Tanzania Safari Review 2026: Ngorongoro to Serengeti

Today marks Day 3 of our African safari adventure!

Road Tanzania Safari Tour

Today's itinerary:

Ngorongoro - Serengeti National Park

Both of these incredible places are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Since it’s the rainy season, the mornings always start off pretty cloudy.

Every single morning,

I couldn't help but think, "Ah... our tour is totally ruined!!!" haha.

But as you pass the gate and make your way up, you reach Ngorongoro...

And then, the clouds parted to reveal this view.

It was so incredibly beautiful, I could hardly believe I was looking at Africa.

It honestly felt like Howl’s secret childhood hideout from Howl’s Moving Castle!

This shot was taken with a Ricoh GR IIIx.

The default color profile is wonderfully rich and deep.

There are quite a few viewpoints scattered around Ngorongoro, so we got out to take in the scenery.

That's the Ngorongoro Crater stretching out in the distance.

Instead of heading down into the crater today, we're making a beeline straight for Serengeti National Park.

And that last photo is of our guide, James!

On our way from Ngorongoro to Serengeti National Park, we crossed paths with some Maasai people.

They were walking somewhere with their dog, with a giraffe in the background and a zebra right beside them.

It's wild how all of this was captured in a single frame!

The Maasai are known for wearing these distinctive traditional outfits.

They live in various communities spread across the region,

and you can spot them quite often throughout East Africa.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park

Not too far from Ngorongoro, we reached the gates of Serengeti National Park.

Even if you know nothing about African safaris, you've definitely heard of the name.

The word "Serengeti" itself just holds such an intense, epic weight to it.

It makes you feel like some truly majestic, untamed wildlife is waiting just inside.

Stepping inside, the vast savannah of the Serengeti stretched out endlessly before us,

with countless herds of buffaloes, impalas, and zebras roaming the plains.

And every now and then, we'd spot a hyena lurking in between.

I always pictured them as sleek and agile,

but this hyena looked just like a friendly neighborhood dog!

Honestly, that round belly gives off major neighborhood uncle vibes lol.

There was some heavy machinery parked here and there for park maintenance,

and I took this shot because the contrast between the buffalo and the machinery felt like a perfect symbol of nature meeting civilization.

A safari wouldn't be complete without a giraffe!

But it was my first time seeing a running giraffe, and wow, they are incredibly fast.

I guess you really do need long legs lol.

After that, we had a light lunch.

If you're curious about our lunchboxes, check out my previous or second to last posts.

They're pretty much the same every time, so I'm getting a bit tired of them.

Our guide James must have overheard some chatter among the rangers while eating,

because he suddenly put the car in reverse and sped off.

And we found a pride of lions. At first, I thought, "Well, this is pretty standard," but then...

Behind them was a zebra carcass.

They must have had quite a feast because barely anything but the hide was left.

They're starting to look a little terrifying now;;

Thankfully, they seemed completely stuffed because they didn't pay us any attention.

Witnessing something so raw all of a sudden

really hit home that this is the real, untamed wild.

Then, feeling totally wiped out, I drifted off to sleep in the car...

Only to open my eyes and go, "Whoa..."

Right next to the road, a lion was literally draped over a tree branch.

Looking down at us with the most unimpressed, bored face ever.

We couldn't help but squeal in excitement!

Maybe we interrupted his sweet nap, because he slowly and majestically got up and walked away.

A landscape that looks straight out of The Lion King.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi baba!" (Cue the Circle of Life vibes~)

The breathtaking views we encountered in Africa.

Whenever I travel with my wife, we're guaranteed to see a rainbow at least once.

She is seriously my lucky charm.

If you're wondering what all these lions are staring at...

They are eyeing a buffalo right ahead.

I held my breath, terrified it was about to get eaten,

but luckily, the buffalo made it home safe and sound.

Living up to its legendary reputation, Serengeti National Park

truly gave us our fill of lion sightings.

We have another Serengeti game drive scheduled for tomorrow morning,

so we headed to our lodge early today.

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

Agoda Official Site | Free Cancellation & Special Deals | Over 2 Million Properties3ha.in

Our accommodation for tonight is nestled high up on a massive hill.

The reception staff was incredibly welcoming again today.

They handed us a welcome drink that was wonderfully sweet and tangy.

It tasted like a perfect blend of passion fruit and mango.

Our porter, who was absolutely built!

Our room was 12A.

At the reception, they told us, "We gave you a particularly great room."

We thought, "How good could it really be?"

But oh my goodness, we got our own private detached villa! 😲

The very first accommodation on our safari tour with an actual fridge!

This is the living room area, and there's a restroom right next to it.

This is the tea station set up in the master bedroom.

And a laundry bag right next to it.

I missed taking a photo of the most important thing—the bed!

But it was a standard, comfortable queen-size bed.

And the master bathroom/bathtub area.

A bathroom so long and spacious it felt as big as a living room.

With two sinks, it was so incredibly spacious I wondered if this room was originally meant for a whole family!

And finally, the ultimate highlight: the terrace.

At Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, all the rooms are lined up to face the sunset.

While my wife rested and recharged inside,

I sat out here with a cup of coffee, completely mesmerized by the sunset.

As we were heading to the restaurant, we spotted a baby impala right in front of our room.

I mean, how can something be this cute?! 🥺

It hid behind a tree, peeking to see what I was doing, and didn't even run away immediately when I took a step closer.

While we were relaxing in our room, we heard music drifting in.

They were hosting a live performance at the bar before dinner time.

There was the traditional Maasai jumping dance,

and another performance where everyone was swaying and dancing together.

But we were absolutely starving, so we headed straight to the restaurant!

The table setting, always so neatly arranged.

In that little round container, there were cute little scoops of butter.

We couldn't skip ordering a refreshing beer to go with it!

Vegetable soup and chicken soup for our starters.

Serena Lodge is all buffet-style!

While the menu is fairly similar across the different lodges,

they actually had a live station where they grill steaks right over an open flame.

I asked our server for a delicious cut, and they served me up a generous, juicy piece!

They say everyone loses weight when they travel to Africa...

So why does it feel like I'm gaining weight every single day? 😂

In the morning, I finally took some time to explore the parts of our resort that I'd missed earlier.

On the other side of the property, there was a gorgeous swimming pool, and right behind it, a breathtaking sunrise!

Every single day here is filled with so much happiness and joy.

I'll wrap up today's honeymoon diary entry here,

but I'll be back with more of our adventures soon!