Walking Safari in Ngorongoro Highlands & Serengeti
This 11-day expedition is Tanzania's most complete adventure — combining a 6-day walking safari through the Ngorongoro Highlands with thrilling game drives across the Serengeti plains. You travel on foot through volcanic craters, Maasai villages, and flamingo-filled lakes before trading your hiking boots for a safari vehicle in Africa's most famous national park.
The walking safari begins after a full-day game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater, where you descend into the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera to search for the Big Five among over 25,000 resident animals. From there, the journey goes on foot — a rare way to experience Tanzania that puts you at eye level with the landscape rather than viewing it through a vehicle window.
Over 6 trekking days, you hike 10-15 kilometres daily through the Ngorongoro Highlands at elevations between 2,000 and 3,200 metres. The route crosses terrain that most Tanzania visitors never see: the montane rainforest and waterfall inside Olmoti Crater, the flamingo-filled soda lake at Empakaai Crater, open grasslands dotted with Maasai settlements, and acacia woodlands alive with birdlife. A dedicated trek team — porters, chef, and armed ranger — walks with you, setting up camp and preparing hot meals at each stop.
The cultural dimension sets this trek apart from any mountain climb. You walk through active Maasai grazing lands, visit traditional bomas, and share trails with Maasai herders moving cattle along routes their families have used for generations. Your Maasai guide shares knowledge of medicinal plants, animal tracks, and the volcanic geology that shaped these highlands — context that transforms the walking safari from a hike into an education.
The trekking portion ends with a dramatic descent from the highlands to the shores of Lake Natron — one of East Africa's most surreal landscapes. The alkaline lake hosts up to 2.5 million breeding flamingos, and the imposing silhouette of Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania's only active volcano, dominates the skyline. You spend two nights at a luxury tented camp here before driving to the Serengeti.
The final three days are dedicated to game drives in the Serengeti, entering through the remote Klein's Gate and covering both the Lobo area in the northern Serengeti and the wildlife-rich Central Serengeti around the Seronera Valley. Lion, leopard, elephant, cheetah, buffalo, and enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra are all realistic sightings across these three days.
This safari is all-inclusive from Arusha: accommodation, all meals, park fees, ranger fees, trekking equipment, porter team, experienced guide, and 4x4 safari vehicle. Prices start from $950 per person for groups.
