Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Tarangire
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino — tracked patiently, encountered respectfully.
Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Tarangire · Wild & Nature Safaris
The Experience
The Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino — were once the most sought-after trophies on the continent; today they are the most sought-after sightings, and Tanzania remains one of the finest places on earth to find all five in the wild. The name has stuck because the dream has: a lion pride on the open plains, a leopard draped in the bough of a tree, elephants crossing the track in quiet family groups, buffalo herds grazing the valleys and — rarest of all — the black rhino.
A Big Five safari is an exercise in patience rather than a checklist. Your guide reads tracks and alarm calls, spends time where the animals are, and lets the sightings come to you. The Ngorongoro Crater is renowned for its rhino and dense predator populations, while the Serengeti and Tarangire complete the set with their lions, leopards and great elephant herds.
Highlights
The moments that define Big Five Safaris — the encounters, landscapes and feelings that make this experience unforgettable.
The Serengeti supports one of the highest densities of large carnivores anywhere on earth — prides are often seen resting, hunting and calling across the grassland.
Leopards haunt the riverine forests and drape themselves over sausage trees at dusk — spotting one is a thrill every time.
Tarangire gathers some of the largest elephant herds in East Africa, watched at close range as they browse among the baobabs.
The Ngorongoro Crater floor is one of the most reliable places in East Africa to look for the endangered black rhino.
Great herds of buffalo graze the valley floors and marshes — one of Africa’s most formidable animals, seen in numbers.
When to Go
The Big Five can be found year round — these are the seasons that make each sighting easier.
June – October
Vegetation thins and wildlife concentrates around water — the classic months for reliable game viewing across all three parks.
November – May
Rain-washed landscapes, fewer vehicles and young animals everywhere, with excellent birding between the game drives.
Recommended Journeys
Hand-crafted itineraries where Big Five Safaris takes centre stage — each one shaped around the wildlife, landscapes and rhythm of the season.
Three iconic northern parks — elephant-rich Tarangire, the wildlife-filled Ngorongoro Crater and the forested shores of Lake Manyara — on one seamless private three-day Tanzania safari.
Private safari · enquire for pricing
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A four-day private Tanzania safari linking baobab-dotted Tarangire, the legendary Serengeti plains and the wildlife-filled floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Private safari · enquire for pricing
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Five days on Tanzania’s northern circuit, with a full day in the Serengeti — migration country, big-cat country and some of the finest game viewing in Africa.
Private safari · enquire for pricing
View ItineraryGood to Know
The questions travellers ask us most often about Big Five Safaris.
— Wild & Nature Safaris
On a well-planned northern circuit itinerary the odds are excellent — especially with the crater’s rhino — though every sighting remains wild and never guaranteed.
The Ngorongoro Crater floor is one of the most reliable places in East Africa, thanks to its resident population and open grassland.
Four to six days across the northern circuit gives each park its own day and leaves enough time for the patience big cats demand.