3-Day Budget Serengeti Safari

Depart Arusha early morning and drive through the Great Rift Valley highlands to the Serengeti. Pass through Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a brief stop at the crater rim for panoramic views. Enter the Serengeti through Naabi Hill Gate and begin an afternoon game drive across the endless plains searching for lion prides, cheetah, elephant herds, and vast herds of wildebeest and zebra. Arrive at your campsite as the sun sets over the Serengeti.

Wake early for a sunrise game drive deep into the Serengeti plains. Search for the Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Visit the Seronera River area, famous for its resident hippo pods and crocodiles, and a prime spot for leopard sightings in the sausage trees. After lunch, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and set up camp on the crater rim with stunning views into the caldera below.

Descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater at dawn for a half-day game drive on the crater floor. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to over 25,000 animals including lion, elephant, buffalo, black rhino, and flamingo-lined Lake Magadi. After a packed lunch by the hippo pool, ascend from the crater and drive back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon.