6 DAYS | 5 NIGHTS Incredible Big Cats Tanzania
Tour Overview
Explore Africa’s greatest national parks on this 6-day Tanzania Big Cat Photographic Safari! Start in Arusha before venturing into landscapes teeming with lions, leopards, and cheetahs – including the famous Serengeti plains and the majestic Ngorongoro Crater! After a full breakfast at your lodge, your guide will return to Arusha from Karatu in around two and a half hours. Along the way, you’ll pass through local communities and rolling countryside, offering spontaneous photographic opportunities.
You will enjoy a hot lunch at a local restaurant in Arusha before relaxing for a few hours. After a fulfilling photographic safari, it is time to bid farewell to Tanzania. Your guide will accompany you to the airport for your onward journey home. On this Tanzania big cat safari, you will visit Lake Manyara, famed for its tree-climbing lions, the predator-rich Serengeti National Park, and the unique Ngorongoro Crater, home to Africa’s densest concentration of wildlife – perfect for capturing unforgettable images of the continent’s top predators in dramatic landscapes.
Duration: 6 Days
When to go: All Year Round
FULL ITINERARY
DAY 1:
Lake Manyara National Park
What a wonderful morning! After a delicious breakfast at your hotel, your guide will pick you up with packed lunch boxes and transfer you across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a full-day photographic safari. This picturesque park is renowned for its towering fig and mahogany trees, home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys, and large populations of giraffes, elephants, buffalos, and impalas.
Lake Manyara is also home to tree-climbing lions, providing unique photographic moments, as well as vibrant flamingos along the lakeshore. Over 400 bird species, including Ground Hornbills and Crested Eagles, offer dynamic foregrounds for your shots. In the afternoon, pause for a picnic lunch and rest while photographing the park’s breathtaking scenery. The late afternoon game drive along the lakeshore allows for silhouettes of giraffes and elephants with flamingos and mirrored water as perfect photographic compositions. After the day’s expedition, drive to a lodge in Karatu for dinner and overnight stay.
Where to Stay
Mid - Range: Tulia Boutique Hotel
Luxury: Mount Meru Hotel
MEAL PLAN
Dinner
Where to Stay
Overnight: Tented Camp / Lodge
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 2:
Karatu – Tarangire National Park & Serengeti
After breakfast in Karatu, your guide will drive you to Tarangire National Park, famous for its dense elephant herds, baobab-studded savannahs, and abundant predators. Lions and leopards roam the park, offering dramatic photographic opportunities against backdrops of giant baobabs and golden grasslands. Raptors such as Bateleurs and Martial Eagles soar overhead, adding movement and depth to your images.
After a mid-day picnic lunch, continue via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the Serengeti National Park, the heartland of Africa’s big cats. On the way, stop at the Ngorongoro Crater rim for sweeping panoramic shots or Olduvai Gorge to photograph the historic landscape. Arrive in the Serengeti in time for an afternoon game drive before returning to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Where to Stay
Mid - Range: Tulia Boutique Hotel
Luxury: Mount Meru Hotel
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Where to Stay
Overnight: Tented Camp / Lodge
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 3&4:
Central Serengeti – Big Cat Photography
Start either with an early-morning game drive at 6:00 AM or a leisurely breakfast followed by a 9:00 AM departure. Return to your lodge for lunch and relax before heading out for an afternoon drive. The Seronera area in the central Serengeti is rich with wildlife, including large prides of lions and elusive leopards, offering year-round photographic opportunities.
The Seronera River attracts a high density of wildlife, including cheetahs hunting in open grasslands, hyenas, jackals, and abundant birdlife for layered compositions. Midday light can be used to capture wildlife behavior under diffused light, while mornings and evenings provide golden-hour opportunities with dramatic shadows and textures. Both days conclude with a hearty meal and overnight stay at your Serengeti lodge.
Where to Stay
Mid - Range: Tulia Boutique Hotel
Luxury: Mount Meru Hotel
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Where to Stay
Overnight: Tented Camp / Lodge
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 5:
Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Rise early for a morning game drive to capture predators at their most active in the soft dawn light. Observe lions stretching, cheetahs scanning the plains, and leopards emerging from forested slopes. After breakfast at the lodge, transfer to Ngorongoro Crater, famously called the “Garden of Eden” for its unparalleled wildlife density.
The crater is a natural amphitheater featuring forests, open plains, and a soda lake, offering photographers varied habitats for big cat behavior and wildlife interactions. Capture elephants with unusually large tusks, buffalo, zebras, and predators like lions and hyenas amidst the crater’s dramatic landscapes. Afternoon walking safaris add another dimension to your photography before returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Where to Stay
Mid - Range: Tulia Boutique Hotel
Luxury: Mount Meru Hotel
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Where to Stay
Overnight: Tented Camp / Lodge
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 6:
Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha Departure
Start early with a 6:30 AM game drive at the crater floor to photograph lions, cheetahs, leopards, and other wildlife in the first light. The crater’s varied habitats forests, open plains, and wetlands offer multiple layers for storytelling through your lens. After a picnic lunch at Hippo Pool, begin the ascent to the crater rim.
Return to Arusha in approximately four hours, stopping for last-minute photographs of the scenic highlands and wildlife along the way. Arrive by 6:00 PM and bid farewell to your safari team, taking home an unforgettable collection of big cat photographs and memories of Tanzania’s most iconic predators.
MEAL PLAN
Breakfast, Lunch
Tour Inclusion
- Pick up and drop in Arusha as per the itinerary
- Park entrance fee
- Full board accommodation while on safari
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- Transport based on a 4WD Vehicle with open roof for game viewing
- Driver’s allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
- Game drives as per the Itinerary
Tour Exclusion
- Pick up and drop in Arusha as per the itinerary
- Park entrance fee
- Full board accommodation while on safari
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- Transport based on a 4WD Vehicle with open roof for game viewing
- Driver’s allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
- Game drives as per the Itinerary
Price Per Person
|
Number of Person
|
Price per Person
|
|---|---|
|
PAX 2 |
$ 480 |
|
PAX 3 |
$ 460 |
|
PAX 4 |
$ 440 |
|
PAX 5+ |
$567 |
|
PAX 5+ |
$567 |
Tour Inclusion
- Pick up and drop in Arusha as per the itinerary
- Park entrance fee
- Full board accommodation while on safari
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- Transport based on a 4WD Vehicle with open roof for game viewing
- Driver’s allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
- Game drives as per the Itinerary
Tour Exclusion
- Pick up and drop in Arusha as per the itinerary
- Park entrance fee
- Full board accommodation while on safari
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- Transport based on a 4WD Vehicle with open roof for game viewing
- Driver’s allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
- Game drives as per the Itinerary
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