This Great Northern Circuit Safari – 13 days tour covers all major parks of Northern Tanzania, furthermore, you will have lots of opportunities to meet with local communities. This off the beaten track itinerary will ensure that you get away from the tourist comfort zone, and experience the African bush from the comfort of a tented camp.

Safari Itinerary

Day One: Arrival

You will be met at the airport in Arusha (JRO) by your driver/guide and our representative. We will take you to the Mount Meru Game Lodge (or similar) at Arusha for a free day of leisure, with your safari starting the next day. Dinner is included.

Day Two: Lake Manyara

The driver/guide will pick you up at 9 am, then you’ll drive across the floor of the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive. This beautiful park with its lush vegetation and tropical forests of giant fig and mahogany trees takes its name from the Maasai word for “euphorbia tirucalli”, a bush which is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and a variety of antelope inhabit the park as well as a variety of monkeys and a large population of hippos.

If you are lucky you may see the Manyara lions, well known for their tree climbing habits, lazily resting on the branches of an “Acacia Tortilis” tree. The birdlife is also abundant, with flamingoes, pelicans, hornbills and plenty of forest species. Overnight at Ol Mesera Tented Camp. All meals included.

Days Three to Four: Lake Natron

In the morning drive to Lake Natron, passing the active volcano Oldonyo Lengai! At Lake Natron check-in in the Lake Natron Tented Camp, then we’ll visit the lake with its flamingoes. All meals included.

Day Five to Six: Serengeti

After breakfast you start on your way to Serengeti National Park, crossing Loliondo Game Reserve. Overnight at our Mapito tented camp Serengeti in the Serengeti. All meals included. In the morning, we do a walking tour, then return to the Serengeti, for another full day game drive (may be close to the migration depending on the time of year). Overnight at our Mapito tented camp Serengeti in the Serengeti. All meals are included.

Days Seven to Eight: Lake Victoria

Game-drive to Lake Victoria. In the afternoon drive into the nearby hills to take a look at rural Africa, passing through the small villages of the Sakuma people, who grow cotton, groundnuts, sorghum and cassava as well as keeping livestock. Life carries on here, simply as it has done for centuries, but with a few poignant reminders of the 20th Century! See the local school and take a stroll to the top of a small kopje. Overnight at Speke Bay Lodge. All meals included.

Day Nine: Serengeti – Ngorongoro

Return to the Serengeti. Depending on the time of year and the location of the migration herds, you can expect to see wildebeest, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos, antelopes and many birds and other species. Your driver/guide will be in contact with other safari drivers and will amaze you with his skill at locating the hidden animals. Overnight at Ndutu Safari Lodge in the Serengeti/Ngorongoro. All meals included.

Day Ten: Ngorongoro

After breakfast, we depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Upon arrival at late morning, you will spend the day game driving in the crater. As very few animals migrate in and out of the crater with its 2000 ft. high walls, you can expect to see lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, flamingos, jackals, rhinos, antelopes, many birds and many other species. Overnight at Ngorongoro Farmhouse. All meals included.

Day Eleven: Ngorongoro – Lake Eyasi

From Ngorongoro, you proceed to Lake Eyasi – home to the hunter-gathers, an ethnic group of the Hadzabe Bushmen bearing similar characteristics to those of Bushmen in Southern Africa. The small people of this indigenous tribe are probably the last living in true harmony with nature and have a wealth of Fauna and Flora knowledge to share with us. The two days are filled with tours and game walks guided by bushmen taking you on their traditional hunting tracks. Overnight at a Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp. All meals included.

Day Twelve: Tarangire

After breakfast, we depart for Tarangire, Tanzania’s third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah and up to six thousand elephants. Overnight two nights at Maramboi Tented Camp. All meals included.

Day Thirteen: Arusha

One final morning game drive before leaving. In the afternoon we will reach Arusha and you will stay in a day room at Mount Meru Game Lodge or similar. Departure transfer to airport for your onward journey. Breakfast and lunch included. This safari is also available as a camping safari, or if you like we can extend your holiday with a stay in Zanzibar.