This is the journey that defines a Tanzanian safari. Over seven days you’ll travel with your own private guide and vehicle through the heart of the Northern Circuit — from the elephant herds of Tarangire to the vast golden grasslands of the Serengeti, and finally down into Ngorongoro Crater, a natural amphitheatre teeming with life.
Every night is spent in a hand-picked lodge or tented camp chosen for its setting, service and sense of place. There are no fixed departure dates and no shared vehicles — just a pace that lets you linger at a sighting, take a long lunch under an acacia, or watch the light change over the plains.
Ideal for first-time safari travellers, couples and families, and easily extended with a few days on the beaches of Zanzibar.
Day by day
Your itinerary
You’ll be met at Kilimanjaro International Airport by your guide and driven to a peaceful lodge set among coffee plantations on the slopes of Mount Meru. The afternoon is yours to unwind in the gardens, enjoy a welcome massage, or sit down with your guide over a sundowner to talk through the week ahead.
After an early breakfast, drive to Tarangire, famous for its towering baobabs and some of the largest elephant herds in East Africa. Spend the day following the Tarangire River, where wildlife gathers to drink: elephant families, giraffe, buffalo and the lions that follow them. A picnic lunch overlooking the river breaks up the day before you continue to your lodge on the park’s edge.
Travel through the green highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend onto the Serengeti plains, the landscape that inspired the Maasai name Siringet, “the endless land.” Game drive en route to central Serengeti, arriving at your camp in time for a sundowner as the light turns gold across the grasslands.
A full day to explore central Serengeti, one of the best regions in Africa for big cats. Head out at dawn when predators are most active, scan the kopjes for resting lions and leopards in the sausage trees along the Seronera River. Return to camp for lunch and a rest, or stay out all day with a bush picnic.
Enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti, perhaps catching the zebra and wildebeest that graze the plains, before driving back into the cool highlands. Your lodge sits on the forested rim of Ngorongoro Crater, with sweeping views down to the crater floor. Fireside drinks await as the evening mist rolls in.
Descend at first light into Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and a self-contained world of wildlife. Spend the morning on the crater floor watching lion, hyena, buffalo, hippo and huge flocks of flamingo, and keep an eye out for the rare black rhino. After a picnic lunch by a hippo pool, return to the rim for a relaxed final evening.
After a leisurely breakfast, drive back to Arusha for lunch before your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight, or continue to Zanzibar for a few days of barefoot relaxation by the Indian Ocean.
The details
