Overview
Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.
This 5-day Tanzanian Lodge and Tented Camp Safari allows us to experience the
highlights of the Northern Safari Circuit. We experience breathtaking wildlife amid diverse landscapes; monkeys in the forest, lions in the trees, elephants
amongst the acacias, and a vast variety of animals inside a collapsed volcano. We also
visit the Serengeti National Park, home to some 3 million animals. These spectacular
grass plains offer the best opportunity of viewing cheetahs, leopards, and lions in the
true wild. You can also suggest or opt for a Budget Camping Safari Itinerary – It can be adapted to suit your needs and preferences, as well as for any seasonal
changes or migratory animal movements.
Tour Highlights
Departure and Return Place:
We can start/end this tour from any hotel in Moshi/Arusha or from Kilimanjaro International Airport (Google Map).
Dress Code:
Casual. Comfortable athletic clothing, hat, and spare clothing.
Customizations:
Can be amended/customized upon request to suit your requirements.
Extensions:
Trip extensions are available on request.
Season:
The dry season (from late June to October) offers the best wildlife viewing in general, with the wildebeest migration as its absolute highlight.
The timing of the migration varies every year (the best chance of seeing it is during June and July), while the wildebeest calving is from late January to February.
Highlights:
Your own private guide and driver for in-depth wildlife touring based on your interests.
First-hand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our locally born travel specialists.
Around-the-clock support from your travel designer and concierge before, during, and after your trip.
What to Expect on Tour
- You will experience the excitement of game viewing in some of the most spectacular national wildlife game parks in Africa.
Look out over the incredible views of the Ngorongoro Crater, and witness the annual Great Migration as over a million wildebeest and zebra cross the open plains of the Serengeti.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
You will be picked up from the airport by one of our representatives and transferred to your accommodation in Arusha. Here, you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come.
Accommodation Options:
Mid-range: Arusha Planet Lodge / Palace Hotel
Budget: Outpost Lodge / Tulia Boutique Hotel / Green Mountain Hotel
Day 2: Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, your safari guide will collect you from the lodge for the drive to Tarangire National Park (approximately 2 hours).
Tarangire is best known for its large elephant families, expansive savannah, iconic baobab trees, and seasonal swamps. The park is named after the life-giving Tarangire River, a vital water source that draws a variety of wildlife. You may spot giraffe, bushbuck, hartebeest, buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest—often trailed by predators like lions and leopards.
From the open roof of our state-of-the-art Safari Truck, you’ll be able to take in the stunning landscape and observe wildlife up close. We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch in the park, featuring a delicious variety of food, coffee, and soft drinks.
After a full day of exploration, we head to our accommodation for the evening, where you can unwind, enjoy dinner in beautiful surroundings, and retreat to your comfortable quarters at your leisure.
Accommodation
Mid-range: Kudu Lodge / Karatu Simba Lodge
Budget Camping: Lilac Campsite/ Panorama Campsite
Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater to Central Serengeti
After an early breakfast, we boot up and head out towards the Ngorongoro Crater, the
world’s largest volcanic caldera. Almost 20km wide, approximately 600 m deep and
known for its large variety of wildlife, the caldera, formed at the explosion of a volcano
some three million years ago, was once taller than Kilimanjaro. A self-contained
Paradise, the caldera, hosts an abundance of the finest animal life on the planet. In
addition to the Big Five, the various springs attract animals such as wildebeest, gazelle,
reedbuck, and more than 500 bird species. At approximately 1400hrs, we head towards
the Serengeti, arriving at our lodgings in a high-grade tented camp at roughly 6:00 p.m.
The Serengeti National Park, ‘Endless Plain’ in Maar, the tongue of the “Masai”, is the
largest park in Tanzania and home to diverse landscapes and habitats such as grassy
plains, swamps, lakes, savannah and mountains, and all of the creatures there
inhabit it.
Accommodation
Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp / Embalakai Camp / Sound of Silence
Budget Camping: Nyani Campsite
Day 4: Serengeti to Karatu
After an early breakfast, we’ll set off on our final game drive in Serengeti at around 6:30 AM, spending 6–7 hours exploring this incredible park.
The Serengeti is home to an astonishing array of wildlife, including impala, buffalo, crocodile, and hippo. Most famously, it hosts the great migrating herds—over 250,000 zebra, 1.5 million wildebeest, and 500,000 antelope. Their movement is driven by rainfall and varies each year. Alongside the herds, we may also encounter predators such as leopard, cheetah, and lion on the prowl.
At around 14:00, we begin our journey back to Karatu for an overnight stay.
Accommodation Options:
Mid-range: Kudu Lodge / Karatu Simba Lodge
Budget Camping: Lilac Campsite / Panorama Campsite
Day 5: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha
After breakfast, we make the short drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Located 120 km west of Arusha, this relatively small but diverse park is named after the shallow, seasonally changing salt lake that covers about 70% of its land. The soda lake is a haven for thousands of flamingos and over 500 other bird species.
As we explore the park, we’ll encounter a variety of wildlife including monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, elephants, and—if we’re lucky—lions resting in the trees. The park is also known for its strikingly diverse landscapes: from open grassy plains to primate-filled woodlands and dramatic, baobab-studded cliffs.
After lunch, we begin our journey back to Arusha, with an expected arrival around 5:00 p.m., bringing our unforgettable adventure to a close.
Pricing Includes
- All the mentioned safari activities
Air ambulance service by AMREF Flying Doctors
Airport pick-up and drop-off transfers
Hotel accommodations according to the itinerary
Transportation in a 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for easy game viewing and photography
All park fees
All meals according to the itinerary
Bottled water throughout the tour
Binoculars (1 per vehicle)
Medical kit
18% VAT on tour fees and services
Crew salaries
Pricing Excludes
- Air tickets
Visa fees
Travel insurance
Tips to your safari guide ($20–$35 per day per car)
Other optional activities
Personal expenses
