7-Day Northern Circuit Classic Safari

Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro or Arusha Airport, you’ll be transferred to your accommodation in Arusha. Optionally, you can explore the city with a tour that includes visits to the Cultural Heritage art gallery, local market, and Maasai Market, experiencing Arusha’s cultural highlights before settling in at your accommodation. Overnight at Kibo Palace Hotel • Mid-range hotel located in Arusha (City).

Your safari begins the moment you walk out of Kilimanjaro International Airport. A Serengeti Wakanda guide is waiting with your name on a board and the words every traveller wants to hear: karibu Tanzania, welcome to Tanzania.

We transfer you to your lodge in the Arusha foothills, where you can shower, change into safari clothes and settle in. Your driver-guide joins you for a relaxed welcome dinner, walks through tomorrow's plan in detail and answers every last question. An early night sets you up for the days ahead.

Where you sleep tonight

Kibo Palace Hotel

Mid-range hotel in Arusha

Comfortable Arusha town hotel with pool, restaurant and a hearty welcome dinner before the safari starts.

Your safari adventure kicks off today! After breakfast, we’ll collect you from your lodge at 7:45 am. You’ll embark on a scenic 2-hour drive to Tarangire National Park, famous for its abundant elephant herds and ancient baobab trees. You’ll traverse the park in an open-roof vehicle, taking in the seasonal swamps, vast savanna, and wildlife-rich Tarangire River. You will look out for diverse bird species, graceful giraffes, elegant impalas, zebras, lions, leopards, elands, warthogs, and majestic elephants. A delightful picnic lunch at a picturesque site with stunning views awaits, followed by more game viewing. In the evening, you’ll retreat to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay. Overnight at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge • Luxury lodge located 1-2hr drive from Tarangire NP.

Tarangire is the elephant capital of northern Tanzania. In the dry season the Tarangire River is the only permanent water for miles, and herds of up to 250 elephants come down to drink, calves tumbling between their mothers' legs.

You spend the day on a private game drive through baobab-studded floodplains: lions resting in the shade, giraffe browsing acacia tops, fringe-eared oryx and the strange dwarf mongoose colonies. We pack a hot picnic lunch so you can stay in the park while the light is good.

Where you sleep tonight

Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge

Highland lodge near Ngorongoro

Spacious highland lodge with sweeping views, full-board dining and a fireplace lounge — perfectly placed for an early crater descent.

After breakfast, you’ll set off for Lake Manyara National Park, a diverse yet relatively compact reserve located 120km west of Arusha. The park is characterized by its namesake shallow, salt lake, which fluctuates in size with the seasons and serves as a habitat for over 500 bird species. During your exploration, expect to encounter a variety of wildlife including monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalos, elephants, and, if luck is on your side, lions lounging in the trees. Lake Manyara is renowned for its varied landscapes, encompassing not only open grassy plains but also woodlands teeming with primates and cliffs adorned with baobab trees. After a full day of game drive, you’ll return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay. Overnight at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge • Luxury lodge located less than 1hr drive from Lake Manyara NP.

Lake Manyara is a small park with an outsized reputation: a Rift Valley wall on one side, a shallow soda lake on the other and a strip of groundwater forest crammed between them. Tree-climbing lions, large baboon troops and clouds of flamingos.

You travel along the Rift escarpment with sweeping views over the lake, then drop into the forest for a half- or full-day game drive. Birders bring binoculars: more than 400 species have been recorded here.

Where you sleep tonight

Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge

Highland lodge near Ngorongoro

Spacious highland lodge with sweeping views, full-board dining and a fireplace lounge — perfectly placed for an early crater descent.

After breakfast, your journey to Serengeti begins. The route ahead may be long and occasionally bumpy, but it offers approximately 4 to 5 hours of captivating wildlife viewing as you ascend the crater highlands towards the expansive plains of Serengeti. Weather permitting, a 10-minute stop will be made at Ngorongoro Viewpoint to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking caldera before continuing the drive to Serengeti. You’ll enjoy a delightful picnic lunch along the way, providing an opportunity to refuel and soak in the surrounding scenery. Upon arrival at the park, an afternoon game drive will be arranged for you to fully immerse yourself in the abundant wildlife. As the sun sets, you’ll make your way to your accommodation, where a delicious dinner awaits, followed by a restful overnight stay in the tranquil Serengeti. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp • Luxury tented camp located inside Central Serengeti NP.

The Seronera valley is the heart of the Serengeti and a year-round game-viewing area. Permanent water, rocky kopjes and short-grass plains create the highest density of big cats in Africa: roughly 1 lion per 10 km², and the best leopard sightings on the circuit.

Mornings start before sunrise to catch the cats while they are still active; midday is a slow picnic in the shade of an acacia. In the afternoon we work the riverine fig trees for leopards and the kopjes for resting prides. Distances are long but every stop is worth it.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp

Luxury tented camp, Central Serengeti

Luxury tented camp deep inside the Serengeti — spacious canvas suites with private decks, hot showers, candlelit dinners and lions calling in the distance.

You will experience a full day of adventure in Serengeti National Park. From sunrise to sunset, you will embark on an exhilarating game drive, seeking out the magnificent Big Five and discovering a diverse array of over 500 bird species. As the day draws to a close, you’ll return to your accommodation at sunset for a delicious dinner and a restful overnight stay. For an added cost, you have the option to elevate your experience with a hot air balloon safari or a walking safari. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp • Luxury tented camp located inside Central Serengeti NP.

The Seronera valley is the heart of the Serengeti and a year-round game-viewing area. Permanent water, rocky kopjes and short-grass plains create the highest density of big cats in Africa: roughly 1 lion per 10 km², and the best leopard sightings on the circuit.

Mornings start before sunrise to catch the cats while they are still active; midday is a slow picnic in the shade of an acacia. In the afternoon we work the riverine fig trees for leopards and the kopjes for resting prides. Distances are long but every stop is worth it.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp

Luxury tented camp, Central Serengeti

Luxury tented camp deep inside the Serengeti — spacious canvas suites with private decks, hot showers, candlelit dinners and lions calling in the distance.

After breakfast, you’ll embark on a scenic drive to Ngorongoro Crater, enjoying approximately 3 hours of wildlife viewing en route. This remarkable location is teeming with a diverse array of wildlife native to East Africa, including the elusive black rhino, which you may be fortunate enough to encounter. With an expansive area spanning 260 square kilometers and a diameter of approximately 20 kilometers, you’ll need around 5 to 6 hours to thoroughly explore its wonders. Afterward, you’ll head to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay. Overnight at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge • Luxury lodge located 1-2hr drive from Ngorongoro Crater.

The Seronera valley is the heart of the Serengeti and a year-round game-viewing area. Permanent water, rocky kopjes and short-grass plains create the highest density of big cats in Africa: roughly 1 lion per 10 km², and the best leopard sightings on the circuit.

Mornings start before sunrise to catch the cats while they are still active; midday is a slow picnic in the shade of an acacia. In the afternoon we work the riverine fig trees for leopards and the kopjes for resting prides. Distances are long but every stop is worth it.

Where you sleep tonight

Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge

Highland lodge near Ngorongoro

Spacious highland lodge with sweeping views, full-board dining and a fireplace lounge — perfectly placed for an early crater descent.

You will enjoy a delightful breakfast while reflecting on your adventures over the past few days. You will check out from your lodge around 11:00 am. You can choose to be dropped off at a hotel in Arusha or Kilimanjaro, or directly at Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport.

Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain at 5,895 m and the highest free-standing peak in the world. Today you trek between camps, gaining altitude slowly to acclimatise, accompanied by your senior guide team, cook and porters.

Distance varies by day from 5 to 15 km. The mantra on Kili is pole pole, slowly slowly: a steady pace, plenty of water, three hot meals a day and an honest pulse-oximeter check every evening to track your acclimatisation.