Private Multi day Safari tour in Tanzania

Wildlife comes first, but variety matters too. This nine-day private safari from Moshi and Arusha combines classic Northern Tanzania game drives with canoeing, guided walks, a night drive, crater viewing, and two long walks along the Ngorongoro rim. You are not simply driving from park to park and checking animals off a list.

I especially like the mix of active and vehicle-based days, plus the chance to see Tanzania in several different ways. The canoe trip on Lake Momella and the armed-ranger walks offer a closer feel for the bush, while Serengeti and Ngorongoro provide the big wildlife scenes. The main drawback is the physical demand: two 17-kilometer rim walks, long game-drive days, basic bush camps, and several early starts will not suit everyone.

Key points to know before booking

• Six major wildlife areas in nine days: Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire.
• Canoeing on Lake Momella: Expect views of hippos, buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, birds, Mount Meru, and possibly Kilimanjaro.
• Night game drive at Lake Manyara: A rare chance to see the park after dark during a roughly three-hour outing.
• Two 17-kilometer Ngorongoro rim walks: These are genuine walking days with an armed ranger, Maasai support, donkeys carrying luggage, and crater views.
• Camping rather than lodge touring: Camping equipment, sleeping bags, meals, drinks, taxes, transport, and park activities are included.
• Private travel for your group: Pickup is offered, and only your group takes part in the activity.

Why this safari offers more than standard game drives

At $3,900 per person, this is a major purchase. The value depends on what you want from Tanzania. If you only want comfortable lodges and short drives between famous parks, you can likely find a better fit elsewhere. If you want a broad northern circuit with walking, canoeing, night wildlife viewing, and camping, the price covers a lot.

The package includes transport, a professional driver-guide, parking fees, park activities, camping equipment, sleeping bags, drinks, meals, taxes, and VAT. It includes eight lunches, eight dinners, and seven breakfasts. Those inclusions reduce the number of daily expenses you need to manage, which matters in remote park areas.

The tour is private, but the supplied information does not specify the vehicle type, accommodation standard, or exact number of people in each private group. Ask about those details before paying. A private safari feels very different with two people in a vehicle than with a larger family group, especially on long game-drive days.

Past praise for AAA Express Adventure focuses on organization, food, friendly service, and strong driver-guides. Names that appear repeatedly in the company’s safari work include Peter, Joseph Igombe, Sanga, Emily, and manager Jalala. Your assigned guide may be different, so request the guide’s name and camping details before departure.

Day 1: Walking and canoeing in Arusha National Park

Pickup begins at about 8:30 a.m. from an Arusha hotel or the airport. You then drive to Arusha National Park for roughly four hours of walking with an armed ranger.

This is a fine opening day because you are out of the vehicle almost immediately. You may see giraffes, zebras, antelope, buffaloes, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and possibly elephants near the trail. A walking safari changes your attention. You listen for movement, study tracks, and notice smaller details that disappear when you are focused only on distant animals.

After lunch, the canoe safari on Lake Momella adds another change of pace. Hippos, buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, and many bird species may appear around the lake. The views toward Mount Meru and, in suitable conditions, Kilimanjaro add a memorable backdrop.

The day lasts about eight hours and ends with dinner and an overnight stay at Mc Ellys Hotel. That hotel night is useful after a full opening day, though the information does not state whether the hotel is included in the quoted price. Confirm this point in writing.

Day 2: Lake Manyara by day and after dark

You meet the driver-guide at Mc Ellys Hotel at 8:30 a.m. and drive to Lake Manyara National Park with picnic lunches. The morning game drive continues until the afternoon, giving you time to look for lions, hippos, antelopes, impalas, and zebras close to the vehicle.

Lake Manyara has a strong bird-watching side. During flamingo season, the lake shore can be covered with flamingos feeding on algae. The number and location of flamingos depend on conditions, so treat this as a possibility rather than a promise.

After lunch, you take a guided walk inside the park, normally with an armed ranger. I like this break from sitting in a safari vehicle, but you should expect a warm, active afternoon rather than a restful one.

After an early dinner, the group leaves at about 8 p.m. for a night game drive lasting around three hours. This is one of the tour’s more unusual features. Animals behave differently after sunset, and the experience has a more alert, watchful quality than a daytime drive. Day 2 runs about seven hours before the night drive, so the total day can feel long.

Days 3 and 4: Reaching the Serengeti and staying for the wildlife

After an early breakfast, you travel toward Serengeti National Park. The third day is partly a transfer, but the route is filled with scenery and wildlife opportunities. You have a game drive en route to Nabi Hill Gate, where lunch is planned around 2:30 p.m. while entrance arrangements are handled.

The route offers views of the Ngorongoro Crater and broad Serengeti scenery. The description makes clear that this is a view of the crater rather than a crater-floor game drive on this day. Later, you continue into Serengeti for an afternoon game drive until sunset, followed by dinner and a night at a public campsite.

This is a long day of about ten hours. Pack easy-to-reach water, sunscreen, and a warm layer for the evening. Remote roads and long transfers are part of the Northern Tanzania experience, not a flaw in the tour, but you should be comfortable with extended time in the vehicle.

Day 4 starts around 5:45 a.m. with breakfast and picnic lunch boxes. The reward is a sunrise game drive and then a full day in the Serengeti, lasting about 12 hours.

Your guide chooses routes based on animal movements and the season. The wildebeest migration may be part of the day if timing and location match, but migration sightings cannot be guaranteed. You may also visit a hippo pool, look for lions among migrating herds, and explore rocky kopjes. These rounded rock formations provide shelter for animals and create excellent places to scan the plains.

Two Serengeti days give you a better chance at variety than a quick overnight stop. You see more than open grassland, too: river valleys, kopjes, hippo pools, predators, and changing light. The tradeoff is simple. These are demanding days, with an early start and many hours on rough park roads.

Days 5 and 6: From Olduvai Gorge to the Ngorongoro Crater floor

Day 5 begins with breakfast and a game drive en route to Simba Campsite on the Ngorongoro rim. You can choose to visit the small Dr. Leakey Museum at Olduvai Gorge, an important stop for anyone interested in human origins and archaeological work. The visit is optional, so ask whether it changes the day’s timing or cost.

The route continues through the Serengeti plains, with chances to look for lions, cheetahs, leopards in trees, flamingos, water birds, lovebirds, and kingfishers. You then reach the Ngorongoro rim for dinner and camping.

The next morning, you descend about 610 meters to the crater floor for six hours of game viewing. The crater is one of the strongest wildlife days on this route because its enclosed setting can bring many species into one long outing. Possible sightings include black rhinos, lions, elephants, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest, flamingos, and other birds around Lake Magadi.

Predators and scavengers add another layer. Lions and leopards may be present, as well as hyenas and jackals. No safari can promise a particular animal, but the crater gives you a concentrated setting with varied habitats.

You eat a picnic lunch on the crater floor, then return to Simba Campsite on the rim for dinner and another night. The rim camp provides the practical base for the following walking section. Expect camping conditions rather than hotel comfort. Bath towels are not included, and personal items remain your responsibility.

Days 7 and 8: Walking 34 kilometers on the Ngorongoro rim

These are the days that define the tour. After breakfast on Day 7, you drive about one kilometer to the northern rim starting point. You then walk 17 kilometers through acacia forest, accompanied by a Maasai warrior, donkeys to carry luggage, and an armed ranger.

The walk takes about six to seven hours. You may see birds, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, bushbuck, and other wildlife. The reward is not only animals. You get repeated views into the crater from above and a slower connection with the highland setting.

Day 8 continues with another 17-kilometer walk from Leianai Bush Camp to Ilkiepusi Bush Camp. Picnic lunches, a Maasai warrior, donkeys, and an armed ranger accompany you. The route again crosses acacia forest and offers views from the crater rim.

I would not treat these as casual sightseeing walks. The tour requires moderate physical fitness, but two consecutive 17-kilometer days are more demanding than that phrase may suggest. Break in good walking shoes before arriving, bring a refillable water bottle, and make sure your guide knows about any knee, ankle, or back concerns.

The two walking nights are at bush camps, first Leianai and then Ilkiepusi. The information confirms camping equipment and sleeping bags, but not showers, toilets, or tent style. Ask for a clear description of camp facilities. If you prefer lodges, this section may be the deciding factor against booking.

Day 9: Tarangire elephants and the return to Arusha

After breakfast, you walk about half a kilometer to meet the vehicle and continue to Tarangire National Park. The final day includes a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch, followed by an evening drive back to your Arusha hotel.

Tarangire covers about 2,600 square kilometers and is especially important during dry periods, when animals gather around available water. The park is known for large numbers of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes, giraffes, and fringe-eared oryx. Lions, cheetahs, and leopards are also possible.

Birdlife adds color to the day, with species such as green wood hoopoes, Fischer’s lovebirds, white-bellied go-away birds, and giant kingfishers listed among the possibilities. Tarangire is a fitting finale because it feels different from the Serengeti’s open plains and Ngorongoro’s enclosed crater.

The day runs about seven hours, though the return to Arusha adds driving time. Do not schedule an important flight immediately afterward unless you have confirmed the timing carefully. International flights, airport transfers, and extra accommodation before or after the safari are not included.

Camping, food, and the practical side

Camping keeps the safari closer to the bush and helps explain the price compared with a luxury lodge circuit. It also means you trade private-room comfort for a more basic night routine. The package includes camping equipment and sleeping bags, but you need to clarify what personal gear is expected.

Meals are included throughout the main safari: breakfast on seven days, lunch on eight days, and dinner on eight days. Drinks are also included. Earlier safari experiences arranged by the company received strong praise for food, campsite organization, and personal service, which is encouraging, but menus and camp standards can vary.

Pickup is offered, and the tour is private. Parking fees, transportation, taxes, VAT, and listed activities are covered. International flights, roundtrip airport transfers, extra hotel nights, towels, tips, personal purchases, and future government increases in park fees or taxes are not included.

The cancellation terms are strict close to departure. Cancel at least three full days before the local start time for a full refund. Within three days, no refund is available, and late changes are not accepted.

Who should book this safari?

I would recommend this trip to an active couple, family, or private group that wants a broad northern Tanzania route and does not want every day to look the same. It is particularly suitable if you value walking with local support, a night drive, canoeing, and several nights under canvas as much as you value big-animal sightings.

I would be cautious if you need daily lodge comfort, dislike long drives, or have limited mobility. The 12-hour Serengeti day and the two 17-kilometer rim walks require stamina. Families should also confirm the minimum age and walking suitability directly, since those details are not provided.

Should you book the 9-day Tanzania safari?

Book it if you want an active, private safari with serious time in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire, plus experiences many standard packages leave out. The strongest parts are the variety, the two full Serengeti days, the crater visit, and the chance to walk safely along the Ngorongoro rim with an armed ranger and Maasai support.

Before booking, ask for the exact accommodation plan, vehicle details, group size, airport-transfer options, and the name of your guide. If the answers suit you and you are ready for basic camping and long walking days, $3,900 can represent solid value for nine days of transport, food, park access, equipment, and private guiding. If not, choose a shorter lodge-based safari with less walking.

FAQ

Where does the safari begin?

Pickup is offered from a hotel in Arusha town or from the airport at about 8:30 a.m. on Day 1. Day 2 begins at Mc Ellys Hotel in Arusha at 8:30 a.m.

How long is the safari?

The experience lasts approximately nine days.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the activity.

Which national parks and protected areas are visited?

The route includes Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater, and Tarangire National Park.

Are walking activities part of the tour?

Yes. You walk with an armed ranger in Arusha National Park, take a guided walk at Lake Manyara, and complete two 17-kilometer walks along the Ngorongoro rim with an armed ranger and Maasai warrior.

Are meals and camping equipment included?

Yes. Camping equipment, sleeping bags, drinks, meals, taxes, transportation, and listed park activities are included. The package lists seven breakfasts, eight lunches, and eight dinners.

What is the cancellation policy?

You receive a full refund if you cancel at least three full days before the experience begins. Cancellations or changes made within three full days are not refunded or accepted.