NgorongoroSafari.com
Lions lying next to a safari vehicle on the Ngorongoro Crater floor

Ngorongoro Crater Tours & Safaris

Every sensible way to see the crater and the parks around it — compared, priced and bookable in a couple of taps.

There is no single “best” Ngorongoro safari — there is the right one for your time and budget. Below, the tours are grouped by exactly that: the crater in one day, two-day combinations with Tarangire, longer safaris that add the Serengeti, and short extras around Arusha.

Everything here is booked through GetYourGuide, which means live availability, free cancellation on most options and reserve-now-pay-later on many. Prices are indicative “from” starting points in euros per person and change with season, group size and exchange rates — tap any card for the live price in your own currency.

Read the inclusions. Safari prices in Tanzania vary mostly because of what is — or is not — included: conservation-area and park fees, the per-vehicle crater fee, accommodation standard and whether the vehicle is private or shared. A low starting price often assumes a full vehicle. GetYourGuide’s coverage of Ngorongoro is broad, but many listings are new and have few reviews; we say so where that is the case.

Pick by how much time you have

The crater in one day

Out before dawn, back after dark — or much easier if you already sleep in Karatu. Private and shared options.

Safari vehicles watching an elephant on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater Day trip from €258
🕒 1 day 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 5.0 (2)

Arusha: Ngorongoro Crater Day Trip with Game Drive

The crater in a single long day from Arusha: an early start, around three to four hours on the road each way, and a game drive on the crater floor with a picnic lunch. It is the simplest way to see Ngorongoro if you have no time for an overnight — expect to be back in Arusha in the evening.

  • Early pickup from your Arusha hotel
  • Game drive on the crater floor
  • Picnic lunch inside the crater
Check price & availability
Wildebeest and zebra grazing near the lake in the Ngorongoro Crater Day trip from €259
🕒 12 hours 📍 From Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu ⭐ 4.1 (10)

Ngorongoro Crater: Full-Day Safari Tour

A full-day crater safari with a choice of pickup points — Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu. Starting from Karatu or Mto wa Mbu cuts hours of driving off the day and gets you to the descent road much earlier, which is when the crater is at its best.

  • Pickup options in Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu
  • Full crater-floor game drive
  • Good fit if you already sleep near the gate
Check price & availability
A black rhino on the crater floor with flamingos on the lake behind Day trip from €330
🕒 11 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.6 (5)

Arusha: Ngorongoro Crater Full-Day Safari

Another well-reviewed full-day crater safari from Arusha, with hotel pickup, a game drive on the crater floor and lunch. Compare the inclusions carefully against the other day trips — especially whether the conservation-area entry and crater service fees are in the price.

  • Hotel pickup in Arusha
  • Crater-floor game drive with lunch
  • A chance of black rhino
Check price & availability
An old bull elephant on the Ngorongoro Crater floor Day trip from €102
🕒 1 day 📍 From Arusha / Moshi ⭐ 4.5 (5)

Ngorongoro Crater Day Trip – Full Game Drive

A crater day trip listed with one of the lowest starting prices in the category. Starting prices for crater trips often assume a full vehicle and may leave out park fees, so read exactly what is included before comparing it with the others.

  • A full game drive in the crater
  • One of the lowest listed starting prices
  • Read the inclusions before you book
Check price & availability

Two days: Tarangire and the crater

The sweet spot for a short trip — elephants and baobabs on day one, a night near the gate and an early crater descent on day two.

Elephants among acacia trees in Tarangire National Park Multi-day safari from €330
🕒 1–2 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 5.0 (4)

Arusha: 2-Day Tarangire & Ngorongoro Crater Big Five Safari

Two parks, one night. Day one is Tarangire National Park, famous for elephants and baobabs; you sleep in the Karatu area and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater early on day two. The overnight near the gate turns the crater from a rushed day trip into a relaxed morning game drive.

  • Tarangire’s elephants on day one
  • Overnight near Karatu, early crater descent
  • Often the best-value way to see the crater
Check price & availability

Three days or more: add the Serengeti

The full northern circuit, by tent or lodge, including calving-season and culture-focused itineraries.

A male lion walking across the green floor of the Ngorongoro Crater Multi-day safari from €802
🕒 3 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.8 (64)

Arusha: 3-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Big Five Safari

The classic short northern-circuit safari and the most-reviewed Ngorongoro product on GetYourGuide. You drive from Arusha across the conservation area to the Serengeti, spend the night out on the plains, and finish with a morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Arusha. Three days is tight for the distances involved, but it does deliver both headline parks.

  • Two days in the Serengeti, one in the crater
  • Game drives in a pop-up-roof 4x4
  • The most-reviewed Ngorongoro safari on GetYourGuide
Check price & availability
Wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti during the Great Migration Multi-day safari from €535
🕒 2–4 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.8 (6)

Arusha: 4-Day Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

A flexible northern-circuit loop that can run from two to four days: Tarangire first, then the Serengeti, then the Ngorongoro Crater on the way back to Arusha. The four-day version gives the Serengeti the time it needs and is a sensible minimum for a first safari.

  • Three parks in one loop
  • Flexible length from two to four days
  • Well reviewed for its price
Check price & availability
A safari vehicle and tents at a campsite in the Serengeti Camping safari from €846
🕒 4 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.4 (51)

Arusha: Serengeti and Ngorongoro Multi-Day Camping Safari

A budget camping safari from Arusha that covers the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, with tents, a cook and a driver-guide. Camping keeps the price down and puts you inside the parks at night — bring warm layers, because the public campsite on the crater rim sits at about 2,300 metres and is cold.

  • Budget camping with a safari cook
  • Serengeti game drives and a crater descent
  • Dozens of traveller reviews
Check price & availability
A lioness lying on a granite kopje Multi-day safari from €1015
🕒 5 days 📍 From Arusha

Tanzania: 5-Day Safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Manyara

Five days around the parks closest to Arusha — Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater — without the long haul to the Serengeti. Shorter drives mean more time watching animals. This is a newer listing with few or no reviews yet, so read the itinerary closely.

  • Three parks at an unhurried pace
  • Shorter drives than a Serengeti loop
  • New listing — few reviews yet
Check price & availability
A cheetah in green grass near Ndutu Multi-day safari from €2228
🕒 4–5 days 📍 From Arusha

Arusha: 4-Day Ndutu Migration Safari and Ngorongoro Crater

A safari aimed at the wildebeest calving season on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, roughly December to March, combined with a Ngorongoro Crater descent. Outside those months the herds are elsewhere, so this itinerary only makes sense in season. A newer listing without many reviews yet.

  • Timed for the calving season at Ndutu
  • Ngorongoro Crater game drive
  • New listing — few reviews yet
Check price & availability

Day trips and extras around Arusha

Other parks in a day, a Maasai village visit, a balloon flight and the airport transfer.

A large baobab tree in Tarangire National Park Day trip from €281
🕒 13 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.7 (14)

Arusha: Tarangire National Park Day Safari

A day safari to Tarangire, the closest of the big northern parks to Arusha. In the dry season elephants gather along the Tarangire River in large numbers, and the baobab-dotted landscape looks nothing like the crater. A good first or last day around a Ngorongoro trip.

  • Elephant herds along the Tarangire River
  • Giant baobabs
  • Roughly two to two and a half hours from Arusha
Check price & availability
Mount Meru seen from the forest near Arusha Day trip from €174
🕒 8 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.7 (37)

Arusha National Park Full-Day Safari

A relaxed day in Arusha National Park at the foot of Mount Meru — giraffes, black-and-white colobus monkeys, buffalo and the Momella Lakes, less than an hour from town. It is the easy option for an arrival or departure day when the crater is too far.

  • Under an hour from town
  • Giraffe, colobus monkeys and the Momella Lakes
  • Well reviewed
Check price & availability
A traditional Maasai boma in the Ngorongoro highlands Cultural tour from €98
🕒 6–8.5 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.9 (35)

Arusha: Maasai Village Tour

A full-day cultural visit to a Maasai community outside Arusha, with time to learn how a boma is organised, how livestock shape daily life and how traditions are changing. It is a slower and usually more personal alternative to the brief roadside boma stops on the way to the crater.

  • A day with a Maasai community
  • Learn about herding, homes and customs
  • Highly rated by travellers
Check price & availability
Hot-air balloons over the Serengeti plains at dawn Balloon flight from €534
🕒 5 hours 📍 From Serengeti lodges and camps ⭐ 4.2 (14)

Serengeti National Park: Balloon Safari at Dawn

A dawn hot-air balloon flight over the Serengeti followed by a bush breakfast. It starts inside the park before sunrise, so it only works if you are already sleeping in the Serengeti — treat it as an add-on to a multi-day safari, not a stand-alone trip.

  • Dawn flight over the Serengeti
  • Bush breakfast after landing
  • Add-on for travellers already in the park
Check price & availability
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The full list

Every Ngorongoro tour we recommend

Twenty-three experiences across the crater, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Arusha, from an airport transfer to a week-long lodge safari.

A male lion walking across the green floor of the Ngorongoro Crater Multi-day safari from €802
🕒 3 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.8 (64)

Arusha: 3-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Big Five Safari

The classic short northern-circuit safari and the most-reviewed Ngorongoro product on GetYourGuide. You drive from Arusha across the conservation area to the Serengeti, spend the night out on the plains, and finish with a morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Arusha. Three days is tight for the distances involved, but it does deliver both headline parks.

  • Two days in the Serengeti, one in the crater
  • Game drives in a pop-up-roof 4x4
  • The most-reviewed Ngorongoro safari on GetYourGuide
Check price & availability
Safari vehicles watching an elephant on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater Day trip from €258
🕒 1 day 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 5.0 (2)

Arusha: Ngorongoro Crater Day Trip with Game Drive

The crater in a single long day from Arusha: an early start, around three to four hours on the road each way, and a game drive on the crater floor with a picnic lunch. It is the simplest way to see Ngorongoro if you have no time for an overnight — expect to be back in Arusha in the evening.

  • Early pickup from your Arusha hotel
  • Game drive on the crater floor
  • Picnic lunch inside the crater
Check price & availability
Elephants among acacia trees in Tarangire National Park Multi-day safari from €330
🕒 1–2 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 5.0 (4)

Arusha: 2-Day Tarangire & Ngorongoro Crater Big Five Safari

Two parks, one night. Day one is Tarangire National Park, famous for elephants and baobabs; you sleep in the Karatu area and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater early on day two. The overnight near the gate turns the crater from a rushed day trip into a relaxed morning game drive.

  • Tarangire’s elephants on day one
  • Overnight near Karatu, early crater descent
  • Often the best-value way to see the crater
Check price & availability
A safari vehicle and tents at a campsite in the Serengeti Camping safari from €846
🕒 4 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.4 (51)

Arusha: Serengeti and Ngorongoro Multi-Day Camping Safari

A budget camping safari from Arusha that covers the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, with tents, a cook and a driver-guide. Camping keeps the price down and puts you inside the parks at night — bring warm layers, because the public campsite on the crater rim sits at about 2,300 metres and is cold.

  • Budget camping with a safari cook
  • Serengeti game drives and a crater descent
  • Dozens of traveller reviews
Check price & availability
Wildebeest and zebra grazing near the lake in the Ngorongoro Crater Day trip from €259
🕒 12 hours 📍 From Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu ⭐ 4.1 (10)

Ngorongoro Crater: Full-Day Safari Tour

A full-day crater safari with a choice of pickup points — Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu. Starting from Karatu or Mto wa Mbu cuts hours of driving off the day and gets you to the descent road much earlier, which is when the crater is at its best.

  • Pickup options in Arusha, Mto wa Mbu or Karatu
  • Full crater-floor game drive
  • Good fit if you already sleep near the gate
Check price & availability
Wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti during the Great Migration Multi-day safari from €535
🕒 2–4 days 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.8 (6)

Arusha: 4-Day Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Safari

A flexible northern-circuit loop that can run from two to four days: Tarangire first, then the Serengeti, then the Ngorongoro Crater on the way back to Arusha. The four-day version gives the Serengeti the time it needs and is a sensible minimum for a first safari.

  • Three parks in one loop
  • Flexible length from two to four days
  • Well reviewed for its price
Check price & availability
A black rhino on the crater floor with flamingos on the lake behind Day trip from €330
🕒 11 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.6 (5)

Arusha: Ngorongoro Crater Full-Day Safari

Another well-reviewed full-day crater safari from Arusha, with hotel pickup, a game drive on the crater floor and lunch. Compare the inclusions carefully against the other day trips — especially whether the conservation-area entry and crater service fees are in the price.

  • Hotel pickup in Arusha
  • Crater-floor game drive with lunch
  • A chance of black rhino
Check price & availability
A large baobab tree in Tarangire National Park Day trip from €281
🕒 13 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.7 (14)

Arusha: Tarangire National Park Day Safari

A day safari to Tarangire, the closest of the big northern parks to Arusha. In the dry season elephants gather along the Tarangire River in large numbers, and the baobab-dotted landscape looks nothing like the crater. A good first or last day around a Ngorongoro trip.

  • Elephant herds along the Tarangire River
  • Giant baobabs
  • Roughly two to two and a half hours from Arusha
Check price & availability
A traditional Maasai boma in the Ngorongoro highlands Cultural tour from €98
🕒 6–8.5 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.9 (35)

Arusha: Maasai Village Tour

A full-day cultural visit to a Maasai community outside Arusha, with time to learn how a boma is organised, how livestock shape daily life and how traditions are changing. It is a slower and usually more personal alternative to the brief roadside boma stops on the way to the crater.

  • A day with a Maasai community
  • Learn about herding, homes and customs
  • Highly rated by travellers
Check price & availability
An old bull elephant on the Ngorongoro Crater floor Day trip from €102
🕒 1 day 📍 From Arusha / Moshi ⭐ 4.5 (5)

Ngorongoro Crater Day Trip – Full Game Drive

A crater day trip listed with one of the lowest starting prices in the category. Starting prices for crater trips often assume a full vehicle and may leave out park fees, so read exactly what is included before comparing it with the others.

  • A full game drive in the crater
  • One of the lowest listed starting prices
  • Read the inclusions before you book
Check price & availability
A lioness lying on a granite kopje Multi-day safari from €1015
🕒 5 days 📍 From Arusha

Tanzania: 5-Day Safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Manyara

Five days around the parks closest to Arusha — Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater — without the long haul to the Serengeti. Shorter drives mean more time watching animals. This is a newer listing with few or no reviews yet, so read the itinerary closely.

  • Three parks at an unhurried pace
  • Shorter drives than a Serengeti loop
  • New listing — few reviews yet
Check price & availability
Mount Meru seen from the forest near Arusha Day trip from €174
🕒 8 hours 📍 From Arusha ⭐ 4.7 (37)

Arusha National Park Full-Day Safari

A relaxed day in Arusha National Park at the foot of Mount Meru — giraffes, black-and-white colobus monkeys, buffalo and the Momella Lakes, less than an hour from town. It is the easy option for an arrival or departure day when the crater is too far.

  • Under an hour from town
  • Giraffe, colobus monkeys and the Momella Lakes
  • Well reviewed
Check price & availability
Hot-air balloons over the Serengeti plains at dawn Balloon flight from €534
🕒 5 hours 📍 From Serengeti lodges and camps ⭐ 4.2 (14)

Serengeti National Park: Balloon Safari at Dawn

A dawn hot-air balloon flight over the Serengeti followed by a bush breakfast. It starts inside the park before sunrise, so it only works if you are already sleeping in the Serengeti — treat it as an add-on to a multi-day safari, not a stand-alone trip.

  • Dawn flight over the Serengeti
  • Bush breakfast after landing
  • Add-on for travellers already in the park
Check price & availability
A cheetah in green grass near Ndutu Multi-day safari from €2228
🕒 4–5 days 📍 From Arusha

Arusha: 4-Day Ndutu Migration Safari and Ngorongoro Crater

A safari aimed at the wildebeest calving season on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, roughly December to March, combined with a Ngorongoro Crater descent. Outside those months the herds are elsewhere, so this itinerary only makes sense in season. A newer listing without many reviews yet.

  • Timed for the calving season at Ndutu
  • Ngorongoro Crater game drive
  • New listing — few reviews yet
Check price & availability
Plan your safari

Make the Ngorongoro Crater the heart of your Tanzania safari

Drop 600 metres to the crater floor at dawn, look for black rhino and lions among the zebra, and picnic by the hippo pool. Compare day trips from Arusha, two-day Tarangire combinations and full Serengeti safaris — and book in a couple of taps.

Browse Ngorongoro safaris Compare all tours
Good to know

Booking a Ngorongoro safari: FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Are park fees included in the tour price?

Usually, but not always. Check each listing for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area entry fee, the crater service fee and any national-park fees. If they are excluded, the real cost can be much higher than the headline price.

Private or shared safari?

Shared (“joining”) safaris split the vehicle and crater fee between up to six or seven people and are much cheaper for solo travellers and couples. Private safaris cost more but let you set the pace and the departure time.

How far ahead should I book?

For July, August and the Christmas–February period, book weeks or months ahead, particularly if you want specific lodges. At other times a few days is often enough for day trips.

Can I cancel?

Most GetYourGuide listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, but multi-day safaris sometimes have stricter terms. The policy is shown on each product page.

What kind of vehicle is used?

Almost always a 4x4 Land Cruiser or similar with a pop-up roof for standing game viewing. On shared tours, ask whether a window seat is guaranteed.

Is a crater day trip from Arusha too rushed?

It is a long day, with six to eight hours on the road, but the game drive itself is not shortened much. If you can spare a night, the two-day trips are the better experience.