6 Day Comprehensive North Tanzania Safari

Your safari begins with a drive from Arusha to Tarangire National Park, often called Tanzania’s hidden gem. This park is home to the country’s largest elephant populations and is dotted with ancient baobabs and sweeping savannahs. During the dry season, the Tarangire River becomes a magnet for wildlife.

Enjoy an unhurried afternoon game drive with chances to see elephants in large herds, lions sprawled under trees, and possibly even leopards or pythons. As the sun sets over the baobab-studded horizon, head to your lodge or tented camp just outside the park.

After breakfast, embark on a full-day journey to the world-famous Serengeti National Park. You’ll pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and arrive in the Central Serengeti by afternoon. Along the way, the landscape changes dramatically — from highland forests to endless savannah plains.

Upon entering the park, begin your first Serengeti game drive in the Seronera region, which is famous for its year-round lion, leopard, and cheetah sightings. By late afternoon, check in at your lodge or tented camp in the park’s heart, where wildlife often roams just beyond your canvas walls.

Spend the entire day immersed in the beauty and drama of the Central Serengeti. Wake early for a sunrise game drive, when predators are still hunting and the light is golden. Explore different habitats — from the iconic kopjes (granite outcrops) to the Seronera River valley.

Depending on the season, you may witness parts of the Great Migration or focus on the region’s impressive resident wildlife. Expect to see elephants, hippos, giraffes, topi, buffalo, and a host of predators. After a picnic lunch or midday break, continue exploring until sunset. Return to camp for a warm dinner and storytelling under the stars.

This morning marks your last Serengeti game drive as you journey toward Karatu. Wildlife remains active during the early hours — a great chance for final sightings of cats on the move or scavengers finishing off a kill.

Exit the Serengeti and drive through the Ngorongoro highlands, arriving in Karatu by late afternoon. Karatu is a peaceful agricultural town with lush green hills, coffee farms, and a refreshing climate. Settle into your lodge for the evening, nestled on the crater’s outer slopes.

Today is dedicated to exploring the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world’s most extraordinary natural wildlife sanctuaries. Descend into the 600-meter-deep caldera, home to over 25,000 animals including the endangered black rhino, large lion prides, hippos, hyenas, and herds of zebra and wildebeest.

After a picnic lunch near a hippo pool, continue your game drive before ascending back to the crater rim and returning to your Karatu lodge for a relaxing evening. This day is a photographer’s dream and one of the most concentrated wildlife viewing experiences in Africa.

On your final day, visit Lake Manyara National Park — a compact but diverse park at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment. Begin your game drive in groundwater forest where baboons and blue monkeys abound, then transition to open floodplains and acacia woodland.

This park is famed for its tree-climbing lions, massive troops of baboons, flamingo-covered lake shores, and elephants that sometimes emerge from the forest. After a final game drive and lunch, return to Arusha by late afternoon — your 6-day Northern Tanzania safari complete, with memories to last a lifetime.