5-Day vs 7-Day vs 10-Day Tanzania Safari: Which Length Is Right?

How Long Should Your Tanzania Safari Be?

"How long Tanzania safari should I book?" is the single most common question we receive from guests planning their first trip. The answer depends on your budget, the parks you want to visit, and how deeply you want to immerse yourself in the bush. We have designed hundreds of itineraries ranging from quick four-day escapes to expansive two-week journeys, and we can confidently say that the sweet spot for most travellers falls somewhere between five and ten days.

In this guide, we break down the three most popular safari lengths — 5 days, 7 days, and 10 days — with honest assessments of what each delivers, what you will miss, and what it costs. We have also included sample itineraries using our own camps across the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Arusha regions to give you a concrete starting point.

Safari Length Comparison at a Glance

Factor	5-Day Safari	7-Day Safari	10-Day Safari
Parks Covered	2 parks	3 parks	4–5 parks or regions
Game Drives	6–8 drives	10–12 drives	16–20 drives
Estimated Cost (mid-range)	$2,500–$4,000/person	$4,000–$6,500/person	$6,500–$10,000/person
Estimated Cost (luxury)	$4,500–$7,000/person	$7,000–$11,000/person	$11,000–$18,000/person
Travel Days Lost	1–1.5 days	1.5–2 days	2–2.5 days
Best For	Time-limited travellers	Most first-timers	Photography, deep immersion
Migration Viewing	Possible but limited	Good with proper timing	Excellent, can follow herds
Pace	Fast, some rushing	Comfortable	Relaxed and luxurious
Walking Safaris	Rarely included	1–2 walks possible	Multiple walks and activities
Ideal Season	Any season	Dry season (Jun–Oct)	Migration season (Jun–Mar)

The 5-Day Tanzania Safari

A five-day safari is the minimum length we recommend for a meaningful Tanzania experience. Anything shorter and you will spend more time travelling than watching wildlife. With five days, you can comfortably visit two parks — typically a combination of Ngorongoro Crater plus either Tarangire or the Serengeti. You will not have time for all three, so you need to choose.

The five-day option works best for travellers combining a safari with a Zanzibar beach holiday or those with strict time constraints. It is also a sensible choice for guests on a tighter budget who want quality over quantity — five days at excellent camps beats seven days at mediocre ones.

Sample 5-Day Itinerary

Day	Location	Activities	Accommodation
Day 1	Arusha → Tarangire	Afternoon game drive	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 2	Tarangire	Full-day game drive, walking safari	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 3	Tarangire → Ngorongoro	Morning drive, transfer, crater rim walk	The Castle at Ngorongoro
Day 4	Ngorongoro Crater	Full-day crater descent, game drive	The Castle at Ngorongoro
Day 5	Ngorongoro → Arusha	Morning Empakaai hike, transfer to Arusha	Departure or Acacia Retreat

This itinerary gives you Tarangire's elephants and baobabs alongside the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater — arguably the two most visually dramatic destinations in northern Tanzania. You miss the Serengeti, but what you see will be extraordinary.

The 7-Day Tanzania Safari

Seven days is the length we recommend most frequently, and for good reason. It hits the sweet spot between coverage and depth, allowing you to visit three major parks — Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and the Serengeti — without feeling rushed. You get enough game drives to see the Big Five, experience different ecosystems, and still have time for a bush walk or a sundowner session.

The seven-day safari is ideal for first-time visitors who want the classic northern circuit experience. It provides enough buffer for travel days between parks without eating into your wildlife viewing time. If you are asking how long Tanzania safari trips should be and this is your first visit, seven days is almost always the right answer.

Sample 7-Day Itinerary

Day	Location	Activities	Accommodation
Day 1	Arusha → Tarangire	Afternoon game drive	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 2	Tarangire	Full-day game drive, night drive	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 3	Tarangire → Ngorongoro	Morning drive, transfer, cultural visit	Naserian Safari Camp
Day 4	Ngorongoro Crater	Full crater descent and game drive	Naserian Safari Camp
Day 5	Ngorongoro → Serengeti	Game drive en route, afternoon drive	Enkirari Wilderness Camp
Day 6	Serengeti	Full-day game drive, bush lunch	Enkirari Wilderness Camp
Day 7	Serengeti → Arusha	Morning drive, bush flight to Arusha	Departure or Acacia Retreat

This seven-day circuit covers all three pillars of the northern Tanzania safari experience. You witness Tarangire's elephants, Ngorongoro's dense crater wildlife (including excellent chances for black rhino), and the Serengeti's vast plains teeming with predators and prey. It is comprehensive without being exhausting.

The 10-Day Tanzania Safari

Ten days transforms your safari from a holiday into an immersive wildlife expedition. With this length, you can explore four or even five distinct regions, add specialised activities like balloon safaris and walking safaris, and spend enough time in the Serengeti to genuinely understand its rhythms. This is the length we recommend for serious photographers, repeat visitors who want to go deeper, and anyone who wants to experience the migration at its most dramatic.

The extra days allow you to move at a pace that reveals details you would otherwise miss — a cheetah teaching her cubs to hunt, a leopard returning to a cached kill, or a river crossing where thousands of wildebeest pour down a muddy bank. These moments require patience, and patience requires time.

Sample 10-Day Itinerary

Day	Location	Activities	Accommodation
Day 1	Arrive Arusha	Rest, coffee plantation visit	Acacia Retreat
Day 2	Arusha → Tarangire	Full-day game drive	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 3	Tarangire	Morning drive, afternoon walking safari	Serian Tarangire Camp
Day 4	Tarangire → Ngorongoro	Transfer, Maasai village visit	The Castle at Ngorongoro
Day 5	Ngorongoro Crater	Full crater descent, picnic lunch	The Castle at Ngorongoro
Day 6	Ngorongoro → Serengeti	Game drive en route, Olduvai Gorge stop	Olkarien Gorge Camp
Day 7	Serengeti	Full-day game drive, bush lunch	Olkarien Gorge Camp
Day 8	Serengeti	Balloon safari at dawn, afternoon drive	Enkutoto Migration Camp
Day 9	Serengeti	Full-day migration tracking	Enkutoto Migration Camp
Day 10	Serengeti → Arusha	Morning game drive, bush flight home	Departure

This ten-day itinerary is the ultimate northern Tanzania experience. You spend enough time in each ecosystem to move beyond simple sightings and into genuine understanding — how the Tarangire elephants navigate their ancient migration corridors, why the Ngorongoro Crater functions as a natural amphitheatre for predators, and how the Serengeti's seasonal patterns dictate every creature's behaviour.

Understanding Safari Costs by Length

Safari pricing in Tanzania varies enormously depending on the season, the level of accommodation, and the parks you visit. Serengeti camps tend to be the most expensive because of the park's remote location and high demand. Tarangire and Ngorongoro properties typically cost less, offering better value without sacrificing quality.

As a rule, your daily cost decreases slightly on longer safaris because fixed expenses (flights, park fees, vehicle hire) are spread across more days. A five-day safari might average $700 to $900 per person per day at the mid-range level, while a ten-day trip might average $600 to $800 per person per day — same quality of camps, just better economy of scale.

Our camps range from the very accessible Acacia Retreat in Arusha at $140 to $220 per night, through mid-range options like Naserian Safari Camp at $230 to $380 per night, up to the eco-luxury experience at Olkarien Gorge Camp at $435 to $474 per night. Mixing camp tiers across your itinerary is a smart way to manage costs while still enjoying premium experiences where they matter most.

Key Factors to Help You Decide

Beyond the raw comparison, several personal factors should guide your decision:

• Budget: If your total budget is under $4,000 per person, a well-planned five-day safari at quality camps will deliver more value than a stretched seven-day trip at budget lodges.
• Physical stamina: Safari days start early (often 5:30 AM) and can be long. If you tire easily, longer trips with rest days built in are more enjoyable than shorter, packed itineraries.
• Photography goals: Serious photographers should budget a minimum of seven days, with ten being ideal. Great wildlife shots require patience, repeat visits, and varied lighting conditions.
• Combining with Zanzibar: If you plan to add beach days in Zanzibar, a five-day safari followed by four or five days on the coast is a popular and well-balanced combination.
• Migration priority: Witnessing the Great Migration properly requires at least three nights in the Serengeti, which effectively mandates a seven-day minimum safari length.

Our Honest Recommendation

If this is your first safari and you can afford it, book seven days. It covers the essential northern circuit, allows comfortable pacing, and leaves you feeling fulfilled rather than rushed or exhausted. If budget is tight, five days at excellent camps is far superior to seven days at mediocre ones — never sacrifice camp quality for extra days.

For returning guests, photographers, or those who want the migration experience at its best, ten days opens up a completely different level of safari. You shift from tourist to explorer, and the Serengeti rewards that transition generously.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start Planning Your Perfect Safari Length

Every traveller is different, and there is no universally correct answer to how long Tanzania safari trips should be. What matters is matching the length to your priorities, budget, and travel style. Our team specialises in crafting custom itineraries that make the most of every day — whether you have five days or fifteen.

Contact Acacia Collections today for a personalised itinerary and quote. We will help you choose the right length, the right parks, and the right camps for an unforgettable Tanzania safari.