✦Most loved · Savannah

The NorthernCircuit

Tarangire elephants. Serengeti plains. The Crater floor. Tanzania's classic, perfected.

8 days · 7 nights4 parksBest: Jun to Oct
Nights
7
Parks
4
In season
Jun to Oct
Park fees, itemised
On request
The journey

There is a route in northern Tanzania that has quietly ruined people for every other kind of travel. It begins in Tarangire National Park, home to the largest elephant concentration in northern Tanzania, where ancient families move between baobab groves like they own the land. Because they do. From there the route pushes west into the central Serengeti, where the plains stretch past every horizon you have ever imagined, lions sleep in the open midday sun, and the Great Migration writes itself across the grass in a language older than any map.

Eight days. Three parks. The full weight of the Tanzanian wild. The route closes with a full descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's largest intact volcanic caldera, sheltering one of Africa's densest concentrations of the Big Five within a single bowl of ancient earth. June through October is dry-season prime: the air clear, the game viewing at its sharpest, the trails firm. January and February bring the calving spectacle to the short-grass plains and a different kind of drama.

This is the Tanzania northern circuit safari the way it was meant to be done. No rushed game drives, no filler nights, no lodge chosen because it pays the best commission. The lodges are yours to choose, the experiences are yours to layer in, and the way you cross the country is yours to set. Every stop earns its place because you put it there. Park fees, lodge nights and vehicle days are itemised on the page before you book. What we quote is what you pay.

Every camp on the route is yours to choose. Park fees, lodge nights and vehicle days are itemised on the page before you book. What we quote is what you pay.

The route
The journey, day by day.
8 days · 4 stops
  1. 1
    Arusha
    1 night
  2. 2
    Tarangire
    2 nights
  3. 3
    Seronera SerengetiCentrepiece
    3 nights
  4. 4
    Ngorongoro Crater
    1 night
Arusha City1
01
Arusha City1 night
A soft landing after the long flight.
01Hotel pickup at JRO
02Walk in the gardens of your town lodge
03Early start the next morning
Tarangire National Park2
02
Tarangire National Park2 nights
Baobabs and the country's biggest elephant herds.
01Game drives in the Silale and Tarangire river valleys
02Walking safari at golden hour
03Evening on the verandah at your camp
Seronera Central Serengeti
3✦The centrepiece
Days 4 to 6 · 3 nights
Seronera Central Serengeti
The plains that built the genre.
Full days across the southern plains
Resident lion, leopard and cheetah territory
Optional hot-air balloon at dawn
Ngorongoro Crater4
04
Ngorongoro Crater1 night
A 600 metre descent into a world apart.
01Sunrise descent onto the crater floor
02Big Five in a single bowl of ancient earth
03Pink alkali flamingos on Lake Magadi
Wildlife

What you'll typically see

Wildlife is wild, so we quote likelihood, not promises. Bars reflect this route in this season.

Tarangire elephants
Tarangire elephants
Multi-generational herds in the dry-season corridor
Very likely
Serengeti lions
Serengeti lions
Resident prides on the plains around Seronera
Very likely
Leopard in the kopjes
Leopard in the kopjes
Granite outcrops are the best leopard line-up in the park
Very likely
Crater black rhino
Crater black rhino
One of the last places to see them at distance
Likely
Seronera plains herds
Seronera plains herds
Resident wildebeest and zebra hold the central plains year-round; the great migration passes through mainly April to June.
Very likely
Choose your stay

Pick your lodges by budget.

Most operators lock you to one lodge per stop. We give you three price tiers: pick the same tier across the trip, or splurge on one night and save on another after you submit.

Park fees

Park fees, shown.

Other operators bury them. We put TANAPA, NCAA and WMA fees on the page before you book, itemised, with a per-night rate you can audit.

ArushaTarangireSeroneraNgorongoro
01Arusha City$0
02Tarangire National Park$0
03Seronera Central Serengeti$0
04Ngorongoro Crater$0
No hidden line items
Every fee shown before deposit.
Quotes match invoices
What we quote is what you pay.
Total · per person
$0
The 4×4 and Crater permits are shared across your group, so the per-person total falls as more travellers join.
Based on 2 adults, 1 vehicle, standard season. Recomputes as you adjust the panel.

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