The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 1: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport and Transfer to Arusha

Meals: Depending on arrival time | Overnight: Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met by a representative and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. The drive usually takes around an hour, depending on traffic and the hotel’s location.

After check-in, take time to rest after your international journey. Your safari representative can review the itinerary with you, confirm the following morning’s flight arrangements and explain the baggage requirements for the light aircraft.

If you have brought large suitcases, arrange storage with your hotel or safari operator before departure. Any luggage carried on the aircraft must comply with the airline’s confirmed weight and size limits.

Dinner can be arranged at the hotel or a nearby restaurant, depending on your arrival time.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 2: Fly from Arusha to Serengeti National Park

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Overnight: Serengeti

After breakfast, transfer to Arusha Airport for your scheduled light-aircraft flight to the Serengeti. The destination airstrip will be selected according to your camp’s location and the season.

On arrival, meet your safari guide and transfer to camp, enjoying wildlife viewing along the way where conditions allow. After lunch and time to settle in, head out for your first afternoon game drive.

The Serengeti is home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and many other species. Your guide will choose suitable areas to explore based on recent sightings and the time available.

Return to camp before nightfall for dinner and your first night in the Serengeti.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 3: Full-Day Game Drive in the Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner | Overnight: Serengeti

Begin the day with an early morning game drive, when the temperatures are cooler and many animals are active. Your guide will look for predators returning from a night hunt, as well as herds of wildebeest and zebras moving across the plains.

Continue through different habitats, including open grassland, rocky kopjes and areas near rivers or seasonal water sources. These areas attract a range of wildlife and offer good opportunities for photography.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site, allowing you to spend more time in the park. In the afternoon, continue exploring according to wildlife sightings and local conditions.

Return to camp in the evening for dinner. The route will depend on the camp’s location, as driving between distant sections of the Serengeti can take considerable time.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 4: More Wildlife Viewing in the Serengeti

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Overnight: Serengeti

Spend another day exploring the Serengeti, with the flexibility to revisit productive wildlife areas or travel to a different part of the park.

An optional hot-air balloon safari can be arranged for an early morning start, subject to availability and suitable weather. The experience generally includes a sunrise flight and breakfast after landing. It is charged separately, and the price should be confirmed when booking.

Guests who do not take the balloon flight can join a standard morning game drive. Return to camp for lunch and a rest, or arrange an afternoon game drive if you prefer to spend more time in the field.

During the migration season, your guide will focus on the areas most likely to offer worthwhile sightings. The location of the herds changes throughout the year, so sightings and river crossings cannot be guaranteed.

In the evening, confirm the next day’s flight details and repack your luggage according to the airline’s requirements.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 5: Fly to Lake Manyara and Transfer to the Ngorongoro Highlands

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Overnight: Ngorongoro area

After breakfast, transfer to the designated Serengeti airstrip for your scheduled flight to Lake Manyara. If the flight time allows, your camp may arrange a short morning game drive before departure.

On arrival, meet your driver-guide and continue by road towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The route climbs the Great Rift Valley escarpment and enters the cooler highlands.

Check in at your lodge near the crater rim. The area is known for its forested slopes, open highland scenery and cooler evenings compared with the Serengeti plains. Depending on your arrival time, the rest of the afternoon can be spent relaxing at the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at your selected accommodation. Flight times and road transfers will be confirmed when your travel dates and properties are finalized.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Transfer to Karatu

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner | Overnight: Karatu or Lake Manyara area

Rise early for breakfast before driving to the crater descent road. Descend to the floor of Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive through grassland, woodland, wetlands and the area around Lake Magadi.

Look for lions, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and elephants. The crater is also one of Tanzania’s important habitats for the endangered black rhino, although sightings are never guaranteed. Birdlife is particularly interesting around the wetlands and lake.

Stop for a picnic lunch at a designated site before continuing your afternoon game drive. Your guide will follow park regulations and make the best use of the time available.

Later, ascend the crater wall and drive to your lodge in Karatu or the Lake Manyara area. Staying here makes the following day’s transfer to Tarangire more practical than returning to the crater rim.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 7: Drive to Tarangire National Park

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Overnight: Tarangire area

After breakfast, leave Karatu and drive towards Tarangire National Park. The journey takes you through changing landscapes before reaching a park famous for its baobab trees, elephants and seasonal swamps.

Enter the park for an afternoon game drive. The Tarangire River is an important source of water, particularly during the dry season, when wildlife may gather around the river and remaining water sources.

Look for elephant families, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes and antelope. Lions and other predators may also be seen, depending on their movements.

Continue exploring until the permitted end of the game-drive period, then transfer to your camp or lodge for dinner and overnight.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 8: Morning Safari in Tarangire and Return to Arusha

Meals: Breakfast and lunch, depending on schedule | Overnight: Arusha

Start the morning with a game drive in Tarangire, when the light is often good for photography and many animals are active. Your guide will explore the park’s river valley, woodland and open areas, looking for elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope and birdlife.

Return to camp for breakfast or an early lunch, depending on the schedule, before transferring to Lake Manyara Airstrip if a suitable flight to Arusha is available. Alternatively, travel to Arusha by road if that is the more practical arrangement.

On arrival in Arusha, transfer to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day resting after the safari. This overnight stay provides a buffer before your international departure and reduces the risk of a same-day connection between a safari flight and an international flight.

Dinner and overnight at your Arusha hotel.

The Ultimate 9-Day Tanzania Flying Safari Day 9: Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before your scheduled transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your international flight.

The drive normally takes around an hour from Arusha, but travel time can vary with traffic and weather. Your transfer should be arranged to allow sufficient time for check-in and airport procedures.

If your international flight departs early, confirm the hotel pick-up time with your operator the evening before.

This concludes your nine-day Tanzania flying safari.

Arusha — 2 nights

• Mount Meru Hotel

• Arusha Coffee Lodge

Both are options to consider for the first and final nights, depending on your preferred comfort level and transfer arrangements.

• Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

• Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

• Serengeti Under Canvas

Select a camp based on the region you want to visit. A mobile camp in the migration area may suit some dates better than a permanent central Serengeti lodge.

• Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

• Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp

• Plantation Lodge

• Rhino Lodge

One night near the crater rim and one in Karatu or the Lake Manyara area can make the route more convenient.

Tarangire National Park — 1 night

• Oliver’s Camp

• Tarangire Safari Lodge

• Kuro Tarangire Tented Camp

Check access arrangements carefully. Some properties require a particular airstrip or a longer road transfer.

January–March: Southern Serengeti and Ndutu

Consider flying to an appropriate southern Serengeti or Ndutu airstrip to focus on the wildebeest calving season. The best location depends on current herd movements and rainfall.

July–October: Northern Serengeti

The northern Serengeti is worth considering for migration viewing and possible Mara River crossings. The herds move naturally, and neither their location nor river crossings can be guaranteed on specific dates.

Other periods: Central Serengeti

Central Serengeti offers resident wildlife throughout the year and is a useful option for a general safari. The final camp location should still reflect the season and your wildlife priorities.