Big Five Focus
2-Day Ngorongoro Crater Safari
A concentrated wildlife experience inside one of Africa’s most iconic natural wonders.
- Duration
- 2 Days / 1 Night
- Route
- Ngorongoro · Arusha
- Best time
- Year-round
- Pace
- Relaxed
Overview
About this safari
Two days built around one of Africa’s great natural wonders. Drive up into the cool Ngorongoro highlands, sleep close to the crater, and be among the first vehicles down onto the crater floor at dawn for the best chance of black rhino and lions.
Trip highlights
- A full morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Black rhino, lions and elephants in one caldera
- Coffee country and the Rift Valley escarpment
- Picnic lunch by a hippo pool
Your route
Trip at a glance
- Duration
- 2 Days / 1 Night
- Start / end
- Arusha → Arusha
- Style
- Big Five Focus
- Pace
- Relaxed
- Stay
- Farm lodge in Karatu or a lodge on the crater rim
- Ideal for
- Short stays, travellers who want the Big Five quickly, photographers
- Best time
- Year-round. June to October for the driest weather; November to May for a green crater and fewer vehicles.
- Price
- Quoted per trip; depends on season, group size and lodges
Day by day
Your itinerary
Timings and camps can shift with the season and wildlife; your guide adapts each day to give you the best sightings.
Day 1: Arusha to the Ngorongoro highlands
Leave Arusha mid-morning and climb the Great Rift Valley escarpment past Mto wa Mbu and into the green coffee farms of Karatu. An optional village or coffee walk fills the afternoon before dinner by the fire.
Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater and return to Arusha
An early descent 600 metres down to the crater floor as the mist lifts. Search the grassland, Lake Magadi and the Lerai forest for black rhino, lions, hyenas and elephants, with a picnic lunch by the hippo pool. Climb out in the early afternoon and drive back to Arusha.
What’s included
Included and not included
This is what a standard private safari with us includes. Your written proposal confirms the details for your trip.
Included
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All park and conservation fees for the itinerary
- Accommodation as listed, with the meals shown for each day
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout the safari
- Airport transfers in Tanzania
Not included
- International flights and Tanzanian visa
- Travel insurance (required)
- Optional activities such as balloon flights
- Tips for guides and camp staff
- Drinks and personal expenses unless stated
When to go
Best time for this trip
Year-round. June to October for the driest weather; November to May for a green crater and fewer vehicles.
- JanPeak
- FebPeak
- MarGood
- AprQuieter / wet
- MayQuieter / wet
- JunGood
- JulPeak
- AugPeak
- SepPeak
- OctPeak
- NovGood
- DecGood
Destinations
Places on this safari
Read our in-depth guide to each park on the route.
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Change the length, the camps or the route. A safari designer replies within 24 hours with a tailored plan and price.