Tanzania Road trip Itinerary 11 Days – Self Drive Tours in Tanzania
Planning a Tanzania Self Drive itinerary is quite demanding and it requires a local expertise information which Self Drive East Africa offers to its clients to explore Southern Tanzania and Northern Tanzania for classic memorial experience on their own. 11 Days Tanzania Self Drive itinerary is unique and classic working as the alternative for Tanzania Road trip Itinerary 7 Days which is speedy than the former Self Drive tour to explore Tarangire National Park, lake Natron, Lake Eyasi, Serengeti National Park & Mount Kilimanjaro National Park to feel hiking Kilimanjaro.
We do recommend this 11 days Self Drive Tanzania’s northern Circuit as the best suitable for holiday makers wishing to explore the top national parks of Tanzania in rented Safari landcruiser with roof top tents to enjoy wild Camping .
Note!Learn about the comparison of Northern Tanzania Circuit itinerary to Southern Tanzania Self Drive Circuit when your traveling with Self Drive East Africa
Trip Summary : 11 Days Northern Tanzania Circuit – Self Drive in Tanzania
Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Day 2: Game Drive in Tarangire National Park
Day 3: Transfer from Tarangire to Lake Eyasi
Day 4: Tribal Visits around Lake Eyasi
Day 5:Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater
Day 6: Visit the Ngorongoro Crater and proceed to Serengeti
Day 7: Game drive in Serengeti National Park
Day 8: Serengeti to Lake Natron
Day 9: Lake Natron to Kilimanjaro Mountains National Park
Day 10: Water Fall hikes and Feel Kilimanjaro
Day 11: Return to Arusha.
Note : Tanzania Northern Road Trip itinerary are best recommended to couples and families traveling to explore Wildlife Watching , Mwanza lake shores to Rubondo Island National Park in Lake Victoria and Masai Mara National Reserve in classic Landcruiser LX known for African off road Self drive journeys in East Africa.
Detailed 11 Days Tanzania Self Drive Itinerary – Northern Tanzania Adventure
This 11 Days Tanzania Road trip is purely Northern Circuit exploring Tanzania National Parks of Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National park, Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron & Mount Kilimanjaro National Park for hikes and nature walk on purely comprehensive Self Drive Tanzania itinerary with Self Drive East Africa.
Self Drive East Africa operator self drive itinerary in Kenya, Tanzania , Uganda and Rwanda for independent holiday makers wishing to explore the wilderness of African National Park . Tanzania parks are all safe for Self drive adventures considering either Southern nor Northern Tanzania that are the epic center for Tanzania tourism without missing the visit to the wildebeest Migration in Tanzania in reliable 4×4 Car Rental jeep. As the roads are only rough in Serengeti & Ngorongoro crater.
Considering all the East Africa Destinations, Tanzania & Kenya is the most luxury wildlife destination than the case for Uganda Self drive Itinerary,
Day 1: Arusha town to Tarangire National Park- Distance is 100Kms
You will start the day by Picking up the rental jeep that you have reserved with Self Drive East Africa Team and do some shopping for the Grocery before you start to drive to Tarangire national Park for the shortest Park close to Arusha after the two that are close ( Arusha National Park , Mount Kilimanjaro National Park.
Tarangire National Park is among the favorite National Park in Northern Tanzania when it comes to wildlife watching as its has the best Boabab Scenery, Big herds of Elephant. You will arrive at the camp site in the evening hours .
Campsite: Tarangire Tortilis Camp and Ang’ata Tarangire Camp.
Day 2: Game Drive in Tarangire National Park
Recommended Time of entry is 10-11am as to save on park entrance. You will enter the park to start on the game drive considering to see the lions, elephants, and stunning Boabab scenery, you will have lunch within the park and later head for the evening game drive. Dinner and overnight at the camp inside the park.
Recommended Mbali Mbali Tarangire River Camp
Day 3: Transfer from Tarangire National Park to Lake Eyasi
Drive: 135 km, 2.5 hours
Morning Game drive and drive to exit the park before expiry of park entrance fees and head to Lake Eyasi where you will visit the tribes around the lake. You will arrive in the later afternoon , relax at the camp and enjoy the place
Recommended Camp: Lake Eyasi Village
Day 4: Tribal Visits Transfer to Ngorongoro Area
Before you head to Ngorongoro area, you’ll wake at around 5:30 AM to meet your guide and join the Hadza for a hunt. This is included in your community entrance fee. Be warned, it’s a hot, fast-paced hike that can exceed 7 miles and you’ll likely witness some serious carnage on cute animals. For our hunt, it was a family of bush babies. But this is how the Hadza subsist. Their entire diet is hunted and foraged. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I feel that it’s an important piece of Tanzanian culture to witness. A look at how all our ancestors lived.
After that, you’ll head to the Datoga village and learn about their way of life before hitting the road back toward the Ngorongoro Crater conservation area.
Accommodations : Sunset Safari Camp
Day 5: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater
Recommended Ideally, to enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area at 4 PM since the park entrance is valid for 24 hours (after entry) to exit Ngorongoro into the Serengeti National Park. And unfortunately, the drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area takes about 2 hours from the crater itself. So, in order to take full advantage of your Crater entrance fees, this is the only way that makes sense.
So, in short, your plan of action on this day is to enter the conservation area late in the evening so you can head to a campsite at the crater rim and prepare for an early morning safari into the crater. Pop into the crater viewpoint on your way for a nice view!
Where to Camp: Public Campsite Simba
This is one of the busiest campsites you’ll stay at in Tanzania. But you’ll be up before all of them and headed to the Ngorongoro Crater descent road well before dawn.
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater + Serengeti (Seronera)
At 5:30 AM you should be packed up and driving along the rim toward the descent road (different from the ascent road) so be sure to check on Maps.me. The road down to the crater opens at first light, which is usually around 6 AM, and you’ll want to be there then.
For the next 6-8 hours, you can drive circles all over the crater in search of wildebeest, lions, servals, rhinos, elephants, hyenas, and more.
Then, by 2 PM at the latest, be exiting the crater. It will take you 2 hours from the crater ascent road to reach the exit gate for Ngorongoro (which is also the entrance gate for Serengeti), and you only have until 4 PM, or you’ll be charged a full extra day. Timing is everything in Tanzania parks.
Once you purchase your Serengeti tickets (2 days & 2 campsites) at the gate you can enter the park and drive a small loop for an evening game drive before the sun sets.
All four public camps in this region of Serengeti are the same regarding crowds and amenities. Again, you’ll probably be arriving around dark and leaving before sun up, so it doesn’t matter too much which you choose.
Note: The Road Condition is a bit rough than southern Tanzania and you need to be prepared for the rough drive to central Seronera in Serengeti.
Day 7: Serengeti (Lobo)
Welcome to the favorite park of Tanzania Road Trip itinerary and favorite campsite on this 11 Days Tanzania Self Drive Tour. Today, you’ll wake before dawn and explore the vast expanse of the Serengeti.
At around 2-3 PM, you’ll want to start making your way to Lobo Public Campsite. It will be wildlife watching the whole 2-hour drive as you enter leopard territory and herds of wildebeest. Lobo is remote and incredibly beautiful. It’s easily my favorite place we camped in all of East Africa.
Where to Camp: Lobo Rest Camp
Day 8: Transfer from Serengeti National Park to Lake Natron
Since your park tickets remain valid in the Serengeti until 4 PM, I suggest waking up early and driving to the river crossing where the great migration takes place. This drive takes about 2 hours each way, but you’ll be in the park and on the lookout for wildlife the whole time. If you decide to do this, make sure to add 3 hours to your travel time for the day.
Then, once you exit the park — ideally around 2-3 PM at the latest- you’ll need to cruise these roads to Lake Natron. It will be a mixture of the best and worst roads of the trip, but just take it as it comes. This will put you coasting into the Lake Natron area at around sundown.
Where to camp: Maasai Giraffe Rest
This is a very comfortable camp/lodge with a pool and oasis in the middle of the desert. We paid $15 per person to camp here. In the morning, we drove ourselves to the Flamingo Lake (lake Natron) and the oldest human footprints ever discovered and took in the scenery.
Day 9: Transfer from Lake Natron to Kilimanjaro Area
After a slow morning spent savoring camp and enjoying the views of the lake, hit the road for another long drive day. This is where you’ll run into that roadblock I mentioned before and be forced to pay the Lake Natron fees.
Today, there isn’t much to do or see— just a full day driving on dusty back roads toward Africa’s tallest mountain. Depending on which area of the Kilimanjaro region you would like to visit on this Self Drive Tanzania Itinerary, there are two places you could comfortably stay.
Accommodation: Simba Farm (Matadi)
Day 10: Chemka Hot Springs
A turquoise oasis rimmed by fluffy palms that, on a clear day, has direct views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Traversing through small desert communities and dirt roads with chameleon crossings, this small natural hot spring emerges seemingly out of nowhere. During the daytime hours, the spring is busy with local tourists from nearby Moshi or Arusha. But camping here allows you to swim in the evening and early morning hours and have the pools all to yourself.
Accommodation: Maji Moto Spring Campsite
The campsite is directly next to the hot springs within the lovely twisted tree trunks. There is also a toilet facility being built that should be completed any day now.
Day 11: Transfer to Arusha Town
The road back to Arusha is paved and easy the whole way. End of the Rental in Tanzania and the 11 Days Northern Circuit Tanzania Road Trip .