Destinations: Tanzania, Burigi-Chato National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater
This 8-day Tanzania trip runs through Burigi-Chato, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, linked so the travelling is done between the wildlife. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall.
Day By Day
Day 1 Arrival At Burigi-Chato
You set out from Mwanza after breakfast and drive to Burigi-Chato National Park, the country changing as the kilometres pass, reaching camp with time to settle in and take a first look before dark. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. Burigi-Chato is a large, little-visited park in northwest Tanzania near Lake Victoria. You settle into camp as the light goes. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.
Rolling hills, miombo woodland and the shores of Lake Burigi give it a mix of habitats. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sitatunga and buffalo range across the grasslands and wetlands. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush.
Day 2 Game Drives In Burigi-Chato
A full day in Burigi-Chato National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Burigi-Chato is a large, little-visited park in northwest Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Rolling hills, miombo woodland and the shores of Lake Burigi give it a mix of habitats. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sitatunga and buffalo range across the grasslands and wetlands. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself.
Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up.
Day 3 Transfer To Serengeti
A short morning out on game drives at first light in Burigi-Chato, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Serengeti National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach the Serengeti in the afternoon. You head out out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. It carries the great wildebeest migration, well over a million animals moving in a yearly loop. Big cats are the draw, lion on the kopjes, cheetah on the plains, leopard in the riverine trees. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.
Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. The Serengeti runs to nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open plains and scattered kopjes. The Grumeti and Mara rivers hold crocodile and stage the migration’s river crossings in season. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set.
Day 4 Game Drives In Serengeti
A full day in Serengeti National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Big cats are the draw, lion on the kopjes, cheetah on the plains, leopard in the riverine trees. The Grumeti and Mara rivers hold crocodile and stage the migration’s river crossings in season. Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.
The Serengeti runs to nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open plains and scattered kopjes. It carries the great wildebeest migration, well over a million animals moving in a yearly loop. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count.
Day 5 Game Drives In Serengeti
A full day in Serengeti National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. The Grumeti and Mara rivers hold crocodile and stage the migration’s river crossings in season. Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. The Serengeti runs to nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open plains and scattered kopjes. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle.
It carries the great wildebeest migration, well over a million animals moving in a yearly loop. Big cats are the draw, lion on the kopjes, cheetah on the plains, leopard in the riverine trees. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves.
Day 6 Transfer To Ngorongoro Crater
A short morning out on game drives at first light in the Serengeti, then to the road for the move to Ngorongoro Crater. The country changes on the way, and you reach the Ngorongoro Crater in the afternoon. You head out out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, about 260 square kilometres of floor. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.
It is one of the best places in Africa to see black rhinocompleting the Big Five in a day. Lion, elephant, buffalo and flamingo-lined soda lakes share the crater floor. Its walls hold around 25,000 large animalsso game viewing is concentrated and reliable. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves.
Day 7 Game Drives In Ngorongoro Crater
A full day in Ngorongoro Crater. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, about 260 square kilometres of floor. Its walls hold around 25,000 large animalsso game viewing is concentrated and reliable. It is one of the best places in Africa to see black rhinocompleting the Big Five in a day. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.
Lion, elephant, buffalo and flamingo-lined soda lakes share the crater floor. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.
Day 8 Departure
A final morning out on game drives before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then you drive back toward Mwanza. Lion, elephant, buffalo and flamingo-lined soda lakes share the crater floor. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall. This 8-day trip links Burigi-Chato, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, with the travelling done between the wildlife so your days stay on the ground that matters. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, about 260 square kilometres of floor.
Its walls hold around 25,000 large animalsso game viewing is concentrated and reliable. It is one of the best places in Africa to see black rhinocompleting the Big Five in a day. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good.
What’s Included
- All internal flights and road transfers on the route
- Full-board accommodation on safari as shown
- Game drives and the activities named in the day plan
- Park entry fees for the days shown
- Airport and airstrip transfers, drinking water in the vehicle
What’s Not Included
- International flights and any visa
- Travel insurance
- Drinks, tips for guides and staff
- Activities not listed and items of a personal nature
What Makes This Tanzania Safari Worth Booking?
This trip earns its place because the stops are nothing alike, and seeing them together makes each one land harder. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall. Linking Burigi-Chato, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in one route means you cover more of Tanzania than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 8 days you get range without the trip feeling rushed, the set-piece wildlife, the quieter corners, and the change of country from one stop to the next. For a traveller who wants variety over a single famous name, this is a strong, well-balanced way to see the region, and it works whether it is a first trip or a return.
Are Eight Days Enough for Safari in Tanzania?
8 days across Burigi-Chato, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater is a well-judged length, though it is a read of each stop rather than a deep stay. You get a full day or more at the main parks, enough to see the headline wildlife and still catch the quieter moments. It suits travellers who value breadth and do not mind moving every couple of days. What this length cannot do is exhaust any one park, the biggest of them could fill a week on their own, so the remote corners stay for another trip. If a single place is your priority, spend the nights there instead. And if you have longer, the route takes an easy add-on, whether that is more time with the wildlife or a stretch on the coast to finish. As it stands, this 8-day trip is balanced and full.
How Much Do You Need for This Tanzania Safari?
What you pay turns mostly on the camps and the season. In Tanzania, park fees run from USD 35 to 70 per adult per day depending on the park, with the Ngorongoro Crater charged higher. As a rough guide, most trips of this length run from around USD 2,400 to 5,200 per person sharing, higher in the peak dry months and cheaper in the green season. Camp and lodge level is the big lever, from simple tented camps to the smarter river and bush camps, and a shared vehicle between four brings the per-person cost down. Tell an operator your dates, group size and the standard you want and it can be quoted to the figure.
