Classic Northern Circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti
Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti
Cost
On request
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Safari itinerary
Plains and Then the Sea — Northern Circuit & Zanzibar
Duration
10 days
Group
Private departure
Pace
Relaxed
Best season
June – October, and December – February
This is how most people should finish a safari, and the ones who skip it usually regret it. Six days across Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, then a flight from the Serengeti airstrip directly to Zanzibar — no backtracking to Arusha, no wasted day.
Which beach you end up on depends on what you actually want. The east coast has the reef and the snorkelling but the tide goes a long way out; the north around Nungwi and Kendwa is swimmable at any hour. We will ask before we book.
Parks visited
Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Zanzibar
Highlights
What makes this trip
- Direct flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, no backtracking
- Three nights in the Serengeti
- Dawn on the crater floor
- One night in Stone Town before the beach
- Coast chosen for the tide you actually want
Day by day
The itinerary
Met at Kilimanjaro International and driven into Arusha. We come by in the evening to walk through the trip.
Overnight: Lodge in Arusha
Meals: D
Two hours to the gate and an afternoon along the river, among baobabs and the largest elephant herds on the circuit.
Overnight: Camp, Tarangire
Meals: B, L, D
A morning drive, then west and up through Mto wa Mbu onto the Ngorongoro highlands. Cold at night, and worth the fleece.
Overnight: Lodge on the crater rim
Meals: B, L, D
Down at six with a packed breakfast for the morning on the floor, then on across the conservation area and into the Serengeti in the afternoon.
Overnight: Camp, central Serengeti
Meals: B, L, D
A full day in the Seronera valley. Out early, back through the heat of the middle of the day, out again for the last two hours of light.
Overnight: Camp, central Serengeti
Meals: B, L, D
A flexible day — south to the short-grass plains, north towards the Mara, or nowhere at all if the morning gives you a reason to stay. Optional balloon flight at dawn.
Overnight: Camp, central Serengeti
Meals: B, L, D
A last morning drive, then the flight from Seronera to Zanzibar. Transfer into Stone Town in the late afternoon and a walk before dinner.
Overnight: Hotel, Stone Town
Meals: B, L
A guided morning on foot — the market, the old dispensary, the former slave market and the cathedral built on it — then out to the beach for the afternoon.
Overnight: Beach hotel, Zanzibar
Meals: B
Yours. Snorkelling at Mnemba, a dhow at sunset, Jozani forest and the red colobus, or nothing at all.
Overnight: Beach hotel, Zanzibar
Meals: B
A slow morning and the transfer to Zanzibar airport for your flight home or on to Dar es Salaam.
Overnight: —
Meals: B
The price
What is and is not included
Included
- All park, crater and concession fees
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and a window seat each
- Your own licensed guide throughout
- Accommodation on the stated basis
- All meals from lunch on day one
- Drinking water, coffee and tea in the vehicle
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Flying Doctors evacuation cover
- Internal flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar
Not included
- International flights
- Tanzanian visa
- Travel and medical insurance
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Balloon flights and other optional extras
- Laundry and personal items
Before you ask
Common questions
North (Nungwi, Kendwa) if swimming at any hour matters most. East (Paje, Jambiani, Matemwe) if you want the reef and do not mind the tide going out. Tell us which and we will book accordingly.
No, but give it a night. It is a working city rather than a preserved one, and the history in it is worth a guided morning.
It runs daily in season with a stop or two. We build the day so that a delay costs you an afternoon, not a night.
Enquire
Ask about this itinerary
Want it longer, shorter, in a different month, or at a different level of camp? Say so — we will price the version you actually want.
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