Tanzania Camping Safari: 5 Days Amazing Budget Camping Safari

5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari takes you to 3 game parks. The parks include Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. The 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari starts and ends in Arusha.

5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari

The focus of this Cheap Tanzania camping safari is wildlife. You will also have an aspect of culture too. The 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari is a pocket friendly African safari Tour.

You will use tents while on the 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari. Just like it was in the old days, so will it be today on this Tanzania budget safari.

Highlights of the 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari

The highlights of this affordable African safari tour in Tanzania include:

Tracking large herds of Elephants
watching the tree climbing lions
Adventure into the Ngorongoro Crater
Big Five Tracking
Big cats tracking
Follow the Wildebeest Migration

Find the 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari itinerary below:

Detailed 5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari

Day 1: ARUSHA – TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

Our Tanzania safari guide will be ready for pick up at 0800 hrs. This will be from your Arusha Hotel. You will get a detailed briefing on the 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari.

This will be followed by your departure. The drive will be to Tarangire National Park. The Park runs along the line of the Tarangire River. It is made up of low-lying hills on the Great Rift Valley floor. The vegetation consists of Acacia woodland.

There are also giant African Baobab trees. The southern part has huge swampy areas. Both the river and the swamps act like a magnet for wild animals. This is during dry seasons in Tanzania.

Tarangire National Park has some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. It is also home to three rare species of animals. They are the Greater Kudu, the Fringed eared Oryx and Ashy Starlings. Your accommodation will be at Tarangire Zion Camp. It is also where all your meals will be.

About Tarangire National Park

Tarangire national Park is among the most underrated wildlife reserve in Africa. This Tanzania national park lives in the shadows of Tanzania’s iconic safari destinations.

Tarangire is suffering an identity crisis. Here is some of the wildest and most beautiful country in Africa. Yet, it is not well known as a popular Tanzania safari destination. This is because of the popularity of the nearby Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

Tarangire National Park has all the major wildlife species of Tanzania. But it is the landscapes that are the true soul of the park. The landscapes of hills, rivers and valleys are dotted with graceful baobab trees.

Tarangire is also referred to as the land of the giants. This is because of the dominance of elephants and baobabs in the park.

A major attraction of Tarangire stems from its relative obscurity. The park is not as crowded as the other northern parks of Tanzania. Tarangire National Park often becomes a firm favorite of many visitors.

Day 2: TARANGIRE – NGORONGORO CRATER NATIONAL PARK

Your 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari day starts early. This will be with an early morning game drive. Return to the lodge and embark on your breakfast. A mid morning game drive will end your stay in Tarangire.

After lunch leave for Ngorongoro Crater National Park. You will have an evening walk at the crater’s rim. Your dinner and overnight will be at Ngorongoro Simba ‘A’ Campsite.

Day 3: NGORONGORO CRATER TOUR

The 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari safari day will start early in the morning. Departure will be after an early breakfast. You will descend 2000 feet down to the Crater floor. This will be with your picnic lunch boxes.

The drive to the floor takes approximately one hour. It is time to explore this ‘Garden of Eden’. Ngorongoro is a huge and deep volcanic Crater. There’s rich pasture, swamps, forest and permanent water. All this is on the Crater floor. This is the reason why wildlife here is so diverse and are many.

There are up to 25.000 larger animals living here. You got the best opportunity to see Black Rhino here. Other species like the black-manned lion are common. We will have a fantastic day to see wildlife at its best. After lunch you return back to Ngorongoro Simba ‘A’ Campsite for dinner and overnight.

About Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Conservation Area is in northern Tanzania. It’s home to the vast, volcanic Ngorongoro Crater and “big 5” game. This includes the elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino.

Huge herds of wildebeests and zebras traverse its plains during their annual migration. Livestock belonging to the semi-nomadic Maasai tribe graze alongside wild animals. Hominin fossils found in the Olduvai Gorge date back millions of years.

The jewel in Ngorongoro’s crown is a deep, volcanic crater. This is the largest un flooded and unbroken caldera in the world. It is about 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms in area. The Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder.

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites. It is said to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa. The crater has been described as an ‘eighth wonder of the world’.

Ngorongoro Crater has achieved world renown, attracting an ever-increasing number of visitors each year. You are unlikely to escape other vehicles here. You are guaranteed great wildlife viewing in a mind-blowing environment. There is nowhere else in Africa quite like Ngorongoro!

Day 4: NGORONGORO CRATER – LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Your 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari departs Ngorongoro. This departure will be after breakfast. You will be driving to Lake Manyara National Park. You will enjoy lunch en-route. After setting up camp, enjoy some short rest. At 1600 hrs, enjoy a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.

Lake Manyara National Park is situated Great Rift Valley Escarpment and Lake Manyara. The most famous spectacle is the tree-climbing lions. They are seen along branches of Acacia trees. Dinner and overnight will be at Lake Manyara Twiga Camp.

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara is located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment. This is on the edge of the Rift Valley. Lake Manyara National Park offers varied ecosystems, incredible bird life, and breathtaking views.

This Tanzania National Park is on the way to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Lake Manyara National Park is worth a stop in its own right.

It characterized with ground water forests and bush plains. There are also baobab strewn cliffs, and algae-streaked hot springs. These offer incredible ecological variety in a small area. The park is rich in wildlife and incredible numbers of birds.

The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life. These avian species thrive on its brackish waters. Pink flamingo stoop and graze by the thousand’s colorful specks. They stand against the grey minerals of the lake shore.

Yellow-billed storks swoop and corkscrew on thermal winds rising up from the escarpment. The herons flap their wings against the sun-drenched sky. Even reluctant bird-watchers will find something to watch and marvel at here.

Day 5: LAKE MANYARA – ARUSHA

Your 5 days Cheap Tanzania camping safari departs Lake Manyara. This will be immediately after breakfast. You will enjoy a drive back to Arusha. On arrival, you will be dropped off at your budget hotel in Arusha.

———- End of 5 Days Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari ———-

5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari Costs:

What is included in the 5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari cost?

Accommodation as per the itinerary
Transport in a 4 X 4 Safari vehicle with pop up roof
Meals on full board basis while on Tanzania Safari
All park entrance fee
All Government tax

5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari cost excludes:

Visa
Items of personal use
Deviation from the above program
Drinks and beverages
Tips and porterage

What to Carry on the 5 Day Cheap Tanzania Camping Safari

Sun glasses
Light and some few heavy clothing
Sun screen
Insect repellant
Hat
Comfortable shoes

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Tarangire National Park

Cheap Tanzania camping safari takes you to a park located slightly off the main safari route. Tarangire National Park is a lovely, quiet park in Northern Tanzania. It is most famous for its elephant migration, birding and authentic safari atmosphere. The majority of Cheap Tanzania safari travellers to the region either misses out Tarangire altogether or venture into the park for a matter of hours – leaving swathes of Tarangire virtually untouched not so for those on Cheap Tanzania camping safari!

With a game viewing area that is roughly ten times the size of nearby Manyara NP and a concentration of game that is exceptional from July through to October, this seasonal Tanzania safari park is a little gem on the Northern safari circuit, especially if you love elephants when on Cheap Tanzania camping safari!

Tarangire is the surprise package on the Northern circuit. It is often overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Tarangire has huge concentrations of animals in the peak months and a fraction of the visitor numbers of any of the other Northern parks.

From July through to October safaris here are superb, and the atmosphere and habitats are completely different from other parks. Tarangire is surprisingly large, giving visitors the quietest game viewing environment of all the parks in the region.

The South of Tarangire is especially quiet, and lodges such as Swala and Oliver’s Camp are the perfect place to explore this remote area and to really get away from any other travelers. Overall, a superb little park that offers those on cheap Tanzania camping safari great value compared to its neighbors and a seriously good option for getting away from it all.

What to See in Tarangire National Park

During the dry months the concentration of animals around the Tarangire river is almost as diverse and reliable as in the Ngorongoro Crater. However, the ecosystem here is balanced by a localized migration pattern that is followed by the majority of game that resides in and around the park. As a result, Tarangire is superb in season but questionable the rest of the year.

Elephants are the main attraction when on cheap Tanzania camping safari, with up to 3,000 in the park during the peak months. Peak season also sees good numbers of wildebeest and zebra as well as giraffe, buffalo, Thompson’s gazelle, greater and lesser kudu, eland, leopard and cheetah. The real prizes in the park are dwarf mongoose, oryx and generuk – but viewings are very rare. Tarangire is one of Tanzania’s finest birding destinations.

Mongoose colonies are often hosted by abandoned drifts (anthills).The thick vegetation usually hides the main predators that are always there but cannot easily be seen just like any other parks in northern Tanzania.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Often referred to as the ‘eighth natural wonder of the world,’ the Ngorongoro Conservation Area combines some of the best wildlife and scenery the country has to offer with the culture of its Maasai inhabitants and the history of its archaeological sites. The conservation area covers 8288 sq km, embracing the eastern half of the Serengeti Plains, highland plateaus, volcanic mountains, craters, gorges and is home to Ngorongoro Crater – the breathing central attraction. Because of the high conservation value, Ngorongoro also rests as a UNESCO world heritage site and is filled with a variety of habitats that host a plethora of wildlife species. The area is named after the Ngorongoro crater which is the world’s largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled caldera.

Ngorongoro was a huge active volcano, probably larger than Kilimanjaro when the volcano erupted some 8 million years ago. Its cone collapsed leaving a crater or more appropriately a “caldera” 600m deep, 16km across and 265 sq km in area. The original volcano had a height of an estimated 5000 metres high.

Many of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino can be seen by those on Tanzania camping safari grazing on the open grassland of the crater floor surrounded by some of the 25,000 large animals that occupy the crater, including lion, cheetah, eland, black rhinoceros, zebra and gazelle.

Flamingo, among other bird species can often be seen by those on Tanzania camping safari feeding at Makat soda lake. Early morning and late afternoon are perfect times to see leopard lurking around Lerai Forest, while elephant take advantage of its ample shade in the middle of the day. From December to March during the great wildebeest migration, millions of animals pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area around Lake Ndutu. This provides great chances of having scenic views of nature.

Outside the crater on the highland hills, Maasai continue to herd their cattle and goats as they have done for years. Maasai in traditional dress with laden donkeys can be seen walking alongside zebra and wildebeest. Human habitation in the highlands is what differentiates Ngorongoro Conservation Area from the national parks and is central to the appeal of hiking in the area.

Hikes in Ngorongoro

Hikes in the highlands head north east of Ngorongoro Crater towards two smaller craters, Olmoti and Empakai and can continue on to the active volcano Oldonyo Lengai (mountain of God to the Maasai) and Lake Natron. Most of the hiking is done on cattle trails alongside the warriors and their herds and nights spent camping amongst Maasai bomas, allowing visitors on Tanzania camping safari to interact with the Maasai in their own environment and learn their culture.

Ngorongoro is the only protected area in Tanzania that allows human habitation while protecting wildlife at the same time. This establishment as a multiple use area was established in 1959. Exploring this little visited part of the country is an adventure of a lifetime.

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake at the base of a sheer stretch of the western Rift valley escarpment. The north-western area of this lake is protected in a 330 square kilometre national park, which contains a remarkable diversity of terrestrial habitats: the grassy floodplain of the lakeshore, the rocky base of the escarpment, a belt of thick acacia woodland and a lush patch of groundwater forest just inside the northern entrance gate. Located on the way from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park is worth a stop in its own right when on Tanzania camping safari.

The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life that thrives on its brackish waters. The 200 square kilometre lake is sanctuary to over 400 species of bird. On Tanzania camping safari , you may see pink flamingo stoop and graze by the thousands – colourful specks against the grey minerals of the lake shore. Yellow-billed storks swoop and corkscrew on thermal winds rising up from the escarpment, and herons flap their wings against the sun-drenched sky.

African spoonbills wade through the shallow water on the edge of the lake, swinging their open bill through the water, feeding on small fish, molluscs, amphibeans and crustaceans. Synchronised flotillas of both great white pelicans and pink-backed pelicans scoop fish into their large pouched beaks.

Egyptian geese fly in aeronautical formations through the blue sky above or waddle around on the shoreline. Even reluctant bird-watchers will find something to watch and marvel at within the national park.

An interesting bio-diversity of fauna and flora can be observed when on Tanzania camping safari in Lake Manyara National Park thanks to the wide range of biomes within the Park. The park is particularly noted for its huge herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as giraffe, hippo, reedbuck, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and a great variety of smaller animals.

Lake Manyara National Park is especially famous for its tree-climbing lions, who spend most of the day spread out along the branches of Acacia trees, six to seven metres above the ground. Perhaps, however, the most immediately visible residents are the troops of olive baboon, sometimes found in the company of the smaller and rather beautiful blue monkey.