Two parks, three days, and hardly any of it spent on the road. Tarangire is the elephant park: in the dry months the river is the only water for a long way, and the herds come to it in their hundreds, between baobabs the size of houses.
Lake Manyara is the opposite. It's small, green and layered, starting in groundwater forest thick enough to feel like somewhere else entirely, then opening onto the lake with the Rift escarpment six hundred metres above you.
Is this trip for you?
A good first safari, and a good short one. It also suits anyone who has already done the Serengeti and wants the two parks most people skip on the way through.
This is a starting point, not a fixed departure. You can change the route, the pace, the camps and the length, and most people do.
Customize this safari →
Highlights
The best bits of this trip
01Tarangire in the dry season, when the elephant herds are on the river
02Baobab country, which photographs like nowhere else on the circuit
03Lake Manyara's groundwater forest and its big baboon troops
04A picnic lunch overlooking the Tarangire river
05Short drives, so your days are spent in the parks
Day by day
Your 3 days, one at a time
We'll collect you from your Arusha hotel at eight and drive south to Tarangire, about two hours. The park has nine different vegetation zones, which is unusual, but what you'll notice first are the baobabs: squat, grey and enormous, dwarfing everything standing next to them.
The river is the draw. Tarangire holds the densest elephant population in northern Tanzania, and you'll get to watch whole families interacting rather than a single animal at a distance. An afternoon game drive, then on to the lodge.
A morning game drive in Tarangire first, with a hot lunch at a lookout above the river. It's a good spot: plenty of people have watched a hunt from it while eating.
Then a short hop across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara, home of the tree-climbing lions. They're real and they're unusual, but they're not reliable, so treat one as a bonus rather than the reason you came. Dinner and the night on the escarpment.
A morning game drive in Manyara. It's small, but it packs in a lot: lush acacia forest, giant figs and mahoganies, baboons and blue monkeys, and hippos in the lake. Flamingos line the shore when the water suits them.
After lunch there's time for one more short drive before we head back to Arusha, arriving around five. If you've got a flight to catch, tell us and we'll shape the day around it.
So, what does it cost? We price every safari individually, because it really
depends on when you travel, which camps you pick and how many of you there
are. The same route in February and in August won't cost the same.
Tell us your dates and roughly what you have in mind, and we'll send you a
full, itemised quote. Not a vague range, a real quote.
Per person, based on two of you travelling together. The per-person price comes down in a bigger group, and we confirm your exact figure in writing when we quote. Rates as published for 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2030.
What's included
Exactly what you're paying for
Included
Park fees at non-resident rates
Every activity in the itinerary
All accommodation on safari
A professional driver-guide
All transport, and your airport transfers both ways
All taxes and VAT
The meals shown on each day
Not included
International flights
Extra nights before or after the safari
Tips for your guide and the lodge staff
Personal items, souvenirs, travel insurance and visa fees
