Serengeti & Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Serengeti & Ngorongoro Private Safari
Overview
Experience Tanzania's two greatest wildlife destinations on a private luxury safari crafted for discerning travellers. Begin at the foot of the Ngorongoro Highlands at Gibb's Farm, a working coffee plantation turned boutique retreat. Descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater — a volcanic amphitheatre sheltering 25,000 animals including the Big Five within its 260-square-kilometre floor. Continue to the Serengeti's central plains, where Four Seasons Safari Lodge positions you above a watering hole visited by elephant, buffalo, and lion. Push north to the Mara River region for the migration's dramatic crossings, staying at Singita's intimate tented camp where six-course dinners follow sundowners overlooking the river. Every game drive is private — your vehicle, your guide, your pace. Between drives, enjoy spa treatments, infinity pool sessions, and bush breakfasts under acacia canopies. This is Tanzania distilled into seven flawless days.
Safari Highlights
- Ngorongoro Crater descent — Big Five in a volcanic amphitheatre
- Four Seasons Safari Lodge with watering-hole views
- Singita Mara River Tented Camp — ultra-luxury in the northern Serengeti
- Private vehicle and dedicated guide throughout
- Optional dawn hot air balloon over the Serengeti
- Bush breakfasts and sundowner cocktails in the wild
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Arrive Kilimanjaro — Transfer to Gibb's Farm
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport where your private guide greets you. Drive through the lush highlands to Gibb's Farm, a century-old coffee estate nestled on the slopes of Ngorongoro. Settle into your cottage surrounded by organic gardens and forest. Enjoy a farm-to-table dinner featuring produce grown on the estate, paired with Tanzanian wines. Your guide briefs you on the week ahead over coffee roasted from the farm's own beans.
Overnight: Gibb's Farm, Karatu
Meals: Dinner
Ngorongoro Crater — Full Day Descent
Depart early for the crater rim. Descend 600 metres into the caldera — a natural amphitheatre home to lion prides, black rhino, elephant herds, and flamingo-lined Lake Magadi. Spend the full day exploring with a gourmet picnic lunch beside a hippo pool. The crater's enclosed ecosystem means wildlife density is extraordinary — Big Five sightings in a single day are common. Ascend in the late afternoon as golden light paints the crater walls.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch, Dinner
Transfer to Central Serengeti
Drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the Serengeti's southern gate. The landscape shifts from highland forest to the endless golden plains that gave the Serengeti its Maasai name — 'the place where the land runs on forever.' Game drive en route, watching for cheetah on the open plains and secretary birds striding through the grass. Arrive at Four Seasons Safari Lodge, perched above a natural watering hole where elephants and buffalo gather at dusk.
Overnight: Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Full Day Serengeti Game Drives
A full day dedicated to the Serengeti's world-class predator action. Dawn drives target lion prides returning from night hunts and cheetah beginning their morning stalk. Explore rocky kopjes where leopards rest in the shade and hyena clans guard their dens. Return to the lodge for a pool-side lunch above the watering hole, then head out for afternoon drives as herds of wildebeest and zebra move across the plains. Finish with sundowner cocktails on a granite kopje as the Serengeti turns gold.
Overnight: Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Northern Serengeti — Mara River Region
Transfer north to the Mara River region — the epicentre of the Great Migration's dramatic river crossings. Check into Singita Mara River Tented Camp, where just six tented suites overlook the river. Afternoon game drive along the riverbanks, watching for crocodiles, hippo pods, and the massive herds that congregate before crossing. The northern Serengeti is also prime leopard territory — your guide knows every favoured tree.
Overnight: Singita Mara River Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Northern Serengeti — Final Safari Day
Your last full day in the Serengeti. Optional dawn hot air balloon safari drifting silently over the migration herds, followed by champagne breakfast in the bush. Otherwise, an early game drive targets any wish-list species. Return to Singita for a spa treatment or pool session. Afternoon farewell drive along the river, finishing with a bush dinner under the stars — white linen, silver candlesticks, and the sounds of the African night.
Overnight: Singita Mara River Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Bush dinner
Bush Flight to Arusha — Departure
Final sunrise over the Serengeti. After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for a scenic bush flight over the plains to Arusha. Depending on your departure time, enjoy lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge before your international flight from Kilimanjaro Airport. Depart with a memory card of extraordinary images and the quiet certainty that you have seen Africa at its finest.
Meals: Breakfast
What's Included
- Kilimanjaro Airport transfers and bush flights
- All national park and conservation fees
- Full-board luxury accommodation (6 nights)
- Private safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Dedicated English-speaking safari guide
- All house drinks at Singita
- Laundry service at all lodges
What's Excluded
- ✕ International flights
- ✕ Tanzania visa ($50)
- ✕ Travel insurance (mandatory)
- ✕ Tips & gratuities ($30–50/day recommended)
- ✕ Hot air balloon safari ($550 pp)
- ✕ Premium imported wines and champagne
- ✕ Spa treatments
Where to Stay
LUXURY_LODGEFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Serengeti
Ultra-luxury safari lodge in the heart of the Serengeti, offering infinity pools overlooking a watering hole and the closest luxury accommodation to the Serengeti National Park Golf Course.
from $1,800/night
LUXURY_LODGESingita Serengeti House
Serengeti
Singita's legendary 350,000-acre private concession in the western Serengeti — unrivalled exclusivity, conservation-led luxury, and front-row seats to the Great Migration river crossings.
from $2,500/night
TENTED_CAMPAcacia Migration Camp
Serengeti
A luxury tented camp positioned in the central Serengeti for front-row access to the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest cross the endless plains.
from $500/night
