3 Days Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari During Afcon 2027

Morning Pickup and Departure from Arusha

Your safari begins early in the morning when our professional guide collects you from your hotel or another agreed location in Arusha. After a short introduction to the itinerary, you will begin the journey in a comfortable safari vehicle. This three-day programme is designed for AFCON 2027 visitors who want to experience Tanzania’s iconic wildlife destinations during a break between football matches.

Journey through the Ngorongoro Highlands

You will travel through the Great Rift Valley, pass the lively town of Karatu and continue into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The road climbs through forested highlands before descending toward the open plains leading to the Serengeti. Along the way, you may see Maasai communities, cattle herds and expansive landscapes. You will stop at a suitable location for lunch before continuing toward Naabi Hill Gate.

Arrival and Central Serengeti Game Drive

After entering Serengeti National Park, you will begin your first game drive while travelling toward the Seronera region. Our guide will search the grasslands, acacia woodlands and rocky kopjes for lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest and gazelles. Depending on the location of the animals, you may also encounter cheetahs on the open plains or leopards resting in trees near river valleys.

Sunset Wildlife Viewing and Lodge Transfer

During the late afternoon, you will continue exploring Central Serengeti as the temperature becomes cooler and wildlife activity increases. The golden evening light provides excellent photography conditions, particularly around the plains and granite kopjes. Our guide will then take you to your selected lodge or tented camp in the Serengeti, where you will spend your first night surrounded by the sounds of the African wilderness.

Early-Morning Serengeti Safari

After breakfast, you will begin an early game drive through Central Serengeti. The morning hours provide rewarding wildlife viewing because predators and herbivores are often active before the temperature rises. Our guide may search for lions returning from a nighttime hunt, leopards resting in riverine trees and cheetahs surveying the grasslands. You may also see elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos and large groups of plains animals.

Seronera River and Kopjes Exploration

You will explore habitats surrounding the Seronera River, open plains and rocky kopjes. Permanent water sources make Central Serengeti an important year-round wildlife area. Lions often use the kopjes as resting and observation points, while leopards may be concealed among acacia branches. Our guide will explain the animals’ behaviour, identify different species and position the vehicle responsibly for photography.

Lunch and Final Serengeti Game Drive

Around midday, you will stop at a designated picnic location to enjoy lunch. Afterward, you will continue with another game drive while gradually travelling toward the southern side of the park. This provides a final opportunity to search for animals you may not have encountered earlier. Wildlife sightings remain natural and cannot be guaranteed, but our guide will use experience and current information to select rewarding routes.

Drive toward Ngorongoro for the Second Overnight Stay

Later in the afternoon, you will leave Serengeti National Park through Naabi Hill Gate and travel across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The journey offers beautiful views of open plains, distant highlands and traditional Maasai landscapes. You will proceed to your selected lodge or tented camp near Ngorongoro or in Karatu, positioning you conveniently for the following morning’s crater safari.

Breakfast and Descent into Ngorongoro Crater

You will have an early breakfast before travelling to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. After the entrance procedures, our guide will stop at a viewpoint where you can admire and photograph the enormous volcanic caldera. You will then descend approximately 600 metres to the crater floor, where a remarkable concentration of animals lives within grasslands, forests, wetlands and freshwater habitats.

Morning Big Five Search

Your game drive will continue across the open plains in search of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, buffaloes, warthogs, spotted hyenas and golden jackals. Our guide will search carefully for lions and the endangered black rhinoceros, while elephants may be found around the forested areas. Leopards inhabit the wider conservation area but are difficult to encounter because of their secretive behaviour and preference for covered habitats.

Hippo Pool Lunch and Afternoon Game Drive

Around midday, you will stop at a designated picnic site, commonly located near a freshwater pool inhabited by hippos. After lunch, you will continue exploring areas such as Lerai Forest, the crater grasslands and the seasonal lake. You may see elephants moving through the forest, lions resting near herbivore herds and numerous waterbirds around the wetlands. Flamingos may also be present when lake conditions are favourable.

Crater Ascent and Return to Arusha

In the afternoon, you will complete the final game-viewing circuit and ascend the crater wall. You will then begin the return journey through the Ngorongoro Highlands, Karatu, Mto wa Mbu and the Great Rift Valley landscape. Our guide will drop you off at your hotel or another agreed location in Arusha in the evening, completing your three-day Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari during AFCON 2027.