Join one of our most popular 5-day itineraries, a classic northern circuit safari that mixes the adventure of camping with the comfort of lodges. You’ll visit four of Tanzania’s most celebrated destinations: Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Serengeti National Parks, plus the Ngorongoro Crater, where more than 25,000 large animals roam inside the caldera. Each stop brings a different landscape, from the groundwater forests and soda lake of Manyara to the baobab-dotted hills of Tarangire, the endless plains of the Serengeti, and the dramatic crater walls of Ngorongoro. Along the way you can look for the Big Five and a rich variety of other wildlife, including lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, and wildebeest. Alternating between camps and lodges gives you the thrill of sleeping close to nature on some nights and the comfort of a proper bed and hot shower on others. It’s a well-balanced, great-value journey packed with variety, and one you’ll remember for years to come.
The “Big Five big cats” in your text isn’t accurate, since the Big Five are lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino, so I wrote it as “the Big Five.” The landscape details and animal list are my additions, so adjust them to match your actual itinerary.
Life on Safari
You’ll be picked up from your hotel after breakfast and driven to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third-largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lions, leopards, cheetahs, and up to six thousand elephants. The park is perfect for bird watching as the park has over 300 species of birds. You’ll go to the lodge which is outside the park.
Safari Season Overview – Tarangire National Park
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Time to Visit | July–November |
| High Season | June–October |
| Best Weather | June–October |
Accommodation:
Suricata Boma Lodge – Mid-range lodge
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you’ll depart for Serengeti National Park you will have a game drive searching for large predators and gentle herbivores on which they feed. We’ll drive and stop for lunch at the Naabi Hill gate of Serengeti National Park. After lunch, we’ll open the roof of the vehicle for a game drive as you head to our campsite for dinner and your overnight stay.
Optional:
On the way to Serengeti, there are about 4 Maasai villages where tourists have opportunities to visit. If you are interested at an extra cost, you can visit and experience the life of the Maasai people.
Safari Season Overview – Serengeti National Park
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Time to Visit | January–February and June–October |
| High Season | July–March |
| Best Weather | June–October |
Accommodation:
Ang’ata Serengeti Camp – Luxury tented camp
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
After breakfast, you will have a morning game drive in the plains of the Serengeti, with a picnic lunch until afternoon. Later, you’ll proceed to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to sleep.
You will have a game drive as you head to the Naabi Hill gate. You’ll have lunch at the gate and then start to head to Ngorongoro.
Safari Season Overview – Serengeti National Park
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Time to Visit | January–February and June–October |
| High Season | July–March |
| Best Weather | June–October |
Accommodation:
Budget camping – Inside Serengeti NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
You’ll descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive exploring the short-grass plains and Lake Magadi of the crater floor. This extinct volcano embraces 100 sq miles and is alive with lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, buffalos, hippos, and much more wildlife. If you are lucky, you may see the rare black rhino. Later, you will ascend to the top and proceed to the camp for your overnight stay after enjoying the beauty of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Safari Season Overview – Ngorongoro Crater
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Time to Visit | June–October |
| High Season | July–March |
| Best Weather | June–October |
Accommodation:
Suricata Boma Lodge – Mid-range lodge
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
You will drive to Lake Manyara National Park in the Great Rift Valley. After a picnic lunch in the park home to colorful birds, elephants, and hippos we will have an afternoon game drive.
Later in the afternoon, we will transfer you to Arusha and drop you off at a preferred hotel.
Safari Season Overview – Lake Manyara National Park
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Best Time to Visit | June–October |
| High Season | July–March |
| Best Weather | June–October |
Accommodation:
No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & Lunch (Dinner not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
All prices are per person, valid year-round. Group discounts apply — the more travellers, the lower your per-person cost. Children under 15 receive a special rate.
- All Park entrances & taxes
- All Meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner),
- soft drinks & water (bottled water 3litres or more a day)
- All camping equipment
- A professional driver/guide
- Transportation in a custom safari 4×4 with a viewing roof and guaranteed window seating
- Safari vehicles have an inverter for charging batteries, communications radio, electric cooler, and filtered water
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Taxes/VAT
- Sleeping bag
- Tips for guides, driver & cook
- International and domestic flights
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Bath towels
- Tanzania Visa fee
- Balloons in Serengeti ($600 per person )
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Note: We have a discount for kids under 15 years old
"Our guide Emmanuel was incredible — he spotted a leopard and two lion cubs that three other vehicles completely missed. The most magical experience of our lives."
"The private setup meant we could spend 45 minutes with a cheetah and cubs without feeling rushed. The lodges were far beyond what we expected."
"As first-time safari travelers, we were nervous. From the moment we arrived, Serengeti African Tours took care of everything. The Ngorongoro Crater literally took our breath away."
"Booked through SafariBookings and couldn't be happier. Every detail was handled perfectly. Guide Abouh is extraordinary — his knowledge of wildlife is encyclopaedic."
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