldera. Enjoy a picnic lunch at the famous Hippo Pool while surrounded by abundant wildlife. In the afternoon, ascend the crater and begin your drive back to Arusha, arriving in the early evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Accommodation: Gold Crest Hotel

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5 5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

DAY 5: Materuni Waterfalls & Coffee Tour - Depature

After breakfast, depart Arusha for the scenic drive to Materuni Village, located on the lush foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro near Moshi. Home to the Chagga people, the village is surrounded by green coffee plantations and offers a wonderful opportunity to experience Tanzania’s natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Following the tour, begin your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your onward flight. If your departure is from Arusha Airport or you have accommodation in Arusha, you will be transferred there instead.

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Accommodation: Available upon request

PRICES:

From: $1600 per person

Day By Day Map & Navigation

5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)For Real Adventure

Inclusion & Exclusion

5-Day Budget Safari & Materuni Waterfalls (Camping)

Inclusion

Activities and Transfers as per the itinerary

Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle

Drinking Water throughout the safari

All National Park and Conservation Fees

10 Nights’ Stay in Lodges and Tented Camps (Silver, Gold, or Platinum)

Meals according to the itinerary

Professional, English-speaking guide

Exclusion

Flights (International and Domestic)

Alcoholic And Soft Drinks

Visa fees

Tips and Gratuities

Optional Activities (e.g. balloon safari)

Personal spending money for souvenirs etc.

Travel insurance

Day By Day Itinerary

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