8-Day Luxury Tanzania Northern Circuit Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Serengeti → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Arusha

   Meet the local team for a private transfer and trip briefing, then rest at the confirmed Arusha property before the safari begins. Arusha is northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. Dinner and overnight are at your hotel in Arusha.

2. Day 2

   Arusha to Tarangire

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Arusha bound for Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. The evening is spent at your Tarangire accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

3. Day 3

   Tarangire to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Highlands

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Tarangire to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Take a final Tarangire drive, continue to Lake Manyara for a focused safari, and finish in the cooler Ngorongoro highlands. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. The evening is spent at your Ngorongoro Highlands accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Full-Day Ngorongoro Crater Safari

   Descend for the regulated crater-floor game-drive window, then return to a highland or onward Serengeti property according to the confirmed route. The drives cover a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor, moving between habitats as conditions change. There is the possibility of seeing lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. Descending for a crater-floor game drive is the centrepiece, usually with a picnic lunch beside a hippo pool. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Ngorongoro Crater.

5. Day 5

   Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti

   The morning starts in Ngorongoro Crater, from where you continue overland to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner is served at your Serengeti camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   Explore at a private pace, balancing early and late drives with time to enjoy the property between wildlife outings. You travel through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are again at your Serengeti camp or lodge.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   Use another full day to reach a complementary Serengeti area, always following current road and wildlife conditions. Much of the day is spent among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, depending on season and conditions. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. The evening returns you to your Serengeti accommodation for dinner and overnight.

8. Day 8

   Serengeti to Arusha

   You leave Serengeti after breakfast and head for Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival in Arusha is usually in the afternoon, depending on traffic and road conditions on the approach. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport in Arusha.