17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari

The 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari takes you across three countries in search of lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos. You follow the herds across the Serengeti and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater. You then track the Big Five in South Africa’s Greater Kruger region. Finally, you glide through the Okavango Delta by mokoro. Terenga Africa Safaris and Travel Ltd designed this route from years of guiding guests across East and Southern Africa.

Every day balances wildlife, comfort, and culture. You stay in carefully chosen lodges and meet Maasai, Iraqw, Shangaan, and Tswana communities. Our guides know each trail, river channel, and village host personally. As a result, you travel with confidence and real local insight. This itinerary suits couples, families, and small groups who want classic Big Five viewing across three countries. Read on to see how each stage unfolds.

17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari Highlights Table

Day	Activities	Accommodation
1	Arrival in Arusha, welcome briefing, coffee estate walk	Arusha Coffee Lodge
2-4	Flight to Serengeti, game drives, migration tracking, Maasai cultural visit	Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
5	Serengeti to Ngorongoro, Olduvai Gorge	Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
6	Ngorongoro Crater game drive, Karatu farm visit	Gibb’s Farm, Karatu
7	Lake Eyasi, Hadzabe and Datoga cultural visits	Gibb’s Farm, Karatu
8	Drive to Arusha, flight to Johannesburg	Johannesburg hotel
9	Flight to Hoedspruit, transfer to Greater Kruger	Greater Kruger lodge
10-12	Game drives, bush walks, Shangaan cultural visit, Blyde River Canyon	Greater Kruger lodge
13	Flight to Johannesburg, onward to Maun	Maun lodge
14-16	Okavango Delta game drives, mokoro rides, bush walks, village visit	Okavango Delta camp
17	Flight to Maun, onward connection, departure	Departure

Detailed: 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

Karibu Tanzania. Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to Arusha Coffee Lodge. The journey takes about one hour. Mount Meru rises above the town, and coffee farms cover the hills. Check in, enjoy a cool drink, and rest after your flight. The 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari begins with a calm afternoon.

Later, join a short walk through the working coffee estate. Staff explain how they pick, roast, and brew the beans. Your guide then hosts a welcome briefing and reviews the route. If time allows, visit the Maasai Market in Arusha. Artists sell beadwork, carvings, and paintings. Dinner follows at the lodge.

Days 2-4: Serengeti Game Drives and Migration Tracking

On Day 2, you fly from Arusha to the Serengeti. The flight takes about one hour and a half. Below you, the Great Rift Valley and Ngorongoro Highlands unfold. Your guide meets you at the airstrip and begins a game drive immediately. Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge sits on a ridge with sweeping views. Later, explore the Seronera area, famous for leopards resting in sausage trees.

Days 3 and 4 belong to the plains. The Serengeti covers nearly 15,000 square kilometres. You explore it with a picnic lunch and an expert guide. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and thousands of grazing animals fill the grassland. Because the herds move constantly, your guide reads the land daily. Depending on the season, you track the migration toward the Mara River or closer to Seronera.

During midday breaks, visit the Simba Kopjes or a hippo pool. These granite outcrops offer a high viewpoint over the plains. For a special treat, add an optional sunrise hot air balloon flight. You float above the herds in silence and land for a bush breakfast.

For culture, join the lodge’s Maasai and Sukuma performers for an evening of traditional dance. Alternatively, visit a Maasai community near the park. Women show you how they craft jewellery from glass beads. Young warriors teach you the famous jumping dance. Dinner follows under a sky full of stars.

Day 5: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands

After an early game drive, you leave the plains and drive toward Ngorongoro. The route passes Olduvai Gorge, often called the cradle of humankind. A small museum there explains the fossil discoveries of the Leakey family. This stop adds a rich human story to your wildlife journey.

You reach Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge in the afternoon. The lodge clings to the crater rim, and every room offers dramatic views. Relax with tea on the terrace as mist rolls across the caldera. In the evening, Maasai neighbours visit with songs and stories. They show how their herds share the highlands with wildlife.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater and Karatu

At dawn, you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater. This collapsed volcano shelters about 25,000 large animals. Black rhinos, lions, hippos, and flamingos live within its walls. The enclosed ecosystem makes sightings reliable. You enjoy a picnic lunch beside a hippo pool before climbing back out.

Afterwards, you drive to Karatu and check in at Gibb’s Farm. This historic coffee plantation serves food grown in its own gardens. Tour the farm, grind coffee beans, and meet local artisans. An Iraqw community nearby also welcomes visitors for a short cultural walk. You learn about their farming methods and traditional homes.

Day 7: Lake Eyasi and the Hadzabe

Today you drive to Lake Eyasi, about ninety minutes from Karatu. At sunrise, you meet a Hadzabe hunter-gatherer group. These people have lived in this region for thousands of years. You follow the men as they hunt with handmade bows. Women then show you how they dig roots and gather berries.

In the afternoon, visit a Datoga blacksmith community. Datoga artisans forge arrowheads and jewellery from scrap metal. You watch the bellows and hammers at work. Then return to Gibb’s Farm for a relaxed evening. Walk the gardens, or enjoy a coffee tasting on the veranda. This day adds a rare cultural layer to the 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari.

Day 8: Karatu to Johannesburg

After breakfast, you drive to Arusha, about two and a half hours away. Stop for a quick browse through the local craft shops. Wood carvings, fabrics, and Tanzanite jewellery make popular souvenirs. Then you board your flight to Johannesburg. The journey takes about four hours.

You arrive in the evening, and your driver takes you to your hotel. Johannesburg buzzes with energy. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Try a South African braai, the national barbecue tradition. Rest well, because the Big Five await.

Day 9: Johannesburg to Greater Kruger

After an early breakfast, you fly to Hoedspruit, about one hour away. Your guide meets you at the airstrip. A short drive takes you to your private lodge in the Greater Kruger region. Staff greet you with a cool drink. Lunch comes with views across the bush.

In the late afternoon, set out on your first game drive. Open vehicles carry you across the reserve. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos all live here. Your ranger and tracker work together to find them. Return to the lodge for a boma dinner by the fire.

Days 10-12: Big Five Game Drives and Shangaan Culture

Each day begins before dawn with a game drive. Predators hunt in the cool air, and the light is soft. Your ranger explains animal behaviour and tracking signs. Breakfast follows in the bush. After a midday rest, enjoy afternoon drives until sunset.

On one morning, join a guided bush walk. Walking brings you close to tiny details, from dung beetles to termite mounds. Your ranger explains how plants support the ecosystem. The walk gives a fresh view of familiar wildlife.

On Day 11, visit a Shangaan community near the reserve. Hosts show you traditional homes, music, and dance. You taste local dishes such as pap with relish. Their stories reveal a deep bond with the land. Purchases from the craft stalls support local families.

On Day 12, take a scenic day trip to Blyde River Canyon. Viewpoints such as God’s Window and the Three Rondavels reward every stop. Bourke’s Luck Potholes show rock shaped by swirling water. Return to the lodge for a farewell dinner under the stars.

Day 13: Greater Kruger to Maun

After a final morning game drive, you transfer to Hoedspruit airstrip. A scheduled flight takes you to Johannesburg. There you connect to a flight to Maun, Botswana. Our team assists with every transfer. You arrive in Maun by evening.

Your driver takes you to a lodge on the Thamalakane River. Staff greet you with a cool drink. Enjoy dinner on the riverbank. Frogs and birds fill the night with sound. The 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari now enters its final chapter.

Days 14-16: Okavango Delta Camp

On Day 14, you board a light aircraft for the Okavango Delta. The flight takes about thirty minutes. Below you, channels, islands, and herds form a living map. Your camp sits on a quiet island in the water maze. In the afternoon, glide through the channels in a mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe.

A poler guides you quietly past lilies and reeds. Frogs, kingfishers, and sometimes hippos appear. Silence makes the experience special. Return to camp for dinner by the fire.

On Day 15, wake early for a sunrise game drive on the island. Lions, leopards, and wild dogs hunt in the cool air. Red lechwe and impala splash through the shallows. After a midday rest, join a guided bush walk. Your guide explains how locals use plants for food and medicine.

On Day 16, take a longer mokoro excursion to a nearby island. Elephants, giraffes, and zebras often graze there. In the afternoon, visit a village on the delta’s edge. Residents show you how they weave baskets and fish with traditional traps. Women sing songs that echo across the water. Return to camp for a farewell dinner under the stars.

Day 17: Departure from the Okavango Delta

After a final morning game drive, you fly to Maun. Our team assists with every transfer. There you connect to your onward flight. Many guests choose Johannesburg as their gateway home.

You leave with full memories, strong friendships, and a deeper bond with Africa. The 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari ends here. However, the connection with Terenga Africa continues long after you land. Many guests return to trek gorillas in Rwanda or relax on Zanzibar’s beaches.

Safari Inclusions

• Airport transfers in Tanzania, South Africa, and Botswana
• Accommodation as listed
• Full board in Tanzania, Greater Kruger, and Botswana
• Bed and breakfast in Johannesburg and Maun
• Professional English-speaking guides
• Private 4×4 safari vehicle in Tanzania
• Serengeti and Ngorongoro park fees
• Ngorongoro Crater descent fee
• Flights: Arusha to Serengeti and return
• Flight from Arusha to Johannesburg
• Flights: Johannesburg to Hoedspruit and return
• Flight from Johannesburg to Maun
• Coffee estate walk
• Maasai cultural visit
• Karatu coffee farm visit
• Lake Eyasi Hadzabe and Datoga visits
• Greater Kruger game drives and bush walk
• Shangaan community visit
• Blyde River Canyon day trip
• Light-aircraft flights to and from the Okavango Delta
• Mokoro excursions and bush walks
• Delta village visit
• Bottled drinking water during tours
• Government taxes and service charges

Safari Exclusions

• International flights to and from Africa
• Visa fees
• Travel and medical insurance
• Tips and gratuities
• Lunches and dinners in Johannesburg and Maun
• Alcoholic and soft drinks
• Optional hot air balloon safari
• Spa treatments and massages
• Laundry and personal items

Tour Pricing

Group Size	Price Per Person	Total Group Price
2 travellers	USD 14,800	USD 29,600
4 travellers	USD 13,300	USD 53,200
6 travellers	USD 12,400	USD 74,400

Extend Your Adventure With a 4- Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking safari

After completing the 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari, you can extend your African journey with an unforgettable 4-Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari. This extension creates an extraordinary combination of Tanzania’s open savannah wilderness and Uganda’s ancient tropical forests.

The journey takes travelers toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of Africa’s most important mountain gorilla destinations. Instead of endless grasslands, Uganda introduces misty forests, rolling hills, and beautiful green landscapes. Gorilla trekking provides the main highlight of this extension. Travelers enter the forest with experienced guides and trackers in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family.

The journey through Bwindi becomes an adventure itself. Dense vegetation, forest sounds, colorful birds, and changing trails create an exciting atmosphere. Eventually, visitors spend valuable time observing mountain gorillas in their natural environment.

The extension can also include cultural experiences around Bwindi. Travelers may discover local traditions, crafts, music, food, and community life. A Batwa cultural experience can provide further insight into the human heritage connected to Uganda’s ancient forests. Combining the 17-Day Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana Big Five Safari with a Uganda gorilla trekking safari creates an exceptional East African journey.

Optional Safari Extension: 4- Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking safari in Uganda

Day	Activities	Accommodation
Day 1	Flight from Maun International Airport, Botswana to Kigali airport and have afternoon Kigali city tour	Kigali: chez lando hotel Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast
Day 2	Morning road transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest (Rushaga sector) and afternoon relaxation at the lodge	Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Meal: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Drinking Water
Day 3	Go mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest and afternoon enjoy batwa cultural experience with community involvement	Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Drinking Water
Day 4	Road transfer to Kigali international airport Rwanda for a flight back home	None Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Breakfast, Drinking Water