7 Days Epic Northern Tanzania Safari

Experience the very best of Tanzania’s famous Northern Safari Circuit on this 7 Days Epic Northern Tanzania Safari. This unforgettable journey takes you through Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. Encounter the Big Five, witness vast herds of elephants, explore the endless plains of the Serengeti, and descend into one of the world’s largest intact volcanic calderas, home to an extraordinary concentration of wildlife.

Whether you are travelling during the Great Migration or any other season, this safari offers exceptional game viewing, spectacular scenery, rich cultural experiences, and unforgettable memories.

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional safari guide and transferred to your hotel in Arusha.

Depending on your arrival time, relax at the hotel or explore the city before your safari briefing.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Arusha Planet Lodge

Mid-range: Four Points by Sheraton Arusha

Luxury: Gran Meliá Arusha

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, one of Tanzania’s finest wildlife destinations.

Enjoy a full-day game drive while exploring the park’s open savannah, river valleys, and iconic baobab trees. Tarangire is famous for its large elephant herds and is home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, warthogs, and over 550 bird species.

After a picnic lunch, continue your afternoon game drive before transferring to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Fanaka Safari Camp

Mid-range: Marera Valley Lodge

Luxury: Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Lake Manyara National Park to Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.

Explore its groundwater forests, open grasslands, and lakeshore habitats while searching for elephants, hippos, baboons, giraffes, flamingos, and the park’s famous tree-climbing lions.

Later, continue through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before arriving in Serengeti National Park. Enjoy an afternoon game drive en route to your lodge.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Seronera Public Campsite

Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage Camp

Luxury: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Full Day Safari in Serengeti National Park

Spend an entire day exploring the world-famous Serengeti.

Search for the Big Five while observing lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, hippos, crocodiles, and countless antelope species.

Depending on the season, your guide will take you to areas where the Great Migration can be best experienced.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in the wilderness before continuing your afternoon game drive.

Accommodation

As Above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Second Full Day in Serengeti National Park

Another full day allows you to explore different regions of the Serengeti ecosystem.

Track predators during the early morning hours, observe wildlife behaviour, and visit areas with excellent opportunities for photography. Your guide will adjust the day’s route based on recent wildlife movements to maximise your safari experience.

Return to your accommodation in the evening.

Accommodation

As Above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After breakfast, enjoy a final morning game drive as you leave the Serengeti.

Travel towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area while continuing to enjoy wildlife sightings along the route. Stop at scenic viewpoints overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater before checking into your lodge on the crater rim.

Spend the evening relaxing while preparing for the next day’s crater safari.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Simba Public Campsite

Mid-range: Rhino Lodge

Luxury: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Safari and Return to Arusha

After an early breakfast, descend approximately 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day game drive.

The crater supports one of Africa’s highest concentrations of wildlife, including black rhinos, lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, hyenas, zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, warthogs, and hundreds of bird species.

Enjoy a picnic lunch near the hippo pool before ascending the crater and driving back to Arusha.

Arrive in the late afternoon and transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport or your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Optional Activities

• Hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti
• Champagne bush breakfast
• Visit to a Maasai village
• Olduvai Gorge archaeological tour
• Guided wildlife photography safari
• Bird watching excursion
• Walking safari in a designated conservation area
• Coffee plantation tour in Arusha
• Cultural tour in Mto wa Mbu
• Scenic flight over the Serengeti
• Bush dinner experience
• Sundowner experience
• Night game drive in Lake Manyara (where available)
• Canoeing on Lake Manyara (seasonal)
• Mountain biking in Mto wa Mbu

Best Time to Visit

This safari can be enjoyed throughout the year, with each season offering unique wildlife experiences. The dry season from June to October provides outstanding game viewing as animals gather around permanent water sources. From December to March, the southern Serengeti hosts the wildebeest calving season, while the famous Mara River crossings are typically experienced between July and October in the northern Serengeti. Tarangire is particularly rewarding during the dry season when large elephant herds congregate along the Tarangire River, and the Ngorongoro Crater offers exceptional wildlife viewing in every month of the year.