11 Days Nothern Circuit
A high-end Northern Tanzania journey designed for guests who want the best wildlife, the best views, and the best lodges without rushing. Begin in Arusha National Park for a gentle safari start, then dive into elephant country in Tarangire and the lush beauty of Lake Manyara. Experience the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater for Big Five game viewing, then finish in the legendary Serengeti, tracking the Great Migration and predators across endless plains. Every night is in handpicked luxury lodges and premium tented camps, with private game drives, attentive service, and a smooth fly-out from Serengeti back home.
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Multiple parks, several days -- and no wasted transfers. Every drive doubles as a game drive.
03°23′S 36°41′EArrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) where you’ll be met with a warm VIP welcome and private transfer to Arusha. Settle into your luxury lodge, enjoy a relaxed afternoon to recover from the flight, and, if you wish, take a gentle city stroll, spa time, or sunset drinks with views of Mount Meru. In the evening, enjoy a beautifully prepared dinner and a calm overnight your safari begins in style.
03°16′S 36°53′EAfter a relaxed luxury breakfast, depart for Arusha National Park a beautiful, less-crowded gem known for lush forests, crater lakes, and incredible views of Mount Meru. Enjoy a scenic game drive through habitats that change quickly from rainforest to open plains, with excellent chances to see giraffes, buffalo, zebras, warthogs, colobus monkeys, and rich birdlife.
For a more immersive experience, add an optional canoeing safari on Momella Lakes (seasonal) or a guided walking safari with an armed ranger perfect for getting close to nature in a safe, thrilling way. Return to Arusha in the late afternoon for a calm evening, cocktails, and a fine dinner.
03°53′S 36°01′EAfter breakfast, depart Arusha and journey to Tarangire National Park, famous for its giant baobab trees, golden savannah, and some of Tanzania’s best elephant encounters. Arrive in time for an exciting afternoon game drive, following the Tarangire River ecosystem where wildlife gathers expect excellent chances of elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and strong predator sightings depending on the season.
As the sun drops, enjoy a classic luxury safari moment: a sundowner in the wild, then return to your lodge for a hot shower, elegant dining, and a peaceful night surrounded by nature.
03°53′S 36°01′EWake up to the sounds of the bush and enjoy a slow, luxury breakfast before heading out for a deeper exploration of Tarangire National Park. Today is all about flexibility: choose a full-day safari with a picnic lunch in the wild, or do split drives a crisp morning drive and a golden-hour afternoon drive depending on your style.Tarangire rewards patience. You’ll track large elephant herds, roam through baobab valleys, and follow wildlife along riverbeds where animals gather to drink. With time on your side, you can focus on special sightings lion prides, leopards, cheetahs (seasonal), and an impressive variety of birds. Return to camp for sundowners, a beautifully prepared dinner, and a calm night under the stars.
03°35′S 35°47′EAfter breakfast, drive toward Lake Manyara National Park, a compact but stunning safari gem famous for its lush groundwater forest, scenic lake views, and rich birdlife. Enjoy a rewarding game drive through fig-tree forests and open floodplains where you may spot elephants, hippos, buffalo, baboons, and if lucky the park’s legendary tree-climbing lions. The flamingos and waterbirds along the lakeshore add a beautiful, photographic finish to the day.
Later, continue to the cool highlands of Karatu (or stay near Manyara), where you’ll unwind in refined comfort perfect preparation for the Ngorongoro Crater adventure ahead.
03°11′S 35°35′EToday is a true Tanzania highlight. After an early breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a natural wildlife sanctuary packed with game year-round. Enjoy a full crater safari with a strong focus on the Big Five with excellent chances for lion, buffalo, elephant, and rhino, plus hippos, hyenas, jackals, and huge herds of zebra and wildebeest. The scenery is breathtaking: open grasslands, acacia pockets, swamps, and the sparkling Lake Magadi where flamingos often gather. You’ll break for a picnic lunch at a scenic spot inside the crater, then continue exploring before ascending back to the rim in the late afternoon just in time for sunset views and a luxury evening by the fireplace.
02°27′S 34°50′EAfter breakfast, travel into the legendary Serengeti the moment the landscape opens into endless golden plains, you’ll understand why it’s iconic. Arrive in Central Serengeti (Seronera), one of the best year-round wildlife areas thanks to permanent water sources that attract animals in every season.
After lunch and a short rest, head out for an exciting afternoon game drive. This region is famous for big cat action lions, leopards, cheetahs plus elephants, giraffes, buffalo, and large herds of grazers. As the light softens, enjoy the magic of sunset on the plains before returning to camp for an elegant dinner and a luxurious night in the wild
03°00′S 35°00′EToday is a pure Serengeti masterpiece. After an early breakfast, set out for a full-day safari (or split drives if you prefer) focused on Great Migration tracking and prime predator sightings. Your guide will follow the freshest wildlife movements searching for wildebeest and zebra herds, dramatic river or plains crossings (seasonal), and the big cats that shadow them.
Central Serengeti is famous for action: lion prides on the kopjes, leopards along riverine trees, and cheetahs scanning open grasslands. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush, then continue deeper into the plains until golden hour perfect for photography and unforgettable sundowner moments. Return to your luxury camp for a hot shower, fine dining, and a quiet night under the stars.
03°00′S 35°00′EToday you shift into the best seasonal migration zone for maximum drama and front-row wildlife viewing. After breakfast, travel (by game drive route or short transfer depending on logistics) to the area where the herds are most active giving you the highest chance of witnessing huge wildebeest and zebra concentrations, intense predator activity, and (in the north) the famous river-crossing scenes.Best Migration Location by Season:
Jun–Jul: Western Corridor (Grumeti) – early migration movement, strong predator action, classic riverine scenes.
Aug–Oct: Northern Serengeti (Mara River) – peak migration tension, river crossings (timing varies daily), big cats and crocodile action.
Dec–Mar: Southern Serengeti (Ndutu) – calving season, nonstop predators, and amazing open-plains photography.
Arrive for lunch and head out on an afternoon game drive in your new region—then return for sundowners, gourmet dining, and a luxurious night in the wild.
02°17′S 34°38′EEnjoy your final full day in the Serengeti with safari timing tailored to you. Start with an early morning game drive when predators are most active perfect for last-chance sightings of lions, leopards, cheetahs, and dramatic hunting moments. Return for a relaxed brunch and leisure time at the lodge spa, pool, or simply taking in the endless plains from your terrace.In the late afternoon, head out for a final golden-hour game drive, ending with a signature sundowner in a scenic spot toast to the journey as the Serengeti sky turns fiery orange and the sounds of the wild settle in. Back at camp, enjoy a beautifully prepared farewell dinner and a calm overnight positioned conveniently for tomorrow’s flight.
02°27′S 34°49′EAfter a relaxed breakfast (or an optional early morning short game drive if time allows), you’ll transfer to the Serengeti airstrip for your scheduled flight. Enjoy stunning aerial views of the plains as you fly to Arusha (ARK) or connect onward via Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Dar es Salaam (DAR) for your international departure.Your luxury safari ends smoothly with assisted airport handling and a seamless connection taking home unforgettable memories of the Great Migration, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tanzania’s most iconic landscapes
Extras you can add before, during or after this safari.
About an hour over the plains at first light, landing to breakfast in the bush. Weather-dependent and booked separately, so ask early in the dry season.
A guided walk with a park ranger or a canoe trip on the lakes, in place of part of the day 2 game drive. A slower way to start the trip.
Break the road between Manyara and the crater with a night in the cool farm country near the rim. It makes the crater morning less rushed.
Flights from the Serengeti airstrips and from Arusha reach Zanzibar the same day. Three to five nights on the coast is an easy way to rest after the drives.
Five parks in the north of Tanzania, from the forest of Mount Meru to the open Serengeti plains.
A small park on the slopes of Mount Meru, close to Arusha town. Forest, crater lakes and open glades hold giraffe, buffalo, zebra and black-and-white colobus monkeys. It is one of the few northern parks where walking and canoeing are possible.
Known for its large baobab trees and big elephant herds. In the dry months animals gather along the Tarangire River, the park's main water source. Birdlife is rich all year.
A narrow park between the Rift Valley wall and a shallow soda lake. Groundwater forest near the gate gives way to open floodplains with buffalo, elephant, baboons and many water birds. Its lions are known for sometimes resting in trees.
A large volcanic caldera with a floor of grassland, swamp and a soda lake. Wildlife stays in the crater all year, and it is one of the best places in Tanzania to see black rhino. Vehicles descend for a set time each day.
Tanzania's best-known park, with wide grass plains, rocky kopjes and river woodland. It is home to the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, which moves through the park through the year. Lion, leopard and cheetah live here all year.
Wildebeest and zebra move around the Serengeti through the year in search of fresh grass and water. Day 9 of this trip is kept open so your guide can take you to wherever the herds are that week.
Price on request — contact us for a quote for this trip.
Four of the eleven nights are in the Serengeti, so the trip is shaped around where the herds are. From July to October the migration is usually in the north, around the Mara River, and day 9 moves you to wherever the herds are that week. It is dry season along the whole route: short grass, animals on the water, and Tarangire at its best for elephants. It is also the busiest and most expensive time, so book early.
In these months the herds move to the short-grass plains in the south-east of the Serengeti and calve, usually in late January and February. The flexible day of this route then points south instead of north. Expect green landscapes, short afternoon storms and good light. Late December carries holiday rates.
These are the long rains. Roads in the parks get heavy, some camps close, and the herds are between areas. The crater and Tarangire still have game and rates are lower, but for a trip built around the Serengeti we would rather move your dates if we can.
Fly into Kilimanjaro International (JRO). We meet you in arrivals and drive you to Arusha, about an hour away. Day 1 has nothing planned beyond rest, so a late arrival costs you no safari time. Nairobi and Dar es Salaam also work, but each adds a connection.
Day 11 starts in the Serengeti. After breakfast you take a scheduled light-aircraft flight from the nearest airstrip to Arusha, then transfer to JRO, or connect onward via Dar es Salaam. Light aircraft take soft bags only, with a strict weight limit, usually around 15 kg including hand luggage, so pack for that from the start. An international flight from mid-afternoon onward is the safe choice.
Arusha National Park on day 2 lets you get over the flight with short drives before the longer days in Tarangire, Manyara and the crater.
One night gives you an afternoon. Two give you a full day along the river, where elephants gather in the dry months.
Day 9 moves to wherever the herds are that week, so the trip follows the migration rather than hoping it is near your lodge.
The flight from the Serengeti saves a full day on the road and gets you to the airport rested.
Answers to common questions about this 11-day northern safari.
Tell us when you would like to travel and we will send you a tailored quotation.
