After crossing overland from Kenya at the Namanga border, this is the Tanzania chapter. Following on from my Kenya safari article, here’s what happened across Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area — plus what actually went down at the border on the way back.
- Serengeti delivered raw, unscripted wildlife drama — including a hyena stealing a leopard’s kill
- Upgrading our accommodation for safety reasons turned out to be absolutely the right call
- Tanzania’s lodges have wildlife wandering right through the grounds, so staff escorts after dark are standard practice
- The border crossing back into Kenya came with tip requests and a visa printing issue
Arusha to Serengeti
After crossing into Tanzania from Amboseli via the Namanga border, I spent one night in Arusha, staying at Tulia Boutique Hotel & Spa.
The surrounding area didn’t feel especially polished or secure, but the hotel itself was solid, and we caught a dancer’s performance over drinks that evening.
The next morning, it was a few hours’ drive from Arusha to Serengeti National Park. Spanning Tanzania’s north, “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai word for “endless plains” — and it’s one of the world’s great wildlife strongholds, home to a reported population in the millions.
Wildlife drama in Serengeti
Serengeti delivered scene after scene that felt straight out of a nature documentary.
A lion standing on a large rock, mouth wide open. At first glance it looked like a roar — turned out to just be a big yawn.
A huge number of zebras pressed close together — striking to see. Zebras bunch up like this as a defense against predators like lions.
Taking turns keeping watch, the group’s stripes blur together when they’re this close, making it harder for a predator to lock onto a single target.
The most shocking moment: we came across a hyena stealing a half-eaten kill that a leopard had left behind. Raw and unfiltered, but it was the law of the wild playing out in front of us, and I couldn’t help but photograph it.
A watering hole absolutely crammed with more hippos than I could count.
Spotting the leopard here meant that, across Kenya and Tanzania combined, I’d now seen all of the Big Five — lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard.
Where I stayed: Shuhudia Adventure Camp
I spent one night at Shuhudia Adventure Camp, in central Serengeti. It’s a tented camp, but came with hot showers, electricity, and Wi-Fi in the common area.
Tanzania’s lodges: wildlife right next door
One thing that stood out compared to the Kenya camps: at Tanzania’s lodges and camps, giraffes, zebras, and other wildlife can wander right through the grounds. Because of that, moving around after dark meant a staff escort was mandatory.
Every room came with a radio or whistle — if you needed to leave your room at night, the system was to call a staff member first and have them escort you. A genuinely Tanzania-specific experience, living right alongside the wildlife.
Why upgrading our accommodation was the right call
On the Tanzania side, our operator recommended upgrading from the original budget-tier plan, and we took the advice. The reasoning: budget camps often lack mosquito nets, individual charging outlets, Wi-Fi, and hot showers.
On the drive to Ngorongoro, I actually passed by the budget-tier camp (Simba Camp) that had originally been on our itinerary.
No electricity, and inside the simple tent was just a sleeping bag laid out — about as basic as it gets, and it looked cold. Realizing that’s where I would have stayed made the upgrade feel like an easy call in hindsight.
After the upgrade, I had comfortable private rooms, hot showers, and electricity — a real chance to rest and recover from the trip so far.
Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area — Swahili for “giant hole” — is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to a reported 25,000-plus large mammals within its roughly 8,000-square-kilometer protected area.
At its center, Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s largest calderas. Enclosed by its rim, most of the animals inside rarely leave, forming a largely self-contained ecosystem.
Driving down into the crater felt exactly like descending into a “wildlife diorama.”
Not the big migration season, but wildebeest herds were scattered throughout, mixed in with zebras.
Bones and hide left behind, apparently after a lion attack — a blunt reminder of the food chain here.
A zebra herd crossed right in front of our vehicle and wouldn’t move despite the horn — a clear reminder of whose territory this really is.
Where I stayed: Ngorongoro Safari Lodge
My one night in Ngorongoro was at Ngorongoro Safari Lodge, a wooden cabin-style property overlooking Lake Eyasi. The night sky here was the most spectacular of the whole trip — a full blanket of stars I still haven’t forgotten.
The border crossing back into Kenya
Entering Kenya on the way there was relatively smooth — just a baggage check and paying the visa fee.
Heading back from Tanzania into Kenya, though, a few things caught us off guard.
- A staff member who loaded our bags onto the bus asked for a tip
- A guard struck up a friendly conversation, then asked for a tip with no particular reason given — my impression was that it was because I am Japanese. No amount was specified, but I paid a small amount to avoid friction
- The visa I’d shown entering Kenya was just a PDF pulled up on my phone screen — fine. At this land border, though, I was told a printed copy of the visa was required
Luckily, there was a currency exchange counter inside the border building that could also print the visa, alongside converting cash to Kenyan shillings. I got back in line and made it through without further issues.
Keep small bills on hand — the amounts involved are small, but having exact change matters. And don’t assume a visa on your phone screen will be accepted everywhere; print a copy in advance, or confirm ahead of time whether printing is available locally (like at a currency exchange counter).
Tanzania visa: on-arrival was the smoother option
The commonly recommended route into Tanzania is applying for an eVisa online in advance. On my operator’s advice, we instead got a visa on arrival at the Namanga border.
According to the operator, they’d had a lot of feedback from travelers running into trouble with the online eVisa process.
As covered in the Kenya article, visa rules and required documents can change, so confirm current details with Tanzania’s immigration authority or your operator before traveling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days are needed for an African safari?
My combined Kenya + Tanzania trip was 10 days total, covering 5 parks/reserves across two countries with a land border crossing in between. If you’re focused on just Serengeti and Ngorongoro, 3-4 days would likely cover the essentials — but with the overland travel time between hubs, I’d lean toward the longer end if you want to avoid feeling rushed.
Bottom line
Serengeti and Ngorongoro delivered wildlife moments as raw as it gets — a hyena stealing a leopard’s kill, the remains of a lion’s meal out in the open. We upgraded our accommodation for safety, and ended up with wildlife wandering right past our tents and a night sky I still think about.
Across the full 10-day Kenya + Tanzania trip, I ended up seeing all of the Big Five, and the border crossing home came with its own real, unscripted lessons — tips, visa printing, the kind of details no tour brochure mentions. Hope this helps if you’re planning your own overland route through Kenya and Tanzania.
