Self-Launched Tanzania Camping Safari: Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara

Land at Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Arusha (ARK) airport and take a metered taxi or pre-arranged shuttle into Arusha town (~£12-18, roughly 45-60 min from JRO). Check into a budget guesthouse or hostel in the Njiro or town centre area. Spend the afternoon walking to the Arusha Declaration Monument and the Maasai Market, buying a sleeping bag liner, torch batteries and a 5L water container if you don't have them. In the evening meet your operator contact at their office (most Arusha safari outfitters are clustered around Boma Road and Sokoine Road) to confirm vehicle, park fee payment and pick-up time. Eat at a local 'hoteli' for ugali, beans and grilled meat — around £3-4.

🚌Airport taxi to Arusha town ~£12-18

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Arusha (private or dorm room, ~£15-22/night)

• →Arusha town orientation walk
• →Maasai Market browsing
• →Safari operator briefing and final payment
• →Arusha Declaration Monument

Early pick-up and drive west along the A104 to Mto wa Mbu at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment (~2 hours). Rather than an operator-run cultural programme, book a village walk direct with the Mto wa Mbu Cultural Tourism Programme office in town (roughly £15-20 per person, including a banana-beer tasting and a home-cooked lunch with a local family — ask to join a shared group to keep it cheap). In the afternoon enter Lake Manyara National Park with your driver-guide for a game drive: tree-climbing lions, huge elephant herds, hippos at the lake edge and flamingos if water levels are right. Overnight at one of the public campsites in Mto wa Mbu (Twiga or Snake Park campsites — basic but clean, hot showers). Self-cater or pay your cook/operator for dinner; a local restaurant dinner is ~£5-7.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle Arusha to Mto wa Mbu, ~£30-40 share of vehicle cost

🛏Public campsite in Mto wa Mbu (tent provided by operator, ~£10-15/night incl. camping fee)

• →Mto wa Mbu Cultural Tourism Programme village walk
• →Traditional lunch with a local family
• →Lake Manyara National Park game drive
• →Rift Valley escarpment viewpoints

Full driving day: up through the Ngorongoro highlands and into the conservation area, past the crater rim, then down onto the Seronera plains. You'll game-drive en route with your driver-guide, stopping for photos of giraffe, zebra and gazelle. Pay your Serengeti park fees on entry (your operator usually bundles these — around £60-70 per person per 24 hours plus conservation area fees). Arrive at the Seronera public campsite by late afternoon — long-drop loos, cold bucket showers, no electricity or phone signal, so charge power banks in the vehicle while it's moving. Cook on your camping stove or use your operator's crew.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle, ~£45-60 share of vehicle and fuel

🛏Seronera public campsite, central Serengeti (~£12-18/night incl. camping fee)

• →Scenic drive through Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• →En-route game drive on the Seronera plains
• →Sunset at Serengeti public campsite

Up before sunrise with a thermos of coffee. Take a full-day drive across the Seronera Valley looking for the Big Five — lion prides on the kopjes, leopard in the riverine fig trees, elephant herds, buffalo and rhino if you're lucky. Pack a picnic lunch (buy bread, avocados, tomatoes and fruit in Mto wa Mbu the day before — far cheaper than campsite food). If you want the balloon, book Serengeti balloon flights direct with Miracle Experience or Serengeti Balloon Safaris online or via your operator — expect £430-520 per person including champagne breakfast, so it's a genuine splurge; it must be booked ahead as it sells out. Return to Seronera campsite at dusk.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle, ~£35-45 share of vehicle and fuel

🛏Seronera public campsite, central Serengeti (~£12-18/night)

• →Sunrise full-day Serengeti game drive
• →Picnic lunch in the bush
• →Optional hot-air balloon safari (~£430-520)
• →Kopje wildlife spotting

A final early-morning game drive as you leave the Serengeti (best light and active animals), then retrace the road back through the conservation area. In the afternoon drop into the Ngorongoro Crater floor if timing and permits allow — black rhino, lion, flamingo and vast herds on the crater plains, with a stop at the hippo pool picnic site. Climb back up to the Simba or Ngorongoro public campsite on the rim for a cold, spectacular night looking down into the caldera. Crater entry fees are typically bundled with your conservation area fees by the operator (budget around £50-60 per person if you're paying separately). This is the coldest night — bring layers.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle, ~£45-55 share of vehicle and fuel

🛏Ngorongoro Crater rim public campsite (~£12-18/night)

• →Dawn Serengeti game drive
• →Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
• →Hippo pool picnic stop
• →Crater rim viewpoint at sunset

Drive out of the conservation area via the Monduli District and stop at a Maasai village — arrange this through your driver-guide or directly with the village (a fair contribution is £10-15 per person, and check it's going to the community rather than a middleman). You'll see bomas, cattle enclosures and hear about daily life and the cookstove/health initiatives women's groups run here. Continue to Arusha, arriving around early afternoon — enough time for a late lunch and to pick up a bus or transfer onward. If you're flying out, book flights after 18:00. Staying another night in Arusha is around £15-22, or the public shuttle to Nairobi leaves Arusha daily around 08:00 (~£25-30, 6-8 hours with border formalities).

🚌Shared 4x4 return to Arusha; optional onward shuttle to Nairobi ~£25-30

🛏None included (optional extra night in Arusha guesthouse ~£15-22)

• →Maasai village visit in Monduli District
• →Community cookstove/health project discussion
• →Arusha town return and onwards travel