Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) or Arusha Airport (ARK) for your 10 days Ultimate budget Tanzania safari holiday vacation, a driver will meet you. The journey to your budget accommodation in Arusha takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic and which airport you use. Arusha is the gateway city for Northern Circuit safaris. It sits at the base of Mount Meru. The evening is for rest, a simple dinner, and a briefing about the journey ahead from your guide. Accommodation will likely be a clean, basic guesthouse or budget hotel. There are no game drives on this day; the focus is on settling in and preparing for an early start the next morning. Your guide will confirm pickup times for your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

After an early breakfast, the journey to Tarangire National Park begins. Travel time is around 2 to 3 hours, a drive of approximately 120 km. The enroute drive goes through local towns and agricultural land. Upon arrival, your guide handles park registration while you have a short break. The park entry leads directly into a full day of game driving. Tarangire is famous for its large elephant groups, which often gather near the Tarangire River. Other wildlife examples present are zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, and various antelope species. Predators like lions and leopards are present but sometimes harder to spot among the tall grass and acacia trees. Lunch is a packed meal at a designated picnic spot. In the late afternoon, you head to a public campsite just outside the park boundary for dinner and camping, a good start to your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

An early start allows for one last short game drive in a different section of Tarangire National Park, maximizing animal spotting opportunities. Around mid-morning, you exit the park and travel to the Lake Manyara area. The drive duration is short, about 1 to 1.5 hours. You arrive at a campsite near Mto wa Mbu town, where you will set up camp. This day allows for a slightly more relaxed pace. You can have a hot lunch at the camp or in the village. The afternoon can be spent resting, or an optional short walk around the local Mto wa Mbu village can be arranged to see local life and banana plantations. Dinner is prepared at the campsite as part of your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

After breakfast, a short drive of about 30 minutes takes you to the entrance of Lake Manyara National Park. The park is a narrow strip of land nestled between the Great Rift Valley escarpment and Lake Manyara. Game driving takes most of the morning. Wildlife examples include blue monkeys, baboons, and many bird species, including flamingos when the water levels are right. The park is also known for its tree-climbing lions, a unique behavior to this area. Giraffes, impalas, and warthogs are common sights. After lunch, you travel to the nearby town of Karatu, a drive of approximately 1.5 hours. Karatu sits on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands. You will camp at a basic campsite in Karatu for the night, preparing for the Ngorongoro Crater visit the next day of your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

This day begins very early with a packed breakfast or an early simple breakfast at camp. The journey to the Ngorongoro Crater rim takes about 45 minutes to an hour. The entry process can take time. Once entry is secured, you descend into the crater floor for a 6-hour game drive. The crater is a natural enclosure and provides easy viewing of a high density of animals. Wildlife examples include the endangered black rhino, which can often be seen from a distance. Large numbers of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and predators such as lions, hyenas, and jackals are common. Hippos are always in the water sources. A picnic lunch is had on the crater floor. In the mid-afternoon, you drive up the crater rim and travel to a campsite within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a drive of about 2 hours, staying near the crater to save travel time in the morning of your 10 days Ultimate budget Tanzania safari holiday vacation.

The longest travel day of the safari. The drive to the central Serengeti takes around 4 to 6 hours, depending on road conditions and wildlife sightings enroute. The drive passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, over the rim of the main crater, and down towards the endless plains of the Serengeti. Enroute you might spot a few animals before reaching the official Serengeti park gate. After registration, the journey continues with a game drive as you head towards the Seronera area, the heart of the Serengeti. This central area has year-round water and is a prime location for predator activity. Lion prides, cheetahs, and leopards are often seen here. You arrive at a public campsite in Seronera in the late afternoon for dinner and camping on your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

A full day dedicated to game drives in the central Serengeti. The morning drive starts early to find predators during their active hunting hours. The central area, Seronera, is known for lion groups and leopard sightings in the acacia trees along the river. Wildlife examples include elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, and many types of antelopes. The afternoon drive continues the animal search after a picnic lunch or a hot lunch back at the campsite if time permits. The day is spent entirely on the move in the vehicle, stopping frequently to observe animal behavior. The guide communicates with other drivers to find the best viewing locations, making the most of your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation. Dinner and overnight camping are again at the Seronera public campsite.

After an early breakfast, you take a final morning game drive through the Serengeti as you start the journey back towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area boundary. The return journey takes around 4 to 5 hours of driving, plus stops for animals. The enroute drive provides more opportunities to see animals not spotted before. You arrive at the Simba Campsite on the Ngorongoro Crater rim in the late afternoon. This campsite has cold weather due to its high elevation, so warm clothing is necessary. The evening is spent relaxing, with dinner prepared by the cook. The views from the rim across the conservation area are wide on this part of your 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.

The final travel day involves a long drive back to Arusha. After breakfast, you depart from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The drive takes around 4 to 5 hours, going back through Karatu, Mto wa Mbu, and eventually onto the main road to Arusha city. The journey takes you through various farmlands and small villages, allowing a final look at rural Tanzanian life. Upon arrival in Arusha in the afternoon, you are transferred to a budget hotel or guesthouse. The rest of the day can be used for buying souvenirs at local markets if interested, or simply resting at the hotel. A final dinner is usually arranged as a group to mark the end of the safari portion of your 10 days Ultimate budget Tanzania safari holiday vacation.

Depending on your flight schedule, you can have a relaxed morning with breakfast at the hotel. There are no planned activities. A transfer vehicle will take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) or Arusha Airport (ARK) for your outbound flight. The drive duration depends on the airport and traffic, but a typical transfer takes about 1 hour for ARK and up to 1.5 hours for KIA. The holiday concludes with your departure, having completed a budget-friendly but full 10 days Ultimate budget tanzania safari holiday vacation.