Classic Northern Circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti
Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti
Cost
On request
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Safari itinerary
Tanzania Express — Four Northern Parks in Five Days
Duration
5 days
Group
Private or group
Pace
Moderate
Best season
June – October, and January – March
Five days is the least we would recommend for a first safari, and it is enough — provided the route is planned so that no day is spent only travelling. This one runs Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and the southern Serengeti in a tight loop, with the crater on the way back rather than as a detour.
It is also the itinerary we run as a small-group departure, which makes it the sensible choice for solo travellers: you get a window seat and a guide without paying for a private vehicle.
Who it suits
Travellers with a week or less in the country, solo travellers, and anyone adding a safari to a Kilimanjaro climb or a business trip. The days are full and the driving is real.
Parks visited
Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti
Highlights
What makes this trip
- Four parks in five days without a wasted morning
- Runs as a small group, so solo travellers pay less
- Crater floor on the way home rather than as a detour
- Same guide throughout
- Works either side of a Kilimanjaro climb
Day by day
The itinerary
Collected in Arusha after breakfast and in the park by late morning. Afternoon game drive along the Tarangire river, which from July is the only water for a very long way and pulls in the elephant herds the park is known for.
Overnight: Lodge near Tarangire
Meals: L, D
A half day in Manyara — groundwater forest, baboon troops, and flamingo on the soda lake when the water is right — then up the Rift escarpment to the Ngorongoro highlands in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Lodge, Karatu
Meals: B, L, D
Across the conservation area with the crater rim on your right, past Olduvai Gorge, and down onto the southern plains. Afternoon game drive as you work north towards Seronera.
Overnight: Camp, central Serengeti
Meals: B, L, D
A full morning in the Seronera valley — the most reliable big-cat country in the park — then the drive back east, arriving on the crater rim for the night.
Overnight: Lodge on the crater rim
Meals: B, L, D
Down the descent road at six with a packed breakfast, and the morning on the crater floor. Up in the early afternoon and back to Arusha or Kilimanjaro International by evening.
Overnight: —
Meals: B, L
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
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
For a first safari, yes — you will see the country and the big animals. What you give up is the unhurried version: sitting with a sighting for an hour, or waiting out a leopard. If you have seven days, take seven.
Yes. This is the route we run as a fixed-date small group, capped at six guests with a window seat each, and it goes ahead even if only two people book.
Between three and six hours on the two transfer days. Everything else is game driving rather than getting somewhere.
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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