Overview
This is the perfect introduction to Tanzania. Featuring the Northern Circuit, this safari includes popular highlights and hidden gems found along the famous route. It starts in the remote Tarangire National Park, and you’ll also visit the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
Highlights
- Perfect introduction to Tanzania’s Northern Circuit
- Expertly guided game drives in Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti
- Phenomenal wildlife experiences and game-viewing
- Ideal for following the Great Migration in July, August, and September
- Small and intimate camps that put you in the prime game-view areas
Itinerary
This journey takes in the best of northern Tanzania, with a quiet start in Arusha and then three of Africa's most famous wildlife areas. You spend time among Tarangire's elephants, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, and finish in the Serengeti at a mobile camp that keeps you close to the wildlife and the Great Migration. Your Munzat host looks after every detail along the way.
You are taken to Rivertrees Country Inn, at the end of one of Arusha's prettiest tree-lined drives. The main house has a homely lounge, a bar and a veranda for evenings outdoors, and there is a swimming pool and a massage banda if you would like to start unwinding straight away. You stay in a Garden Room, named for its views.
After breakfast, you leave Arusha for Tarangire National Park and Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge, an adventurous base in the heart of the park. You stay in a tented suite for two nights, and after lunch you head out on your first game drive.
Tarangire's wide plains are home to a rich variety of wildlife, from elephants to smaller predators and herbivores, with hundreds of bird species. Your activities include expertly guided game drives, walking safaris and community and cultural visits. Tarangire is also one of the few parks in Tanzania where night drives are possible, which gives you a chance to see the bush after dark. Night drives cost extra.
Today you continue to the foothills of the Ngorongoro Crater and Plantation Lodge, a charming lodge with well-appointed Standard Rooms and garden views. You stay here for two nights. Spend the afternoon relaxing or exploring the grounds.
Today you descend into the crater for a full-day excursion. This enclosed landscape holds a huge concentration of wildlife, and you may find all of the Big 5. Back at the lodge, you can join a guided walk through the coffee plantations or visit a local farm to see how the land is worked.
Travel to the Serengeti, where you stay for four nights at Wayo Serengeti Green Camp, an authentic mobile bush camp with a comfortable, down-to-earth feel. It sets up in the part of the Serengeti where the wildlife is best at the time of your visit.
Your days are built around game drives and walking safaris. A short walk with an expert guide is a highlight here, giving you a different view of the ecosystem, from tracks and insects to the way the plains work. The camp is well placed to see the resident predators and, depending on the season, the Great Migration. The herds follow the rains, so timing can't be promised, but your guide will keep you flexible and close to the action.
If you would like to see the plains from above, a hot-air balloon flight can be arranged. This is optional and costs extra.
After breakfast, you travel by road to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward journey. If you would like to stay longer, we can add a beach stay in Zanzibar, extra nights in the Serengeti or a stay in Arusha.