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4-Day Ngorongoro Crater Safari Tours
Everyone should visit Ngorongoro Crater at least once in their lifetime. This is the quintessential safari destination, with a combination of drama-filled landscapes brought to life by big populations of wildlife that you only find here in Africa. Ngorongoro also hosts some of northern Tanzania’s best accommodation choices. And it’s close to numerous other attractions which can be combined with a visit to Ngorongoro on a 4-day safari. These range from the well known – Serengeti, Lake Manyara or the historically significant Olduvai (Oldupai) Gorge and Museum – to the less famous – Lake Eyasi or the Crater Highlands.
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Best Seller
4-Day Unforgettable Tanzania Private Mid-Range Safari
$1,200 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range LodgeYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Go Serengeti African Tours
4.9/5 – 252 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Mid-Range Lodge Group Tour
$1,375 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)
Mid-range Lodge & Tented Bush CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Suricata Safaris
5.0/5 – 2,585 Reviews
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4-Day Explore Northern Circuits National Parks Fly-in
$1,592 to $1,602 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Zanzibar (Start), Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Central Serengeti NP, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Ndutu Green Explorers
5.0/5 – 15 Reviews
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4-Day Best Classic Mid-Range Tour
$1,502 to $1,526 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Serengeti Green Tanzania
5.0/5 – 84 Reviews
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Best Seller
4-Day Touch of Wilderness - Mid-Range
$1,710 to $2,130 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Unlimited Expeditions: The Soul of Tanzania
4.9/5 – 490 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Arusha NP, Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara Safari
$1,422 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range LodgeYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Arusha NP, Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Serengeti Smile
5.0/5 – 479 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Luxury Safari All Inclusive Northern Circuit
$1,573 to $1,793 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
African Big Cats Safaris
5.0/5 – 456 Reviews
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4-Day Private Luxury Safari with Free Internet
$2,368 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Mountain Warriors Tours and Safaris
5.0/5 – 153 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Serengeti & Ngorongoro Private Camping Safari
$1,100 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Serengeti Wakanda Tours and Safaris
5.0/5 – 573 Reviews
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4-Day Tanzania Highlights Safari
$1,676 to $1,760 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Arusha (End)
Uzuri Safaris
5.0/5 – 13 Reviews
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4-Day Best Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Trip
$1,459 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Allen Tanzania Safaris
5.0/5 – 21 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Explore Tarangire, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro
$1,368 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Maasai Village (Cultural Village), Arusha (End)
Paradise & Wilderness
4.8/5 – 215 Reviews
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4-Day Camping to Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
$1,569 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Lekobe Adventures Safaris
5.0/5 – 37 Reviews
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4-Day Luxury Tour, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro
$2,017 to $2,023 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Full Package Adventures
5.0/5 – 169 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Join Group Serengeti & Ngorongoro
$715 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping & Hotel
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris
5.0/5 – 414 Reviews
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4-Day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari
$1,760 to $1,815 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Tented Camp & Tented Bush CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Central Serengeti NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
See Endless Adventures Tanzania
5.0/5 – 46 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Ndutu and Serengeti Safari (Camping)
$1,870 to $1,925 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Ndutu (Southern Serengeti NP), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Benson Safaris Tanzania
4.8/5 – 233 Reviews
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4-Day Amazing Safari to Tarangire, Serengeti and Crater
$902 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Kili Slope Tours and Safaris
4.7/5 – 126 Reviews
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4-Day Top Excitement of Ndutu Great Migration
$1,190 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Tented Camp & HotelYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Lake Manyara NP, Ndutu (Southern Serengeti NP), Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
Top Selected Tours
5.0/5 – 63 Reviews
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4-Day Luxury Safari Fly in/out Zanzibar
$3,751 pp (USD)
Tanzania & Eswatini: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Zanzibar (Start), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar (End)
Tanzania Classic Tours
5.0/5 – 5 Reviews
5 Questions About 4-Day Ngorongoro Crater Safaris
Answered by
Anthony Ham
Anthony is a writer and author of nearly 150 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Kenya, Tanzania and East Africa. He writes about safaris, Ngorongoro and the wider region for magazines and newspapers around the world. He is also the author of The Last Lions of Africa.› More about Anthony
5 Questions About 4-Day Ngorongoro Crater Safaris
Which parks can I visit on a 4-day Ngorongoro Crater safari?
“With 4 days to explore the region, make sure you dedicate one of these days to a full day exploring Ngorongoro Crater. A little extra time around Ngorongoro could also pay huge dividends, if you allow space in your itinerary for a visit to a Maasai village, a hike through the forests around the crater rim, or an excursion further into the Crater Highlands (to little-known Olmoti Crater, for example). With all or most of these as part of your tour, you may have time to include one other park. The two most obvious choices are the Serengeti (which is vast and deserves a lot more time) or Lake Manyara. If you do go to the Serengeti, consider flying from Ngorongoro, both for the views and to maximize your limited time in the Serengeti. Famous for its elephants and its tree-climbing lions, Lake Manyara is a compact park well-suited as an add-on to your visit to Ngorongoro.”
1Which animals am I likely to see?
“Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best wildlife experiences you can have. The crater floor has prides of lions, clans of hyenas, herds of elephants and flocks of flamingos. Perhaps the biggest drawcard is the population of black rhinos: Ngorongoro is the easiest place in northern Tanzania to see these prehistoric creatures. They’re present elsewhere, including in the Serengeti, but they can be very hard to see there. And, of course, you can expect to see so much more while you’re here, including hippo, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, cheetah and crocodile. Watch also for golden jackal and the occasional leopard. There’s also wildlife in the forests up on the crater rim, although they’re much more difficult to see. Highlights might include elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard and a range of antelope species.”
2Which activities are available on a safari including the Ngorongoro Crater?
“Everyone who visits Ngorongoro goes on a guided game drive. Even if you’re on a self-drive safari, you’re required to take a guide with you down into the crater for the duration of your visit. A game drive usually begins around dawn, with a descent into the crater, where you’ll spend the best part of the day driving around, looking for animals and enjoying the view. Officially, each vehicle may only spend six hours down in the crater. Although this rule is rarely enforced, you’ll be back up on the crater rim by mid- to late afternoon. Other worthwhile activities include hiking in the forests around the crater rim, or elsewhere in the Crater Highlands, and a visit to a Maasai village (of which there are a handful up on or near the crater rim).”
3How can I avoid the crowds when visiting the Ngorongoro Crater?
“Ngorongoro is busy year-round and it can be difficult to avoid the crowds. That said, the crater floor is large enough that it doesn’t always feel crowded, even during peak tourist seasons. The limited number of campsites, lodges and tented camps in the Ngorongoro area (when compared to other northern Tanzanian destinations) also keeps something of a lid on visitor numbers. Even so, there will be times when you’re down in the crater (at the popular lunch picnic spot of Ngoitoktok Springs, for example) where you’ll long for a little more serenity. High season runs from July to March, and the crater is busy for most of that time. Outside of these months, there’s a risk of rain in April and May; many Ngorongoro tracks become quagmires after rains. One of the best options is to visit in late May (and hope for fine weather) or June, when visitor numbers should be a little lower.”
4How much does a 4-day Ngorongoro Crater safari cost?
“A 4-day Ngorongoro safari will usually cost at least US$150 per person per day for the cheapest budget camping safari (where you may need to help out with camp chores). At the other end of the scale, you could pay US$500 per person per day or even significantly more than that. Prices obviously increase if you factor in an air transfer to and from Ngorongoro. You also need to include a daily fee of US$50/10 per adult/child for every day you spend within the boundaries of the Ngorongoro Conservation Authority. Accommodation is a major cost variable, and so is the kind of safari you choose. If you go for a private safari, you’ll pay a lot more than you will if you decide on a group safari. On a private safari, the guide, driver and vehicle will be yours and yours alone to enjoy and pay for. On a group safari, these costs and experiences are shared. High-season prices can also push the overall cost higher, although the difference between low- and high-season prices is relatively small at Ngorongoro when compared with other northern Tanzanian destinations.”
5Ngorongoro Crater Reviews
Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.
Wildlife-filled Crater & Magnificent Vistas
Ngorongoro Crater is expensive, but the scenery, and the density and variety of the wildlife, are unparalleled. With its quintessential East African vistas awash with wildlife, and surrounding landscapes graced by the local Maasai, it is...
Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.
The Safari of a Lifetime
Sure there will be plenty of other tourists and vehicles bumping and bouncing around inside the crater with you, but there is good reason for this: Ngorongoro is an incredible wildlife area. If you are allergic to crowds and the thought of...
The Ngorongoro Crater felt like stepping into another world. The stunning scenery, combined with the high density of wildlife within the crater, made this stop truly special. We loved spotting rhinos, a rare sight on safari, as well as...
Its an amazing place. 600m down on the crater floor it is so rich with animals its unbelievable. On 17 x 19km all animals live together and have there own system. Its magical seeing it. But because it is small that means also its easier to...
Probably the most unique, natural beauty, compact size and high density of animals. Feels a bit crowded due to its relatively smaller size and popularity. Lots of animals, hyenas, lions, buffalos, hypos, zebras, wildebeests, antelopes,...
From the rim of the crater it is hard to understand just how vast this are is. One may spot a few dots that may be animals but it can look pretty empty. Then, once down into the crater one sees that it is teeming with life. Wildebeest and...