5 Days Kilimanjaro Hike, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari : This 5 Days Kilimanjaro Hike, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari gives you an opportunity to explore Kilimanjaro Mountain on a day’s hike and then drive to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater Area for exquisite game drives and cultural experiences.
Highlights for 5 Days Kilimanjaro Hike, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Day 0: Arrival
Day 01: Mount Kilimanjaro Day Hike
Day 02: Drive to Serengeti National Park
Day 03: Full Day Serengeti
Day 04: Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ol Duvai Gorge and Crater Drive
Day 05: Mto wa Mbu Cultural Tour, Departure
Detailed Itinerary for 5 Days Kilimanjaro Hike, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Day 0: Arrival
Upon your arrival at the Arusha Airport, you shall be picked up and transferred to your hotel of stay. Check in, relax and if you are up for it, head out to explore Arusha Town with your guide, depending on your time of arrival. Dinner and an overnight stay at your hotel.
Day 01: Mount Kilimanjaro Day Hike
You will be picked up early in the morning from your accommodation in Arusha, depart with your guide after an early breakfast for the drive to Kilimanjaro National Park. The journey will take 2½ to 3 hours.
You will be driven to the western side of the mountain and up through the forests to the Londorossi gate, at an altitude of 2,100m, where the hike begins. The ascent you will be tackling is more than 1,000m, as you hike steadily up through tropical montane forests, home to a variety of animals and birdlife.
With the help of your guide, you may spot colobus monkeys, Crested Turacos and more. As well as being the less visited side of the mountain, these western regions are known to be frequented by big game from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, which neighbors Kilimanjaro National Park. It is not uncommon to hear elephants rumbling through the forest and you may even catch sight of them through the trees.
Your hike takes you up to the Shira plateau, at 3,400m, a 500,000-year-old volcanic caldera that is now a world heritage site. You can stop for lunch here, or continue on to Shira 1 camp, lion gorge and the foothills of the Shira pinnacles. Kilimanjaro’s iconic snow-covered table top, Kibo peak, should be visible from here, as well as neighboring glaciers. Then, at the end of the day, you will be driven back to your accommodation, allowing you to rest waiting for the next adventure.
For those with limited fitness or mobility: it is possible to drive all the way up to the Shira plateau and then gently explore the surrounding areas on foot. Reasonable levels of fitness would be ideal for the longer hike.
What to wear: the walk can be over uneven ground in places, so closed shoes are recommended. Due to the altitude, warm clothing and/or waterproofs are also advisable.
Day 02: Drive to Serengeti National Park
On this morning day you will start by driving from Arusha to the Serengeti national park crossing the Masai steppe and up the rift valley escarpment with your first stop at Ngorongoro conservation main gate; Loduare. Your second stop will be a brief stop at the crater view for stunning views over the crater floor and a chance to take photos. You will proceed with safari game drives en-route as you traverse the Ngorongoro conservation area, entering the Serengeti via Naabi hill gate.
After arriving in Serengeti, you will check in to your accommodation, take a little relaxation, and then go on an evening game drive. After the evening game drive, you will return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 03: Full Day Serengeti
On day 3 out of your 5 days, you will have breakfast in the camp and depart for your full day game drive around Serengeti with your packed lunch which will be taken along the way in a picnic site during the game drive.
The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania derives its name from the Masai word “siringit,” meaning “endless open plains.” the Serengeti landscape is of mesmerizing beauty. While a sizable part of the park is made up of seasonally flooded plains, forests, and shrub savannah, the Serengeti is mostly about one thing: grassy plains.
Golden during the dry season, green and dotted with wildflowers after the rains, it has perfectly adapted to continuous grazing, turning the Serengeti into heaven for large herbivores. Every now and then, kopjes—2.5 million-year-old rocky outcrops—interrupt the infinite horizon. Being surrounded by millions of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelles is a lifetime experience. In their annual migration north, they stampede over open, vast plains, plunge into crocodile-infested rivers, and are endlessly hunted by lurking predators.
The Serengeti is a world heritage site, a biosphere reserve, and one of the new seven wonders of Africa. You will have a picnic lunch on the plains of the Serengeti and continue with your game drive until the evening, returning to the camp in time as the sun sets over the horizon for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 04: Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ol Duvai Gorge and Crater Drive
On day 4 out of your 5-day Tanzania safari tour, wake up early in the morning, have breakfast at your lodge, and get ready to check out so you can drive to the Ngorongoro conservation area for an Ol Duvai Gorge visit, shifting sand visit and crater game drive. You will enjoy en-route game drive as you leave the Serengeti towards Ngorongoro conservation area.
Your first stop will be at the shifting sand where you will enjoy the magical of shifting dunes, take pictures then proceed to Ol Duvai Gorge which is located few steps from the shifting sand. After, you will proceed to Ngorongoro crater where you will have a game drive within the crater and expect to see some of the big five animals such as lions, buffaloes, and elephants.
The Ngorongoro caldera is the largest unfolded and unbroken caldera in the world. At approximately 20 kilometers across and 600 meters deep, the Ngorongoro crater is a breath-taking natural wonder. Ngorongoro crater is unique in that almost all the wildlife lives within the crater walls; hence, you have the opportunity to find the game easily. After your game drive, you will be driven to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 05: Mto wa Mbu Cultural Tour, Departure
This will be the final day of your 5-day Tanzania safari. You will have breakfast and thereafter check out to the accommodation ready for 3 hours’ drive back to Arusha/ Airport.
Your first stop will be at Karatu Town or Mto wa Mbu Village, where you may take part in a cultural tour and shop at local markets for local goods. You can also buy local souvenirs to send to friends and family back home as a souvenir. Your 5-day Tanzania safari will come to an end when you arrive in Arusha, where your guide will deliver you to the location of your choice (either the airport or your lodging). Welcome back again!
End of 5 Days Kilimanjaro Hike, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Safari
