Going on a 1 day safari to Tanzania, even if the duration is short, will be a decision you simply won’t regret. There are so many incredible safari to choose from, from the renowned Serengeti National Park to places off the beaten path like Tarangire National Park.
You’ll see the Big 5, the unrivaled Ngorongoro Crater, beautiful African lodges, the best of the best wining and dining in addition to UNESCO world heritages sites and leopards, lions, buffaloes, elephants, rhino, fringe-eared oryx, gerenuks, mongoose, zebra, baboons, flamingos and so much more.
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The best 1 day Tanzania safari tours
Price of a 1 day Tanzania safari?
The cheapest 2-day budget tours start at around $240 per person. Private tours are usually more pricey than group tours where a vehicle might be shared by six to eight people.
Safari packages to the Tanzania safari span a wide price range, influenced by several variables. The biggest factor determining the price of a safari is the level of accommodation. With a one day safari, the biggest cost, given the time constraints, may be the flights in and out of the game reserve.
Tour breakdown for a typical 1 day Tanzania safari
Safari tour highlights
- Discover the incredible Wildebeest Migration moving across the Serengeti
- See the Ngorongoro Crater, home to the world’s densest population of wildlife
- The Great Migration & the Big Five: The lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo
- Discover the Maasai people and their customs in northern Tanzania
- Private tour guide in English and other languages
- Game drives in comfortable, open top safari vehicles
- Optional activity add-ons including walking safaris
Tour inclusions
The following details typical tour inclusions and exclusions on the best 1 day Tanzania safari package:
| Tour inclusions | Tour exclusions |
| Game drives per the itinerary as well as pick-up and drop-off | Visa fees, laundry services, drinks including mineral water at the hotels |
| Experienced english-speaking guide and driver | International/domestic flights |
| Transport | Cultural visits to Maasai villages (15 USD p/p) |
| Government taxes | Tips to the driver guides, waiters and porters |
| Park fees | |
| Breakfast, lunch and bottled water |
Safari essentials and information
Is a 1 day safari in Tanzania safari sufficient?
A one day trip is indeed short, but it can be done and you will get to see the Big 5. If you’re coming from Kilimanjaro, taking an internal flight direct to the Serengeti would be ideal, as this takes just 1 hour whilst flying from Arusha to Manyara airstrip, near the Ngorongoro Crater will take 40 minutes.
The number of days needed to properly do a Tanzania safari can range from 1-1 days to 1-2 weeks, depending on how much time and budget a visitor has.
On the safari trip, you can even break up the drive to or from any Tanzania safari park with an overnight stay in a park en route to your destination such as the Serengeti NP, the UNESCO world heritage Ngorongoro Crater or indeed Selous Game Reserve.
Or you can simply spend all of your time at one reserve where you’ll have plenty of opportunity to explore the park with full-day dusk-to-dawn game drives that will include lunch at one of the picnic spots.
Overall, 1 days is a good amount of time for a safari in the Tanzania safari if it is part of a larger Tanzania tour, but if not, allocating a few more days to your safari would be ideal where possible.
Animals on a Tanzania safari?
You’ll find just about everything in the Tanzania safari! The country is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo) and visitors will also find spotted hyenas and hippos.
Tanzania contains the highest concentration of lions in the world with over 3,000 of them found in the Serengeti alone and about 1.5 million wildebeests, in addition to wildebeest, gazelle, giraffes, black rhinos. A view of these huge wildebeest crossing the crocodile infested river Mara has been included in the 7 wonders of natural Africa.
If you enjoy driving, it is possible to visit the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater on a 1 day road safari. This combination gives you a reasonable chance of seeing all the Big Five in a short time. Ngorongoro is the only reliable park in Tanzania to see black rhino in the wild.
The Serengeti and the crater are both good for predators, and lions are particularly easy to find in both. A 1 day trip to Ruaha or Selous in the south can also be very productive where you’ll see lions, wild dogs, antelopes and kudu.
What’s a must do for a 1 day Tanzania safari?
There are many 1 day safaris on offer in Tanzania, so you do have choices on what you can fit into your safari. The most-popular option is the Northern circuit which comprises 4 parks including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP and Tarangire National Park.
To visit all four parks in three days is not recommended and the best use of your time may be spent visiting the Serengeti and dropping into the Ngorongoro Crater en route, the jewels in the Tanzanian safari crown.
In the south of Tanzania, visitors can visit Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous) or Ruaha National Park on its own as a stand-alone fly-in safari from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar.
FAQs
How much spending money do I need for a 1 day Tanzania safari?
Visitors should budget for approximately $300 for a Tanzania safari per person per day, including food and accommodation. Tanzania safaris can be more expensive than their continental counterparts due to the higher costs of accommodation and food.
What animals will I see on a 1 day Tanzania safari tour?
Visitors on a 1 day Tanzania safari will see the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo), hyenas, wildebeest, giraffes, cheetah, zebras, endangered black rhinos, hippos, crocodiles and much more.
What is the best time to go on a 1 day Tanzania safari?
The best time to go on a 1 day Tanzania safari is in the Dry season (from late June to October). This period offers the best wildlife viewing in general – with the wildebeest migration as its absolute highlight.