3 Days - Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater Safari in Tanzania
This 3 Days Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater Safari covers 1 night near Lake Manyara and 1 night in the Ngorongoro Highlands, with an additional 1 night stay in Arusha City before the safari begins. The safari starts with airport pick-up from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) and ends with airport drop-off after the tour. Accompanied by our professional, certified, experienced and passionate safari guides from Macpace Tours and Safaris, this journey offers a beautiful short Tanzania safari experience and memories that will last a lifetime.
Starting from Arusha City or Moshi Town, this safari is a good choice for travelers who want to enjoy three different safari destinations in a short time. It is simple, well planned, and gives you a chance to see mountain views, forest wildlife, lake scenery, birdlife, highlands, and the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater.
Your safari journey begins with your arrival in Arusha. You will spend the first night in Arusha City before going into the parks. This night gives you time to rest after your flight, prepare your safari luggage, and get ready for the next day’s adventure.
On the first day of Safari, your guide will pick you up after breakfast and drive to Arusha National Park. This park is located close to Arusha City and sits near Mount Meru, making it one of the most scenic parks in northern Tanzania.
During your game drive in Arusha National Park, you may see giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, flamingos, and many bird species. The park is also known for Momella Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, green forest, open grassland, and beautiful views of Mount Meru. On clear days, you may also see Mount Kilimanjaro from some areas.
On the second day of Safari, your journey continues to Lake Manyara National Park. This beautiful park is located below the Great Rift Valley escarpment and is known for its green groundwater forest, lake views, open grassland, and rich birdlife.
During your Lake Manyara game drive, you may see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, baboons, blue monkeys, flamingos, pelicans, and many other bird species. The park is also known for tree-climbing lions, although sightings depend on the day and season.
Later in the day, you will drive towards the Ngorongoro Highlands for dinner and overnight stay. The road gives you beautiful views of local villages, farms, open countryside, and green highland landscapes near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
On the third day of Safari, you will descend into the famous Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day game drive. The crater is one of the best wildlife areas in Tanzania because many animals live inside the crater throughout the year.
During the game drive, you may see lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, hyenas, gazelles, and if lucky, the rare black rhino. The crater also has beautiful scenery, including open grassland, forest, swamp areas, and a lake, making it one of the most special places on this safari.
After the Ngorongoro Crater game drive, you will begin your journey back to Arusha. Depending on your travel plan, you can be dropped at your hotel, Arusha Airport, or Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Throughout this safari, you will travel in a comfortable 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof. This gives you a clear view for wildlife watching, photography, and enjoying the beautiful landscapes of northern Tanzania.
This 3 Days Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater Safari is perfect for first-time visitors, couples, families, solo travelers, photographers, and wildlife lovers. It combines mountain scenery, forest wildlife, lake views, birdlife, highlands, and the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater in one short and well-planned Tanzania safari.
Safari at a Glance
- Safari Name: 3 Days Tanzania Safari Itinerary (Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater)
- Starting Point: Arusha City or Moshi Town
- Airport Arrival: Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) or Arusha Airport (ARK)
- Ending Point: Arusha, Moshi, KIA Airport, or Arusha Airport
- Accommodation Before Safari: Optional overnight stay in Arusha or Moshi
- Night 1: Lodge/Camp near Lake Manyara or Similar
- Night 2: Ngorongoro Highlands Lodge/Camp or Similar
- Main Attractions: Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater
- Wildlife: Lions, Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos, Wildebeest, Hyenas, Black Rhinos and more
- Best For: First-time visitors, wildlife lovers, photographers, couples, families and short safari holidays
Important Travel Information
| Location | Distance & Travel Time |
|---|---|
| Arusha to Arusha National Park | Approximately 35 km | 45 minutes – 1 hour drive |
| Moshi to Arusha National Park | Approximately 115 km | 2–3 hours drive |
| Arusha National Park to Lake Manyara | Approximately 135 km | 2–3 hours drive |
| Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Highlands | Approximately 60 km | 1–2 hours drive |
| Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha | Approximately 190 km | 4–5 hours drive |
| KIA Airport to Arusha | Approximately 50 km | About 1 hour drive |
| Arusha Airport to Arusha City | Approximately 8 km | About 15 minutes drive |
Places You Will Visit
Arusha City – Tanzania's Safari Gateway
Arusha is the main gateway to Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit and the starting point for most wildlife adventures in the country. Located at the foot of Mount Meru, the city offers a comfortable base for travelers before and after safari. It is surrounded by coffee farms, local markets, safari lodges, and beautiful natural scenery.
Arusha National Park – Home of Mount Meru
Arusha National Park is one of Tanzania’s most scenic parks, known for its beautiful landscapes and diverse habitats. The park features dense forests, open plains, volcanic craters, and the Momella Lakes, creating excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography.
Although it is smaller than many other parks in Tanzania, visitors often enjoy sightings of giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, colobus monkeys, and a wide variety of birds. The stunning backdrop of Mount Meru makes every game drive particularly memorable.
Lake Manyara National Park – Rift Valley Wildlife Haven
Lake Manyara National Park is famous for its beautiful setting beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The park contains diverse habitats including groundwater forests, acacia woodlands, open grasslands, and the shallow alkaline lake that gives the park its name.
Wildlife commonly seen includes elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, baboons, and numerous bird species. The park is especially popular among birdwatchers because of its rich birdlife and seasonal concentrations of flamingos along the lake shore.
Ngorongoro Crater – Africa's Wildlife Wonderland
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most remarkable safari destinations in Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Formed by the collapse of a massive volcano millions of years ago, the crater now supports a rich ecosystem with wildlife present throughout the year.
The crater offers some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in Tanzania, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos, and the endangered black rhino. Its breathtaking scenery and incredible concentration of animals make it one of the highlights of any Tanzania safari.
Why Choose This 3 Days Safari?
- Visit three unique wildlife destinations in just three days.
- Explore Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater.
- Excellent opportunities to see the Big Five and other wildlife.
- Perfect safari for travelers with limited time.
- Beautiful landscapes ranging from forests to volcanic crater ecosystems.
- Comfortable 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof.
- Professional and experienced safari guide.
- Airport pickup and drop-off available.
- Suitable for couples, families, solo travelers, and small groups.
Detailed 3 Days Safari Itinerary
Day
0
Arrival in Arusha – Airport Pickup & Hotel Stay
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK), our safari representative will meet and welcome you to Tanzania. After a short introduction, you will be transferred to your hotel in Arusha for relaxation and overnight stay before your safari begins.
This arrival day gives you enough time to rest after your journey, prepare your safari items, and get ready for your Arusha National Park safari. Depending on your arrival time, you may also meet your safari guide for a short briefing about the next day’s pickup time, park visit, activities, and important travel details.
You will spend the night at your selected hotel in Arusha, ready to enjoy a beautiful safari experience the following morning.
Day
1
Arusha to Arusha National Park – Game Drive and Return to Arusha
After morning breakfast at your hotel in Arusha, your safari guide will pick you up and drive to Arusha National Park. The park is located close to Arusha City, making it a perfect destination for a short and scenic Tanzania safari experience.
After entering Arusha National Park, you will begin a game drive through different areas of the park. Your route may take you around the beautiful Momella Lakes, the forest areas, open grassland, and the impressive Ngurdoto Crater. The park offers beautiful views of Mount Meru and a peaceful wildlife experience away from the busy city.
During the game drive, you may see giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, bushbucks, blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, flamingos, and many different bird species. Arusha National Park is also known for its green landscapes, fresh air, and wonderful photo opportunities.
You will also visit the famous Fig Tree, known as Ficus thonningii. This large tree is wide enough for a safari jeep to pass underneath, making it one of the special photo stops inside Arusha National Park.
Around lunch time, your guide will take you to a picnic point where you will enjoy your packed lunch surrounded by nature. After lunch, you will continue with a relaxed game drive before leaving the park in the late afternoon.
At around 4:00 PM, you will drive back to Arusha Town and be dropped off at your hotel for dinner, relaxation, and overnight stay after a beautiful day in Arusha National Park.
Day
2
Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park and overnight at Lake Manyara
You will leave from your hotel early in Morning in Arusha directly to Lake Manyara National Park after breakfast taking approximately 2 hours passing through the town of Mto Wa Mbu near the way. After reach at the village market and short brief, you will enter Lake Manyara National Park. The Lake Manyara National Park is one of the best places for photographing and best game viewing garden in the world. You will be able to see many of most well-known animals like BIG FIVEs, especially the tree-climbing lions, acacia trees which you may need to take photograph. Bird-watching safari is made in Lake Manyara discovering a huge amount of bird species displaying near the Lake Manyara. Such bird’s species are like large flamingo flocks, circling birds of prey, and the colored lilac breasted roller. You will then retire to the accommodation site in Lake Manyara National Park for dinner and overnight.
Day
3
Lake Manyara National Park to Ngorongoro- Ngorongoro Crater tour and go back Arusha/Moshi
From Lake Manyara National Park to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area after morning breakfast for entering the Ngorongoro Crater. Ngorongoro Crater which is sometimes known as the 8th Wonder of the World. Ngorongoro Crater is an area to cover over 120 species of mammal including the Big Five. It's a particularly place park to overview the black rhinoceros eating a lonely meal on the grass plains, hippopotamus enjoying the cool water. From your open top roof of jeep vehicle, be able to see and taking photograph of some of animals. The Ngorongoro crater is home to a large number of predators including lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, and hyenas, as well as a large number of population of wildebeest, zebras, antelope, Cape buffalo. After an excitement of the day game drive, you will get a picnic lunch thereafter, you will drive back to Moshi/Arusha.
Pre & Post Tour Hotels
Arusha is the base for safari tours in North Tanzania. If you need accommodation in Arusha before/after your safari tour you can check some popular hotel prices on bed and breakfast basis below.
Single Room
- Crest Safari Lodge - USD 47
- Kutoka Lodge - USD 64
- Karama Lodge - USD 113
- The African Tulip - USD 149
- Four Points by Sheraton - USD 205
- Arusha Coffee Lodge - USD 375
Double Sharing
- Crest Safari Lodge - USD 29
- Kutoka Lodge - USD 49
- Karama Lodge - USD 76
- The African Tulip - USD 112
- Four Points by Sheraton - USD 120
- Arusha Coffee Lodge - USD 240
Triple Sharing Room
- Crest Safari Lodge - USD 29
- Kutoka Lodge - USD 40
- Karama Lodge - USD 73
- The African Tulip - USD 93
- Arusha Coffee Lodge - USD 180
Add-on tours in Ngorongoro
- Masai Village Tour: USD 25 per person
- Olduvai Gorge museum visit: USD 35 per person
- Ngorongoro Crater Rim Hike: USD 35 per person
Add-on tours in Lake Manyara
- Canoeing in Lake Manyara: USD 74 per person
- Night Game drives in Lake Manyara NP: USD 114 per person
- Treetop Walkway: USD 54 per person
Transfers Details
This tour starts from Arusha. Kilimanjaro Airport is the nearest international airport and Arusha Airport is the nearest domestic airport.
Airport Pickup / Drop
Arusha Airport: No extra charge
Kilimanjaro Airport: USD 30 per vehicle
Airport to Hotel Transfers
Arusha Airport ↔ Hotel: USD 25 per vehicle
Kilimanjaro Airport ↔ Arusha: USD 50 per vehicle
Intercity Transfers
Moshi ↔ Arusha: USD 100 per vehicle
Nairobi ↔ Arusha: USD 275 per vehicle
Flights Details
Important Note
We do not book international flights. We assist with local flights based on availability.
Intercity Flights
Zanzibar ↔ Arusha: From USD 100 (Morning flight)
Dar es Salaam ↔ Arusha: From USD 90 (Morning flight)
Arusha ↔ Zanzibar: From USD 170 (Afternoon flight)
Arusha ↔ Dar es Salaam: From USD 110 (Afternoon flight)
Meals Tips
Safari Tour Inclusions & Exclusions
Below is a clear breakdown of what is included and excluded in your Tanzania safari package. This helps you understand exactly what to expect before your journey to Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and other parks.
