About This Journey
Tanzania's northern circuit is the safari most people picture, and this eight-day journey links all four of its great parks in one loop — Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
You'll start among Tarangire's giant baobabs and elephant herds, drop to Lake Manyara for tree-climbing lions and flamingos, then climb through the Ngorongoro Highlands into the Serengeti for two full days on the endless plains. The finale is the crater itself: a collapsed caldera holding one of the densest concentrations of wildlife anywhere in Africa, black rhino included.
Every departure is private, in a pop-up-roof 4×4 with an expert Tanzanian guide who knows these ecosystems season by season.
Trip Highlights
- Explore Tarangire National Park, famous for giant baobabs and large elephant herds
- Search for Lake Manyara's tree-climbing lions, hippos, and flamingo flocks
- Two nights in the world-famous Serengeti National Park, with a full day of game drives
- Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and black rhino stronghold
- Strong odds on the Big Five and, in season, the Great Wildebeest Migration
- Professional English-speaking safari guide and comfortable lodge and tented camp stays
Day by Day
Land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where your safari guide meets you and transfers you to your hotel in Arusha. The rest of the day is yours to rest and prepare for the days ahead.
- Overnight
- Arusha Planet Lodge (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast
After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park — a landscape of giant baobabs and dry riverbeds that draws some of the largest elephant herds in northern Tanzania.
Spend the day on a full game drive looking for elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest, with birdlife that runs to well over 500 recorded species.
- Overnight
- Tarangire Safari Lodge (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, travel to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. The park is known for its tree-climbing lions, along with elephant, hippo, flamingo flocks, and troops of baboons and blue monkeys.
Continue on to Karatu in the late afternoon for the night.
- Overnight
- Marera Valley Lodge (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive up through the Ngorongoro Highlands and on into the Serengeti National Park — the name means 'endless plains', and you'll understand why on arrival.
An afternoon game drive follows, tracking the Big Five across grassland that stretches to the horizon.
- Overnight
- Serengeti Heritage Camp (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A full day exploring the Serengeti, with time to work the kopjes, river lines, and open plains properly. Lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and hyena are all resident here.
Depending on the season, the Great Wildebeest Migration may be moving through — hundreds of thousands of animals on the move, with predators shadowing them.
- Overnight
- Serengeti Heritage Camp (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
An early morning game drive catches the plains at their best, before you travel on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, game viewing along the way.
Arrive in time for the view over the crater rim — a first look at tomorrow's game drive, 600 metres below.
- Overnight
- Rhino Lodge (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Descend onto the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive across grassland, soda lake, and fever tree forest. The crater holds black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, and zebra in one contained ecosystem, which is what makes it such reliable Big Five country.
Climb back out in the afternoon and return to Karatu for the night.
- Overnight
- Marera Valley Lodge (or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha. Depending on your flight time there may be room for shopping or sightseeing before your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's Included
Included
- 7 nights' accommodation in lodges and tented camps as listed
- All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B/L/D)
- Private English-speaking Tanzanian safari guide and 4×4 pop-up-roof safari vehicle
- All park entrance and conservation area fees
- Ngorongoro Crater descent fee
- Airport transfers — Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Arusha
- All fuel and bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Government taxes and levies
Not Included
- International airfares
- Tanzania entry visa
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- All drinks, including alcoholic beverages
- Meals and snacks not indicated in the itinerary
- Optional activities — hot-air balloon safari over the Serengeti, cultural visits
- Tips and gratuities for your guide and lodge staff
- Personal expenses — laundry, souvenirs, and items of a personal nature
Accommodation
Arusha Planet Lodge
Arusha, Tanzania1 nightTarangire Safari Lodge
Tarangire NP, Tanzania1 nightMarera Valley Lodge
Karatu, Tanzania2 nightsSerengeti Heritage Camp
Serengeti NP, Tanzania2 nightsRhino Lodge
Ngorongoro, Tanzania1 nightReady to Plan This Safari?
Every trip we run is private and tailored around you — your dates, your pace, your budget. Tell us what you have in mind and one of our safari planners will craft it into a detailed, costed proposal.
