6 days 5 nights safari Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks

The main draw here is the chance to see three of northern Tanzania’s biggest wildlife areas in one neatly arranged six-day trip. You’ll track elephants in Tarangire, search the Serengeti for lions and other predators, then descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a long final game drive.

I like the early starts, which put you out in the parks around sunrise when predators are active and the light is best. I also like the small maximum group of seven, plus airport pickup and full safari meals, which remove much of the usual planning work.

The trade-off is time on the road. Day 3 is especially long, and the Tarangire lodge sits more than 30 minutes outside the park. This is a solid wildlife-focused itinerary, but it is not a slow, stay-put holiday.

Key points to know before booking

• Three famous parks in six days: Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro all appear on the route.
• Sunrise game drives: Days 4, 5, and 6 begin early, with the best chance of seeing active predators.
• Small group size: The vehicle carries no more than seven people, according to the tour details.
• Meals are included: Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are provided during the safari portion.
• Airport transfers included: Pickup and drop-off at the airport are part of the package.
• A practical midrange approach: Past departures have used lodges and tented camps, with some basic camping-style accommodation.

What this six-day safari is really offering

At $2,560 per person, this is not a bargain-basement drive through Tanzania. It is a packaged northern-circuit safari with a professional guide, park visits, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, and a fairly full schedule.

That price can be good value if you want the major wildlife stops without arranging each permit, transfer, meal, and overnight stay yourself. The itinerary covers a lot of ground, and the route is designed around seeing animals rather than spending long afternoons at one lodge.

You should also understand what the price does not cover. Personal expenses and tips for safari staff are excluded. The listed plan includes five breakfasts, five lunches, and four dinners, so check the exact arrangements for the first and final nights when confirming your booking.

Cubs Expeditions has a strong reputation for fast communication. Humphrey is the main contact named in the available information, and past departures have also involved guides such as Mohamed, Shaibu, Amani, and Azzizi, along with chef Halid. You should not assume one particular person will lead your trip, but the company’s support structure appears to be one of its biggest strengths.

Day 1: Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha

Your safari begins with pickup at Kilimanjaro Airport and a drive to Arusha for dinner and an overnight hotel stay. Arusha is the usual staging point for northern Tanzania safaris, so this first evening gives you a practical place to settle in before the park circuit begins.

This is a simple start, but an important one. An airport transfer saves you from arranging a taxi after a long international flight, and an overnight in Arusha avoids trying to reach Tarangire on the same day you arrive.

The airport information is slightly inconsistent: the meeting details refer to Arusha Airport, while Day 1 specifies Kilimanjaro Airport. Confirm your arrival airport and pickup point before paying the final balance. That small check can prevent a very large misunderstanding.

Dinner and the Arusha hotel are included in the plan for this night. Exact hotel details are not supplied, so ask for the property name, room setup, and meal arrangements in advance if those details matter to you.

Day 2: Elephants and baobabs in Tarangire

After breakfast, you drive to Tarangire National Park for a full game drive, with lunch at a picnic site. The park is particularly known here for its elephants, and this first wildlife day gives you an immediate introduction to Tanzania’s open-country safari style.

Tarangire is a good opening park because it offers a strong chance of seeing large animals without waiting until the Serengeti. You might also find smaller wildlife during the drive, but the clear focus of this day is the park’s elephant population and broad natural scenery.

The schedule allows about seven hours for the park visit and related driving. After the game drive, you leave Tarangire for Marera View Lodge, which is outside the park and more than 30 minutes away. That means the wildlife portion ends with another road transfer, so you should not expect to step straight from the safari vehicle into the lodge.

The picnic lunch is included, as are dinner and the overnight stay. Ask how long you will spend inside the park itself, since the seven-hour duration includes the day’s overall movements rather than necessarily seven full hours watching animals.

Day 3: The long road into the Serengeti

Day 3 is the most demanding travel day. After breakfast, you pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the way toward Serengeti National Park, stopping at Naabi Hill Gate for lunch before continuing into the Serengeti.

The route matters because you begin seeing Tanzania’s changing scenery before reaching the main Serengeti game-drive area. The day is scheduled for about eight hours, with game viewing along the route and a late-afternoon drive toward the park before sunset.

You then continue to Serengeti Heritage Tented Lodge for dinner and the night. The combination of long transfer and game viewing is efficient, but it can feel tiring. If you prefer leisurely mornings and short driving days, this is the part of the trip most likely to test your patience.

On the other hand, this arrangement makes sense for a six-day safari. You are not spending a separate day simply moving between parks. Instead, the transfer becomes part of the wildlife experience, with chances to stop and watch animals along the way.

Lunch is included at Naabi Hill Gate. Ask whether the lodge is a permanent tented property or a camp-style setup for your dates, since accommodation on this route can vary by departure.

Day 4: Sunrise predators in the Serengeti

The Serengeti gets its best day on Day 4. You leave early for a sunrise game drive, with the stated goal of finding predator species. After the morning drive, you return to the lodge for lunch, then head out again for afternoon game viewing until about 3:30 p.m.

This split schedule is one of the best features of the trip. You get the cool, active hours of early morning, a proper midday break, and another chance to see animals later in the day. The return to the lodge also gives you a chance to rest rather than spending every daylight hour in the vehicle.

The Serengeti is the place in this itinerary where you have the strongest chance of seeing the famous Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros. No safari can promise every animal, and rhinos may be distant when seen, but the route is built around giving you repeated game-viewing opportunities.

You should expect an early alarm. Sunrise drives are rewarding because predators may still be active, but they are not for anyone hoping to sleep late. Bring a warm layer for the morning, then keep sun protection close for the warmer hours.

Day 5: One last Serengeti morning, then toward Ngorongoro

Day 5 repeats the early-morning pattern, with a sunrise drive aimed at finding predators. After lunch, you continue game viewing while making your way out of the Serengeti and toward Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

This is a smart use of the final Serengeti day. Rather than treating the park as finished after one full day, you get another dawn outing and more time to search for animals in different areas. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but repeated drives improve your chances.

The route ends at Ang’ata Tented Camp for dinner and the overnight stay. The scheduled day lasts about eight hours, so plan for another long day in the vehicle. The benefit is that you position yourself for an early crater visit the next morning instead of driving from the Serengeti to Ngorongoro after breakfast.

The accommodation description elsewhere in the safari information refers to both lodges and basic camping-style stays. Past safari parties have found the simpler camps adequate for a clean bed, toilet, and warm shower, while more polished lodge options have also been used. Confirm the exact accommodation category before booking, especially if this is a honeymoon or if you need a higher level of comfort.

Day 6: The Ngorongoro Crater finale

The final wildlife day begins with breakfast before you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for about six hours of game viewing. A picnic lunch is included inside the crater, followed by the drive back to Arusha for an overnight hotel stay.

Ngorongoro is a fitting finale because the crater concentrates a great deal of wildlife into one dramatic setting. You may see large herds and predators, and the crater is also one of the strongest places on this route to look for rhino. The six-hour crater drive gives you more than a brief viewpoint stop, although the time will pass quickly.

There is a practical detail to watch here. Day 6 is described as a return to Arusha for an overnight, while the overall trip is sold as six days and five nights. The included meal count also lists four dinners, which does not clearly explain every dinner across the six-day schedule. Ask the operator to confirm whether the final Arusha hotel and dinner are included, and whether this is the end of the safari or an extra overnight after the listed package.

This final day is also physically demanding. You have an early start, a long crater drive, a picnic lunch, and then the road back to Arusha. If you have an evening flight, do not assume the timing will work. Arrange the airport transfer and departure timing directly with Cubs Expeditions.

Guides, food, and the human side of the trip

The quality of a safari depends heavily on the guide. The available information names Mohamed, Shaibu, Amani, and Azzizi as guides or drivers used on past departures. Their reported strengths include animal spotting, responsible driving, park knowledge, and clear explanations.

Humphrey is the main contact for planning and follow-up support. Fast replies are especially useful when you are organizing an international trip, changing group numbers, or making short-notice requests. A maximum of seven people also gives you a better chance of asking questions and positioning the vehicle for viewing than a large coach would.

Food receives unusually strong praise in the supplied material. Chef Halid is specifically named, and meals are described as plentiful and well prepared. The package includes breakfasts, lunches, and dinners during the safari, with picnic lunches on park days.

Still, food arrangements can vary by group and departure. Ask whether a cook travels with your vehicle, which meals are lodge-based, and how dietary needs are handled. Do not assume every meal will be served at a permanent dining room, since the route includes tented camps and picnic stops.

Accommodation: comfortable enough, but confirm the level

This safari uses a mix of hotel, lodge, and tented-camp accommodation. The named properties include Marera View Lodge, Serengeti Heritage Tented Lodge, and Ang’ata Tented Camp, with an Arusha hotel at the beginning and end of the route.

The accommodation is best understood as practical midrange safari lodging rather than a luxury retreat. Past departures have found the simpler properties clean and serviceable, with a bed, toilet, and warm shower. That is plenty after a dusty game drive, but you should confirm whether your booking includes the same properties or comparable alternatives.

The Tarangire night is outside the park, more than 30 minutes away. That adds a transfer after the game drive, but it may also help keep the package price below a fully park-based lodge itinerary. In the Serengeti and Ngorongoro areas, tented accommodation can bring you closer to the safari setting, though it may feel more basic than a conventional hotel.

Who will get the most from this safari

I would recommend this trip to a first-time safari visitor who wants the classic northern Tanzania circuit in less than a week. It suits couples, families, solo visitors willing to join a small group, and anyone who values having transport, meals, park visits, and airport pickup arranged together.

It is also a good match for photographers who want repeated early starts. Sunrise gives you softer light and active wildlife, while the split Serengeti schedule offers both morning and afternoon viewing.

You should think twice if you dislike long drives, early alarms, picnic lunches, or changing accommodation. The itinerary is active every day, and the road from Tarangire to the Serengeti is not a minor transfer.

The trip can also work well for a group of friends or family members. Group discounts are offered, and the vehicle limit of seven keeps the party relatively small. Ask how the discount is calculated and whether all members share the same accommodation style.

Is $2,560 a fair price?

The value depends on what is included in the final quotation. At $2,560 per person, you are paying for six days of park access and game drives, a professional guide, airport transfers, accommodation, five breakfasts, five lunches, and four dinners as listed.

That is a reasonable structure for someone who wants a ready-to-go safari and does not want to manage separate bookings. The strongest value comes from the route itself: Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro are the headline parks of the northern circuit, and the schedule includes several sunrise drives rather than only daytime viewing.

The weak point is that some details need clarification. Confirm the exact accommodation, the number of included dinners, the airport used for pickup, and whether the last Arusha night is part of the quoted price. Also set aside money for tips and personal purchases.

Cubs Expeditions offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations inside that 24-hour window are not accepted for a refund, so keep the cut-off in mind when your flights are not yet settled.

Final verdict: book it if you want wildlife more than leisure

Book this safari if your priority is seeing Tanzania’s major wildlife areas with strong logistics and a small group. The best features are the three-park route, repeated sunrise drives, included meals, airport transfers, and the company’s hands-on communication through Humphrey.

I would not book it without first confirming the accommodation and final-night arrangements. Those details matter at this price, particularly if you expect lodge comfort rather than basic tented camping.

With those points settled, this is a well-focused safari for a first visit to northern Tanzania. You will spend long hours on the road, but you will also get Tarangire elephants, Serengeti predator searches, and a substantial Ngorongoro Crater finale in one efficient six-day plan.

FAQ

Where does the safari begin?

The tour information gives Arusha, Tanzania, as the meeting and ticket redemption location. Day 1 specifies pickup from Kilimanjaro Airport, while the meeting-point details refer to Arusha Airport, so confirm the correct airport and pickup point before arrival.

How long is the safari?

The experience lasts approximately six days and includes five nights.

Which national parks and conservation areas are included?

The itinerary includes Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including a game drive inside the Ngorongoro Crater.

Are airport transfers included?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off at the airport are listed as included. Confirm which airport applies to your booking because the supplied meeting information names both Kilimanjaro Airport and Arusha Airport.

What meals are included?

The included meals are listed as five breakfasts, five lunches, and four dinners. Picnic lunches are scheduled during the Tarangire and Ngorongoro game drives, and lunch is planned at Naabi Hill Gate on the route to the Serengeti.

How many people can join the safari?

The maximum group size is seven travelers.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the local start time are not accepted for a refund.