9 Days Best of Northern Circuit lodge & tented camps safaris

You’ll indulge in an exclusive midrange safari across Tanzania’s Northern circuit, exploring Tarangire, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro. With comfortable full-board accommodation in tented camps, and lodges, you’ll have the opportunity to encounter the Big 5 with a high probability of sightings. You’ll spend 3 nights in Serengeti, providing ample time to explore Africa’s leading National Park and its rich wildlife, consistently recognized as the best for the fourth consecutive time.

Tour Highlights

  • Admire baobab, and elephants in Tarangire National Park
  • Spot the big 5 in Ngorongoro, and Serengeti
  • Excellent year around game viewing
  • Great sightings of lions, and cheetahs in Serengeti

Day by day

Day 1:
Arrive in Kilimanjaro International Airport

Welcome to Tanzania

Once you set foot in Tanzanian soil, you will immediately be embraced by the friendly nature of the people. Outside our representative awaits with a broad simile to welcome you, and accompany you to the lodge where you will receive heartfelt welcome. During the journey, you will catch a glimpse of Tanzania amazing landscape, and perhaps the ever presence Impressive Mt. Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, we will be provided with a briefing for your entire safari.

Destination: Arusha

Meals included: D

Accommodations: Mtoni River Lodge or Similar

Day 2:
Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: Tarangire National Park is named after Tarangire River that flows through its borders. One of its main highlights undoubtedly the large herds of majestic elephants, who thrive in the abundant food source available, making them bigger, and stronger than in any other place.

The parks landscape is also filled with many ancient baobab trees some of which are believed to be over 700yrs old, which adds to the stunning beauty of the landscape.

Keep your eyes peeled as you explore the park, and you may also spot lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, waterbucks, and more than 400 bird spices have been recorded here.

Lunch: picnic in the park.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll continue with our game-viewing to witness the wildlife of Tarangire National Park. Afterwards, we’ll head to our, permanent tented camp in the midst of the wilderness.

Dinner: At the camp.

Evening: You are free to remain in the lounge area to discuss the day’s activities.

Destination: Tarangire National Park

Meals included: B L D

Accommodations: Tarangire Tortillis Camp or Similar

Day 3:
Game viewing in Tarangire National Park

Breakfast: At the camp.

Morning: Explore one of Tanzania’s most rewarding national parks, a land of big baobab trees, big elephants and big cats. No wonder this ends up being the favorite park in Tanzania for many visitors. Sightings of wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, baboons, vervet monkeys and zebras are also almost guaranteed. Lions are plentiful here – Tarangire is home to one of Tanzania’s healthiest lion populations. While you’ll have to work a little harder to see a cheetah or leopard, it will only enhance your excitement when you do. You can also look forward to classic safari scenery – savannah plains, river woodlands and rocky hills.

Lunch: At the camp.

Afternoon: Enjoy an afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River the only source of water for the animals in the park

Dinner: At the camp.

Evening: You are free to remain in the lounge area to discuss the day’s activities.

Destination: Tarangire National Park

Meals included: B L D

Accommodations: Tarangire Tortillis Camp or Similar

Day 4:
Tarangire National Park to Karatu

Breakfast: At the Camp.

Morning: proceed with a walking tour in the farming town of Mto wa Mbu. This village is unique in Tanzania since it is home to over 120 different tribes from across Tanzania, and forms a colorful mix of languages and customs. Your walking guide will take you to rice and banana plantations, a local beer factory, a school, and a carving factory. Discover the traditional way of life of the villagers,

Lunch: local food

Afternoon: Leave the Rift Valley behind and make your way to the vegetation-rich Ngorongoro highlands. Soon, the higher lands are reached and a wonderful view of the Maasai Plains and Lake Manyara opens up before your, photo stops will be taken and you will be able to enjoy the spectacular views. You continue to your lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxing by the swimming pool.

Dinner: at the lodge

Evening: You are free to remain in the lounge area to discuss the day’s activities.

Destination: Ngorongoro Highlands

Meals: B L D

Accommodations: Marera Valley Lodge or Simillar

Day 5:
Ngorongoro Crater Tour to Serengeti National Park

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: We drive through the Ngorongoro conservation before descending, 610 meters down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 265 square kilometers. Despite its small size, the Crater is a Big 5 country and the openness of the terrain means easy and rewarding game viewing. You will spend the day exploring the crater floor, stopping to picnic on the grasslands amidst the grazing herds. Formed by a massive volcanic eruption, the world’s largest intact and un-flooded caldera provides a year-round home to an astonishing 25,000 large mammals including black rhino, wildebeest, and zebra along with Africa’s densest concentrations of hyena.

The Crater’s forests shelter elephants and buffalo, and its wetlands are home to hippos and flamingos while lions, jackals, leopards, and caracals make up the full range of predators. After lunch, you leave the crater behind and drive to the Serengeti National Park.

Lunch: picnic in the crater

Afternoon: We’ll reach our carefully selected tented camp by mid-afternoon and you’ll have time to settle in before dinner.

Destination: Serengeti National Park

Meals included: B L D

Accommodations: Serengeti Heritage Luxury Camp or Similar

Day 6:
Explore the Serengeti National Park

Breakfast: At the camp.

Morning: We’ll set out to explore the vast expanse of the Serengeti, where the wildlife sightings are typically at their peak in the early mornings and late afternoons, when the temperature cools. The multitude and diversity of wildlife species in this huge protected area are unrivaled anywhere on the planet. Serengeti, in fact, is the Maasai word that means “endless plain.” We’ll return to camp in between game-viewing drives for lunch.

Lunch: At the main dining tent.

Afternoon: After time to relax, we’ll head out on our afternoon game-viewing drive. Our guides will again help us identify the more elusive animal species, such as bat-eared fox and golden jackal, as well as rare birds like the purple grenadier and the red-cheeked cordon bleu. See if you can spot the odd-looking Secretary bird.

Dinner: At the main dining tent.

Evening: You are free to remain in the main dining tent area or around the campfire to discuss the day’s activities.

Destination: Serengeti National Park

Meals included: B L D

Accommodations: Serengeti Heritage Luxury Camp or Similar

Day 7:
Serengeti game-viewing drives

Breakfast: At the camp.

Morning: This morning’s game-viewing drive will focus on observing animal behavior and interactions. We don’t just stop to photograph the next animal on a list, but spend time really getting to know how different species behave. Throughout our ride, our driver-guides will provide expert insight on the various species we’ll encounter.

Lunch: At the camp.

Afternoon: Enjoy a couple of hours of free time before heading out for our final game-viewing excursion in the Serengeti. Isolated rock groups, called kopjes, provide shelter to the solitary leopard, and prides of lion. We’ll learn from our driver-guides about the clues that tell you if one has recently hunted or is about to hunt.

Dinner: At the camp.

Evening: You are free to retire to your tent to pack or rest up before tomorrow’s day of discoveries.

Destination: Serengeti National Park

Meals included: B L D

Accommodations: Serengeti Heritage Luxury Camp or Similar

Day 8:
Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Highlands

Breakfast:  At the Camp.

This morning is set aside for game drives in the Serengeti. The Serengeti boasts an abundance of wildlife such as impalas, buffalos, crocodiles, and hippos. In addition to the iconic landscapes, you have a good chance of encountering predators and you may see lions, cheetahs and leopards. It is a truly life-changing experience.
Lunch: Picnic in the wilderness,

Afternoon: (Optional) we’ll visiting the Oldupai gorge, and learn about the origin of human kind, and some time at the museum.

Dinner: at the lodge

Evening: You are free to remain in the main dining area or around the lodge to discuss the day’s wildlife.

Destination: Ngorongoro Highlands

Meals: B L D

Accommodations: Marera Valley lodge

Day 9:
Ngorongoro Highlands to Lake Manyara National Park

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: After a 30 minutes’ drive we’ll enter Lake manyara National Park, one of the smallest parks in Tanzania, named after the huge lake which covers a third of the parks area. Yet, Lake Manyara is the park with the greatest diversity of habitat than most huge parks, and a great array of wildlife.

You may find yourself in thick woodlands where elephants feast, and lions are lurking among tree brunches. Drive past muddy pools full of hippos, and mysterious jungle where baboons, and monkeys rule. The lake side where thousands of vibrant flamingoes, pelicans, and storks make their summer home.

Lunch: picnic overlooking the Lake,

Look for the impressive 400-Meters – deep Rift Valley Escarpment. A crack in the earth that stretches for a thousand kilometers across East-Africa. You will the park in the afternoon, and drive to the airport for you onward connection.

Suggestion.

You can extend your holiday with a visit to the crystal clear waters of the tropical Island of Zanzibar or Pemba.

Destination: Arusha

Meals included: B L 

Accommodations: No Accommodation

Included

  •  Airport transfer before, and after the safari
  • Safari according to the itinerary
  • Transportation on a well- maintained 4×4 safari Land cruiser
  • UNLIMITED Game drives
  • Well-trained safari guide
  • All accommodations as per itinerary
  • Meals according to the itinerary
  • Unlimited Mineral water on game drives
  • Tea and coffee stop on game drives
  • All National Park Fees

Excluded

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes
  • All meals and drinks not specified
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance.

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Tour Highlights

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Wildlife Common Seen.

Elephant

Giraffe

Lion

Buffalo

Thomson Gazelle

Zebra

Hippo

Hyena

Leopard

Cheetah

Monkey

Wildebeest

Wildlife Rare to be Seen.

Wilddog

Black Rhino

Serval Cat

Stripped Hyaena

Safari Activities, Best Time, Optional Activities

Game viewing plays an important role in conservation efforts by generating revenue for national parks and game reserves, which in turn helps to protect and preserve these areas for future generations.

Safari Activities Mto wa Mbu Village Tour, Game Viewing

The visited Destinations on this Safari Itinerary offers all year round perfect game-viewing

Best Time for the Safari All Year Long

There are some Optional Activities that can be done during this Safari. Such as Balloon safari, walking safari, oldupai gorge excursion

Otional Activities
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