This 9-day Serengeti Safari, Chimpanzees, and Lake Victoria Exploration takes you through Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit.
Destinations on this safari include Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, and Rubondo Island National Park on Lake Victoria.
9-Day Tanzania Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival – Arusha
- Day 2: Tarangire National Park
- Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
- Day 4–5: Serengeti National Park
- Day 6: Transfer to Mwanza City
- Day 7: Transfer to Rubondo Island National Park
- Day 8: Chimpanzee Trekking in Rubondo Island National Park
- Day 9: End of Safari
Detailed 9-Day Tanzania Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Arusha
On arrival at the airport, your safari driver-guide will meet and welcome you. You will then be driven to your hotel in Arusha for dinner and an overnight stay. Welcome to Tanzania.
Day 2: Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park, known as the home of elephants. On arrival, enjoy a game drive as you make your way to your safari lodge.
Check in, have lunch, and later go for an afternoon game drive across the plains dotted with baobab trees. Look out for elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, buffaloes, hippos, and hyenas. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Start the day with an early morning game drive in Tarangire to see predators such as lions and leopards on their morning hunt. Return for breakfast, check out, and begin your journey to Serengeti National Park, home to the Great Wildebeest Migration.
You will drive through the beautiful plains of the Ngorongoro area and reach Serengeti later in the day. Check in at your safari camp for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4–5: Serengeti National Park
Spend two full days exploring Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s most famous wildlife destination.
The park offers endless plains and rich wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, and many bird species. Depending on the season, you may witness the Great Wildebeest Migration, one of nature’s most amazing events.
Enjoy game drives, guided walking safaris, or an optional hot air balloon safari over the plains. Return to your camp each evening for dinner and relaxation.
Day 6: Transfer to Mwanza City
After breakfast, pack your bags and drive to Mwanza, Tanzania’s second-largest city. It lies on the southern shores of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake.
Along the way, enjoy scenic views of the countryside. On arrival, explore Mwanza’s unique landscape, marked by large granite boulders. You will then be transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Transfer to Rubondo Island National Park
After breakfast at your hotel in Mwanza, drive to the shores of Lake Victoria and board a speedboat to Rubondo Island National Park.
From Kasenda village, the boat ride takes about 30 minutes, and from Nkome, about 90 minutes. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your accommodation at either TANAPA Bandas or Rubondo Island Camp.
After lunch, enjoy an afternoon boat ride around the island to explore the lake and its shoreline. Look out for crocodiles, hippos, otters, African fish eagles, kingfishers, herons, storks, and animals near the water such as bushbucks and sitatungas.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Trekking in Rubondo Island National Park
After an early breakfast, set out into the forest for chimpanzee trekking. Rubondo Island is one of the few places in Tanzania where you can track these playful primates.
Your experienced guides and trackers will help you find the chimpanzees. Once located, you will spend time observing their behavior and interactions. After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch and later transfer by boat back to Mwanza for an overnight stay.
Day 9: End of Safari
After breakfast at your hotel in Mwanza, you may take a short walk around the port city before your transfer to the airport for your flight to Arusha, Dar es Salaam, or your next destination. This marks the end of your 9-day Tanzania safari.
