Tour packages
The northern circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti — is Africa's most complete safari destination. The Great Migration, the Big Five, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar all within one country.
Ultra-LuxusPrivatPlunge-Pools, eher für Erwachsene
Ultra-LuxusPrivatPlunge-Pools, eher für Erwachsene
Ultra-LuxusPrivatWellness-Lodges jede Nacht
Ultra-LuxusPrivatWellness-Lodges jede Nacht
Ultra-LuxusPrivatWellness-Lodges jede Nacht
Three of Tanzania's most iconic wildlife experiences, three category-defining luxury lodges, and not a single wasted hour — this seven-day fly-in connects Lake Manyara's forest canopy, the Ngorongoro Crater's ancient caldera floor, and a private concession in the northern Serengeti in one seamless luxury circuit. Arrive at Kilimanjaro, reach a treehouse-style lodge by nightfall, and spend the next six nights living closer to Africa than most visitors dare.
Three of the northern circuit's finest wildlife parks followed by an overnight immersion with the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes at Lake Eyasi — all in five days, all without the long Serengeti drive. From elephant herds along the Tarangire River to tree-climbing lions in Lake Manyara, Big Five on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, and a dawn hunting walk with one of Earth's last hunter-gatherer peoples, this is the most comprehensive cultural safari variant on the northern circuit.
A point-to-point safari that begins at your Nairobi hotel and ends in Arusha eight days later, with no backtracking and no wasted kilometres. The route runs south through Kenya's Masai Mara for two nights of off-road driving and conservancy freedoms, crosses the Tanzania border at Isebania with a vehicle swap that marks the transition between two safari cultures, then traces the Serengeti from its western gate at Ikoma through to Seronera for two nights of classic central Serengeti game viewing. From there, the road climbs to the Ngorongoro highlands for a dawn crater descent and a final afternoon at Lake Manyara before the drive to Arusha. Fly into Nairobi, fly out of Kilimanjaro. Four parks, two countries, one continuous ecosystem.
Nine days from Kilimanjaro country to Nairobi, moving through Tanzania's northern circuit parks in strict chronological order — Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti — before crossing the border at Isebania into Kenya's Masai Mara for three nights of off-road driving, bush walks, and night game drives. A one-way safari that builds toward its climax: Tanzania teaches you the rules, Kenya breaks them open.
The comprehensive overland loop through Kenya and Tanzania: six parks, two countries, two border crossings, and thirteen days of forward-only driving that never retraces a road. Three nights in the Masai Mara allow off-road tracking at a depth that two-night itineraries cannot match. Ngorongoro Crater gets its own unhurried day — no transit pressure, no afternoon transfer, just five hours on the caldera floor and an evening in the Karatu highlands to process it. Tarangire adds a park that the shorter circle skips entirely. And two nights in Amboseli give Kilimanjaro the time it deserves. The route draws the same closed polygon as the 10-day version but pauses at each vertex long enough to see what speed conceals.
Eight parks across two countries in fifteen days, entirely by road. This is the most comprehensive overland safari available in East Africa. The route begins where the shorter circle itineraries do not: in Kenya's Rift Valley, with a full day at Lake Nakuru for both species of rhino and a walking safari at Crescent Island on Lake Naivasha where you move on foot among giraffes, zebras, and wildebeest without a fence or a vehicle between you. Three nights in the Masai Mara give the predators time to reveal their behavior rather than just their location. Then the border at Isebania, a vehicle swap, and the Serengeti from the western Ikoma Gate. Ngorongoro Crater gets its own unhurried day. Tarangire fills an afternoon and morning with dry-season elephant herds. Lake Manyara delivers its compact biodiversity in a half-day circuit. And the loop closes through Amboseli, with Kilimanjaro filling the southern sky, before arriving back in Nairobi. Two border crossings, two vehicle swaps, zero flights, and the Rift Valley lakes that every other cross-border itinerary skips.
Tanzania is Africa's premier safari destination, drawing more than 90% of its visitors to the northern circuit — a sequence of parks that runs from the elephant country of Tarangire through the volcanic Ngorongoro highlands and into the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. For those with more time or a taste for solitude, the southern parks of Ruaha and Nyerere and the remote western wilderness of Mahale and Katavi offer fly-in alternatives where you may go entire game drives without seeing another vehicle.
The standard northern circuit runs in a single direction: Arusha → Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Karatu/Ngorongoro → Serengeti. Each leg follows a well-maintained road and there are no backtrack days, so the route works efficiently even on tighter schedules.
Tarangire National Park (2–2.5 hrs from Arusha): Africa's highest elephant densities in the dry season, ancient baobab forests, and 550+ bird species. Park fee: $59.10/adult/day. Best June–October when the Tarangire River acts as the only water source for miles around and animals converge in thousands.
Lake Manyara National Park (1.5–2 hrs from Tarangire gate): Famous for its tree-climbing lions, groundwater forest, and flamingo-ringed alkaline lake. A half-day here pairs well with a stay in Karatu, 30–45 minutes away. Park fee: $59.10/adult/day.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area (20–30 min from Karatu): The crater — 264 sq km on its floor — holds one of Africa's densest wildlife populations: black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, and cheetah compressed into a world-heritage caldera. Karatu is the standard overnight base (45 min to the crater rim), though rim lodges are available for those who want the crater at their doorstep. NCA conservation fee: $82.60/adult/day. The crater floor has a strict 6-hour maximum stay per visit.
Serengeti National Park (3–4 hrs from Karatu via Ngorongoro): Africa's most iconic savanna. Park fee: $82.60/adult/day. The Serengeti has four distinct areas — central Seronera (year-round predators, the standard base), southern plains/Ndutu (calving December–March), western corridor (Grumeti River crossings in June), and northern Kogatende (Mara River crossings July–October). Which part you visit should depend on your travel dates.
Cross-links: great migration timing · Kilimanjaro climbing · Zanzibar safari and beach combos
Tanzania's southern parks sit in a different league from the north: more remote, with fewer visitors, a longer immersion required, and experiences not possible in the national parks — boat safaris, walking safaris, fly-camping.
Ruaha National Park covers 20,226 sq km, making it Tanzania's largest national park. It holds an estimated 10% of the world's remaining lions, the largest elephant population in East Africa, and is one of very few places where both greater and lesser kudu coexist. The relative quiet is matched by a relative bargain on fees: $35.40/adult/day, less than half the Serengeti rate. Flying from Dar es Salaam takes roughly two hours.
Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous Game Reserve) is Africa's largest protected area and the only park in Tanzania offering Rufiji River boat safaris — the hippos and crocodiles come to you rather than the other way round. Walking safaris and fly-camping are also permitted. Park fee: $82.60/adult/day. Gateway: Dar es Salaam, 30–45 minutes by air or 4–5 hours by road. Most camps close March–May during the long rains.
For true remote wilderness, the western circuit adds Katavi (vast dry-season hippo and crocodile spectacles, June–October only) and Mahale (chimpanzee trekking on the shore of Lake Tanganyika). Both are fly-in only destinations requiring at minimum three to four nights each.
Cross-links: Tanzania's remote southern parks
| Month | Best area | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec–Mar | Southern Serengeti (Ndutu) | Calving season — 500,000 wildebeest born; intense predator action |
| Jun | Western Corridor (Grumeti) | Grumeti River crossings; far fewer vehicles than the north |
| Jul–Oct | Northern Serengeti (Kogatende) | Mara River crossings; peak season — book well ahead |
| Jun–Oct | Tarangire | Dry season: elephant herds at Tarangire River |
| Jun–Oct | Ngorongoro, Ruaha, Nyerere | Peak dry across all parks — reliable game viewing |
| Apr–May | Anywhere | Long rains; most southern camps close; not recommended |
The largest variable is lodge tier. Verified accommodation rack rates for Tanzania mainland (per double room per night, high season, full-board including game drives) run: mid-range $200–$420, luxury $500–$850, and ultra-luxury $900–$4,000. Park fees add to this: Serengeti and Ngorongoro are $82.60/adult/day; Tarangire and Lake Manyara are $59.10/adult/day; Ruaha and Mikumi are $35.40/adult/day.
The prices on this site are per person, direct from the operator — no middleman markup layered on. For comparison between budget and luxury options, see value-tier Tanzania safaris and Tanzania's top luxury lodges.
The international gateway for Tanzania's northern circuit is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), about 45 km east of Arusha. Most international visitors fly via Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha. Arusha is 2–2.5 hours from Tarangire gate. For the southern circuit the gateway is Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR).
Bush flights from Arusha connect to all northern-circuit airstrips: Seronera (central Serengeti) in approximately 1 hour, Ndutu in approximately 1 hour, and Kogatende (northern Serengeti) in approximately 1.5 hours. If you start or finish in Nairobi, see Tanzania safari from Nairobi.
Tanzania for the Great Migration's full arc — three of its four seasonal phases happen on the Tanzanian side of the border, in the Serengeti. Also Tanzania for Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and the southern wilderness parks that have no Kenyan equivalent. Kenya for conservancy experiences (night drives, walking safaris, horseback) that are not permitted in Tanzania's national parks, easier access from Nairobi, and northern dry-country specials in Samburu that you won't find in the south. Many itineraries combine both countries. See Kenya safari itineraries.
Tours
