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

   Arusha to Tarangire

   After breakfast you leave Arusha and travel on toward 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. Look for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife as the light softens through the afternoon. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Tarangire.

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

   Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Highlands

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. 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

   Ngorongoro Highlands to Ngorongoro Crater

   The day opens in Ngorongoro Highlands with a morning departure for Ngorongoro Crater, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. This is good country in which to look for 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. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro Crater camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

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

   Serengeti to Arusha

   You leave Serengeti after breakfast and head for Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through 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. Dinner is served at your Arusha camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Arusha Safari

   You have a complete day in Arusha, starting early while the air is still cool and animals are active. Much of the day is spent among 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. Lunch is either taken back at camp or carried as a picnic so you can stay out longer. The evening returns you to your Arusha 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. Once you reach Arusha there is time to check in before heading out among 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. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.