26-10-2025 | Tanzania Camping Safari Tour Packages
Our top-rated 5-day Tanzania camping safari package for just $1350 per person is an amazing adventure where you will sleep in tents close to nature while searching for the Big Five. Your journey is expertly planned for maximum wildlife viewing, following a direct route: Day 1 to Tarangire, Days 2 to Day 4 in the Serengeti National Park, and Day 5 inside the Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Arusha. This all-inclusive price covers your professional guide and cook, a 4x4 safari vehicle, all park and camping fees, every meal, and unlimited drinking water, ensuring a completely hassle-free experience.
Highlights of Your 5-Day Tanzania Camping Safari Tour
This budget-friendly camping safari is packed with experiences that deliver amazing value. In just 5 days, you will witness a huge diversity of wildlife and landscapes that other tours might miss.
- Tarangire National Park: Home to one of the largest concentrations of elephants in the world, with herds often exceeding 300 individuals. The park is also famous for its giant baobab trees, which can live for over 1,000 years, and hosts over 550 species of birds.
- Serengeti National Park: You will spend 2 full days exploring the world-famous Serengeti, a massive park of over 14,750 square kilometers. Its central area, Seronera, is known as the "big cat capital" of Africa, offering a more than 85% chance of spotting lions and leopards year-round. The park is home to over 3 million large mammals.
- Ngorongoro Crater: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera, measuring 600 meters deep and 260 square kilometers in area. It contains over 25,000 large animals, including the rare black rhinoceros, giving you the single best opportunity in Tanzania to see one.
- Authentic Camping Experience: Sleep in spacious 2-person dome tents with comfortable sleeping mats and pillows provided. All meals are freshly prepared by a dedicated safari cook, allowing you to enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner under the African sky.
- Expert Local Guides: Your safari is led by a professional, English-speaking Tanzanian guide with an average of 10+ years of field experience. They have an expert eye for spotting animals from hundreds of meters away and will share fascinating facts about their behavior and the ecosystem.
- Guaranteed Window Seat: Our 4x4 safari vehicles are customized for wildlife viewing, featuring a pop-up roof for unobstructed photos and seating for a maximum of 6 guests. This ensures everyone gets a window seat and a comfortable ride.
Complete Itinerary for Your 5-Day Camping Safari in Tanzania
This itinerary is carefully planned to minimize driving time and maximize your time watching wildlife. We focus on putting you in the right place at the right time.
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park (Approx. 120 km, 2.5 hours driving)
Your 5-day Tanzania camping safari begins at 8:00 AM with a pickup from your Arusha hotel. After a short briefing, you will drive for about 2.5 hours to Tarangire National Park. You will enter the park for a full-day game drive. Tarangire is defined by the Tarangire River, which attracts thousands of animals during the dry season, including massive herds of elephants, wildebeest, zebras, and buffalo. The park is also a great place to see giraffes, hippos, and numerous predators like lions and cheetahs. Your guide will find a scenic picnic spot for lunch. In the late afternoon, you will drive to a public campsite located just outside the park for a hot dinner prepared by your cook and your first night of camping.
Day 2: Tarangire to Serengeti National Park (Approx. 205 km, 4-5 hours driving)
After an early 7:00 AM breakfast, you will begin your journey to the world-renowned Serengeti National Park. The drive itself is a safari, as it takes you through the beautiful highlands and across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a potential stop for a viewpoint overlooking the crater. You will arrive at the Serengeti gate around midday and have a picnic lunch before starting your first game drive in this incredible park. You will head towards the Seronera River Valley in the central Serengeti, an area famous for its high concentration of resident wildlife, particularly lions, leopards, and cheetahs. After several hours of exploring, you will proceed to a central Serengeti public campsite for dinner and your overnight stay.
Day 3: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
Today is all about the Serengeti. After an early breakfast around 6:30 AM, you will head out for a full-day game drive to explore the "endless plains." You will spend more than 8 hours searching for wildlife. Your guide will use their expertise to track animals and take you to the best locations based on the time of year and recent animal movements. You might see a pride of over 15 lions relaxing on a rocky outcrop (kopje), witness a cheetah preparing for a hunt, or watch thousands of wildebeest and zebra grazing peacefully. You will have a picnic lunch in the bush to avoid wasting time driving back to camp. The sheer scale of the Serengeti and the incredible number of animals—over 1.5 million wildebeest alone—is something you will never forget. You will return to the same campsite in the evening for dinner.
Day 4: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Rim (Approx. 145 km, 3-4 hours driving)
You have one more chance to enjoy the Serengeti this morning. After a 6:30 AM breakfast, you will go on a final 3-hour morning game drive. Mornings are an excellent time for spotting predators on the move before the day gets too hot. Around mid-morning, you will begin the drive out of the Serengeti and towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will arrive at the Simba Campsite, located directly on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, standing at an altitude of over 2,300 meters. The view from the campsite into the crater below is breathtaking. Your cook will prepare dinner while you relax and enjoy the cool mountain air.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater Tour and Drive Back to Arusha (Approx. 190 km, 3-4 hours driving)
This is the final day of your 5-day Tanzania camping safari. After a very early 6:00 AM breakfast, you will descend 600 meters down the steep crater walls to the floor. An early start is crucial to see the animals when they are most active. The Ngorongoro Crater floor is a self-contained ecosystem with one of the highest densities of wildlife in Africa. In just a few hours, you are likely to see lions, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, and hippos. Most importantly, this is your best chance to see the critically endangered black rhino—more than 20 of them live here. You will enjoy a picnic lunch by a hippo pool inside the crater. After about 5-6 hours of an amazing game drive, you will begin your drive back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon (around 5:00 PM), where your unforgettable safari concludes.
Package Inclusions & Exclusions
To make everything clear, here is a simple list of what is and is not included in the $1350 price.
What's Included:
- All park and conservation area fees
- All camping fees for 4 nights
- Private 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
- Professional, English-speaking safari guide and a private cook
- Three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Unlimited purified drinking water in the vehicle
- All camping equipment (spacious tents, comfortable sleeping mats, pillows, and sleeping bags)
- All government taxes, including 18% VAT
What's Not Included:
- International flights to and from Tanzania
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Hotel accommodation in Arusha before and after the safari
- Tips for your guide and cook (this is customary)
- Alcoholic drinks, sodas, and personal snacks
- Optional activities like a Maasai village visit or hot air balloon safari
Customization and Flexibility
We understand that every traveler is different. This 5-day Tanzania camping safari package can be customized to fit your needs and budget.
- Accommodation: While this is a camping safari, you can upgrade your accommodation for any or all nights. Options include mid-range lodges or luxury tented camps. This can be a great option for a more comfortable experience, with prices typically increasing by $150 to $400 per person per night depending on the choice.
- Extend Your Trip: Want to see more? You can easily add an extra day to visit Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions and flamingoes, or spend an additional day in the vast Serengeti.
Airport Transfers: We can arrange for your pickup and drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for a seamless travel experience. The cost is typically around $50 per vehicle each way. - Extra Activities: For a unique perspective, consider adding a hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti at sunrise (approx. $599 per person) or a cultural visit to a Maasai village (approx. $50 per vehicle) to learn about their traditional way of life.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is camping in the parks safe?
Yes, it is very safe. You will stay in designated public campsites that are monitored by park rangers. While the campsites are not fenced to allow for a natural experience, your guide is highly experienced in camping in the wild. You will be instructed to stay near the main camp area at night and always listen to your guide's instructions.
2. What are the bathrooms and showers like at the campsites?
The public campsites have basic but functional bathroom blocks with flushing toilets and sinks. Most campsites also have showers, but the water is often cold, which can be quite refreshing after a day in the sun. Facilities are shared with other travelers at the campsite.
3. Can I charge my phone and camera?
Yes. Our safari vehicles are equipped with charging stations (inverters) where you can charge your electronics while the car is running. We recommend bringing a portable power bank as a backup, especially for overnight charging in your tent.
4. How much should I tip the guide and cook?
Tipping is not required but is highly appreciated as a way to show gratitude for good service. A general guideline is $15-$20 per day for the guide and $10-$15 per day for the cook, from the whole group, not per person. You can give the tips directly to them at the end of the safari.
5. What should I pack for this camping safari?
Pack light and in a soft bag. Essentials include comfortable clothes in neutral colors (like khaki, green, and brown), a warm fleece or jacket for cold evenings and early mornings, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, a camera with extra batteries, binoculars, and a headlamp or flashlight for the campsite at night.
Book Your Unforgettable 5-Day Tanzania Safari Today!
This 5-day Tanzania camping safari package offers the perfect blend of adventure, wildlife, and incredible value at just $1350 per person. It is one of our most popular tours because it covers three essential parks in a short time, making it ideal for those with limited time or on a budget. Because we keep our groups small to guarantee a quality experience, our safari dates fill up months in advance.
Don't wait to secure your spot. Contact our team of safari experts today for a free, no-obligation quote. Let us know your preferred travel dates, and we will get back to you within 24 hours to help you plan the adventure of a lifetime.