Instinct Tours Tanzania Safaris
The
Cool Season
Twelve days across northern Tanzania in one of the year's most comfortable safari windows — fresh landscapes, cool mornings, and a route that takes in Tarangire, Karatu, two distinct stretches of the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Route
Saturday, June 19
Arrival Day
Welcome to Tanzania! Guests are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to Arusha for a restful first evening and a safari briefing before the journey begins. Dinner and overnight at River Trees Lodge.
Fully included in your core safari package. Guests wishing to shake off jet lag early can arrange optional pre-nights at the lodge on request.
Meals: Dinner · Stay: River Trees Lodge
Arrival Flight
Kilimanjaro Airport
River Trees Lodge
River Trees Lodge
Days 1 – 2
Tarangire National Park
June 20–21 · Tarangire Elephant Springs
From Arusha, the safari moves to Tarangire — known as "The Elephant Paradise," and one of the classic ways to begin a Tanzania journey. Giant baobabs, abundant plains game, and some of the country's most reliable elephant sightings set the tone for everything that follows.
Sunday, June 20 · Day 1
Into Tarangire
Breakfast, then the drive to Tarangire (about two and a half hours). Hot lunch at the lodge, rest time, then a late-afternoon game drive through sunset.
Monday, June 21 · Day 2
A Full Day in the Park
A morning game drive, lunch back at the lodge by the pool, rest time, then an afternoon drive through sunset before dinner.
Accommodation
Tarangire Elephant Springs
Inside Tarangire's elephant country, with the classic safari rhythm built right into the property — morning drives, a hot lunch back at the lodge, and an evening drive in the best light of the day.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 3
Karatu & the Maasai
June 22 · Suricata Boma Lodge
A short farewell game drive in Tarangire, then a morning Maasai village tour on the way toward Karatu — a real window into local tribal culture rather than a drive-by stop. The afternoon settles into an easier rhythm at Suricata Boma Lodge, with a guided walk or the pool.
Tuesday, June 22 · Day 3
Culture & Contrast
Checkout, a short game drive, then a Maasai village tour before continuing to Suricata Boma Lodge for a late lunch and an afternoon at leisure.
Accommodation
Suricata Boma Lodge
A gentler stop between two wildlife-heavy stretches of the trip, near Lake Manyara with easy access to a guided walk and a pool for an easy afternoon before the Serengeti.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Maasai Village
Maasai Village
Days 4 – 5
Central Serengeti
June 23–24 · Embalakai Camp
The road turns west into the Serengeti ecosystem itself, with a hot lunch stop at Embalakai Camp before settling in for two nights of proper tented-camp immersion. This is the rhythm people picture when they imagine an African safari — morning drives, lunch back at camp, an afternoon or sunset game drive, and the quiet return to canvas at day's end.
Wednesday, June 23 · Day 4
Into the Serengeti
Late checkout from Suricata Boma, then the drive to the Serengeti, with a hot lunch at Embalakai Camp on the way before settling in for the night.
Thursday, June 24 · Day 5
Full Day at Embalakai
A morning game drive, lunch and rest back at camp, then a sunset drive before dinner. An optional sunrise balloon safari is available the following morning.
Accommodation
Embalakai Camp
Tented camp life in the heart of the Serengeti's wildlife-rich central plains — the experience most guests picture when they imagine this part of the trip.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Days 6 – 7
South-Central Serengeti
June 25–26 · Serengeti Little Pure Camp
The safari moves deeper into a quieter, less-visited stretch of the park. Two nights at Serengeti Little Pure Camp bring game drives across the Serengeti's iconic plains, and an afternoon exploring the Moru kopjes — the granite rock formations made famous by The Lion King — before a golden Serengeti sunset back at camp.
Friday, June 25 · Day 6
Into the South
Checkout, then a game drive en route to Serengeti Little Pure Camp for lunch. After a short rest, an afternoon-to-sunset drive exploring this newer stretch of the park.
Saturday, June 26 · Day 7
The Kopjes & Golden Sunsets
A morning game drive across the Serengeti's iconic plains, then an afternoon exploring the Moru kopjes' unique landscapes before one of the park's famously golden sunsets back at camp.
Accommodation
Serengeti Little Pure Camp
Set in a quieter, less-visited stretch of the Serengeti, keeping this half of the trip dynamic rather than a repeat of Central Serengeti's rhythm.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
South-Central Serengeti
South-Central Serengeti
Days 8 – 9
Ngorongoro & Olduvai
June 27–28 · Ngorongoro Farm Valley Lodge
The route turns toward the southern plains and back north again, with a lunch stop at Woodlands Camp before continuing toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area — pausing at the Olduvai Museum and Archaeological Site, where Louis and Mary Leakey's discovery of the Zinjanthropus fossils reshaped our understanding of human origins. Two nights at Ngorongoro Farm Valley Lodge include a full Crater game drive and an easy afternoon among coffee, gardens, and pool.
Sunday, June 27 · Day 8
Southern Plains, Olduvai & Arrival at Farm Valley
Checkout from Little Pure Camp and a transit game drive south through the heart of the Serengeti, with lunch at Woodlands Camp before continuing toward Ngorongoro. A stop at Olduvai Museum along the way, then arrival at Ngorongoro Farm Valley Lodge for dinner.
Monday, June 28 · Day 9
Ngorongoro Crater
An early departure for a full game drive inside the Ngorongoro Crater, returning to the lodge for a late lunch. The afternoon is yours — a coffee plantation tour, a nature walk through the organic gardens, or simply the pool.
Accommodation
Ngorongoro Farm Valley Lodge
A working farm setting in the Karatu highlands, built for exactly this kind of unwinding after the Crater — coffee, gardens, and quiet.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Southern Plains (Lunch Stop)
Woodlands Camp (Lunch Stop)
Olduvai Museum
Tuesday, June 29
Return to Arusha
After breakfast, checkout and a stop at a family coffee farm near Karatu, then the drive to Arusha for lunch and shopping at the Cultural Heritage Centre. From there, on to Kahawa House for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Stay: Kahawa House
Family Coffee Farm
Family Coffee Farm
Cultural Heritage Center
Cultural Heritage Center
Kahawa House
Kahawa House
Wednesday, June 30
Departure Day
A leisurely breakfast, then a visit to Unity School — a tour of the grounds and a presentation by students — followed by a stop at Shanga, a social enterprise employing people with disabilities to create unique, handmade goods. From there, a drive to River Trees Lodge for a late lunch before the transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for outbound flights home.
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Onward: Kilimanjaro International Airport
Unity School
Unity School
Shanga
Shanga
A Closer Look
Through Marcy's Lens
A few favorites from the trail
