Are you are limited by time but wish to have a taste of Tanzania safari? Here are day trips from Arusha to Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara or Tarangire national parks where you will get a taste of Tanzania day trips safari over the week days or weekends. The day trips from Arusha start after an early breakfast in your Arusha hotel then drive with lunch boxes direct to Tarangire or Lake Manyara national parks or Ngorongoro crater where you will spend the full day until sunset when you will drive back to Arusha. You will need to have overnight in Arusha before safari so you are ready for the day trips as early as you can.
Day trips from Arusha to Tarangire national park:
You will be picked up at 06:00 am from your hotel and drive to Tarangire national park with lunch boxes, you will stop at the entry gate to sign and obtain paperwork then enter the park for full day animal sightings. Tarangire national parks is the third largest national park in northern Tanzania and it offers fantastic wildlife viewing, the park is known for high populations of elephant and the baobab trees which dot the park. The Tarangire River which supports the life of the park will offer you change to see animals since the animals gather at the river for drinking.
Day trips from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater:
As the animals do not migrate in and out of the Ngorongoro crater you are sure to see as many animals as you can expect on the crater floor for just 3 to 4 hours of your visit, the drive from Arusha takes 3 hours and you will spend few minutes at the entrance gate for signing in before you enter the park. You will drive through the high and steep lanes until you reach the carter view point where you will stop for the pictures before you drive further to crater descending road. After descending into the crater you will drive through different vegetations including forest, lake and hills. The animals you can expect to see inside the crater include Rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, Jackal, baboon just to mention few. The lunch will be served at the hippo pools while enjoying the view of the hippopotamus in Ngoitoktok hippo pond. Late in the evening drive back to Arusha where you trip will end.
Day trips from Arusha to Lake Manyara:
Located along the Great Rift Valley wall, the Lake Manyara national park is the iconic wildlife reserve in northern Tanzania offering two great landscapes, the alkaline lake and the rift valley wall. The park also supports the green forest and the hot springs all spicing up your day. The drive from Arusha takes 2 hours driving.
Other Day trips from Arusha:
- Arusha national park.
- Ilkiding’a cultural visit and walking.
- Arusha city tour.
The day tips from Moshi are also possible to:
- Chemka hot spring.
- Materuni water falls.
- Kinukamori waterfalls.
- Coffee tour and walking.
- Marangu route day hike (trek Kilimanjaro for 1 day).
Add-ons:
Option one – On the way to Ngorongoro you can visit Masai Boma in Ngorongoro where you will walk inside Maasai houses and experience the way Masai live and practice their lives.
Option two – Visit snake park on the way to Lake Manyara and Tarangire – you will spend 30 minutes walking around Meserani snake park seeing the snakes and some caged birds, you will also visit the Maasai museum and camel back ride.