8-Day Tanzania Big Five and Cultural Tour

Tarangire National Park, with its sweeping golden pastures and Tanzania’s largest elephant population, is a wilderness paradise you’ll enter after a private transfer from Arusha Airport. When you arrive at the park, the settlements will give way to nature, and emerald landscapes dotted with a variety of flora and fauna will stretch out beyond you to the horizon. Following your game drive, you’ll arrive at your spectacular campgrounds, which are nestled among acacia trees and overlook a dry riverbed flanked by massive granite boulders. You might be lucky enough to see elephants drinking from the watering hole in the middle of camp in the afternoon.

On your first full day in the reserve, you will explore Tarangire and its fascinating forms of life, whether on game drives through lush forests and sweeping savannas or on nature walks along grassy pathways winding up and down the hills. Along the way, you’ll find shade under giant baobab trees, be amazed by breathtaking views of places that haven’t been touched by humans, and see a wide range of animals roaming through the bush, from galloping gazelles to racing wildebeest and more.

A morning game drive in Tarangire as the sun rises on the horizon may reveal the early bird hunters in action, such as lions and leopards, chasing down their speedy prey. After that, you’ll pack your belongings and head to Lake Manyara National Park, which is best known for the flamingos and pouch-mouthed pelicans that make their home in the reserve’s lake of the same name. From your camp to the lake, you can go on a bird-watching safari to see these flying friends in a way you’ll never forget.

You’ll leave early in the morning to transfer from Lake Manyara to the world-renowned Serengeti National Park. Animals circle your tents throughout the day in the untamed Central Serengeti. You could spend the afternoon settling into your new surroundings and taking advantage of the many amenities available at your lodging. As the sun goes down, oranges and purples will light up the sky, and a crackling campfire and the occasional howl of wild dogs in the distance will make for a beautiful evening.

The Serengeti is home to the Great Migration, one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife spectacles, which you may have the opportunity to witness if your travels are perfectly timed. During the migration, millions of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and other animals set out on a northward journey, accompanied by hungry predators. You may remember what happened in the popular movie The Lion King, but no words or pictures could ever capture the true grandeur of this event, which you will remember for years.

You will begin your journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area after seeing some incredible game during your stay in the Serengeti. You’ll stop briefly along the way at the Oldupai Gorge, an incredible archeological site important to studies of human evolution. The first human ancestor remains were discovered within this mesmerizing gorge, earning Africa the title of “Cradle of Mankind.” After you’ve looked around the area, your Tanzanian tour will take you to the next stop, a charming camp under a valley forest and surrounded by lots of plants.

Ngorongoro Crater is a World Heritage Site in Tanzania’s Crater Highlands, with stunning environments sweeping its diverse landscape. Today, you’ll join a guide and travel deeper into the crater, with the possibility of seeing the renowned Big Five, which include the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard. After your extensive game viewing in the illustrious region, you will be transferred to Lake Eyasi, your final destination. You’ll be at a loss for words gazing out at one of Tanzania’s most bewitching lakeside scenes after settling into a lodge stationed on the shores of the glimmering lake. 

You will be joined by your knowledgeable and bilingual guide to conclude your immersive game and cultural tour of Tanzania, and you will be introduced to the remarkable Hadzabe indigenous tribe. These hunter-gathering bushmen have lived in this area for centuries, and their local customs and traditions can be traced back to their ancestors. After spending some time getting used to their way of life, you’ll be transferred to the Datoga tribe, who speak Nilotic. Before you go to the airport, you can watch traditional dances, look at their collections of medicinal plants, and learn how to track animals.