Days: 6 Starting Price: Contact for pricing
Days of adventure and nights of luxury. Explore three of Tanzania’s most iconic destinations over the course of six days while retiring to all the comforts of home. From the Elephants’ Paradise of Tarangire, to the gorgeous sprawling plains of the Serengeti, to the shores of Lake Eyasi in the Great Rift Valley—and immersing yourself in the culture of two tribes who reside there—you’ll experience all the vibrant life Tanzania has to offer.
You’ll start your adventure from the town of Arusha, the hub of the Northern Circuit. From there, we’ll take a 2-hour drive out of the city and into the Tanzanian countryside until arriving at Tarangire National Park. Here, we’ll go on a game drive through the park to see Tanzania’s most dense population of elephants, as well as plenty of other wildlife, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, buffalo, zebras, baboons, monkeys, over 450 species of birds, and more.
Around mid-day, your guide will find a scenic spot for you to stop and have lunch with the beautiful backdrop of the African wilds in front of you. From there, you’ll continue your game drive until the evening, when you will head to Karatu to relax and stay in either Eileen’s Trees Lodge or Marera Valley Lodge.
Starting bright and early, you’ll enjoy a delicious hot breakfast then head towards the legendary Serengeti, so named by the Maasai for its seemingly endless plains. On the way, you’ll pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (the main gate is about 30 minutes away), then continue on towards your destination, a 2-3 hours drive through beautiful landscapes.
You’ll arrive at the Serengeti gate around mid-day, enjoy lunch soon after, then go on an incredible game drive through some of Tanzania’s most renowned areas brimming with wildlife.
Here, you’ll see the home of 1.5 million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelle, famed for their seasonal movement—the Great Migration—that takes them across vast swaths of the Serengeti plains in search of green grass and water. It is also home to many predators, including lions, leopards, hyenas, and jackals, but also plays host to many other animals, such as hippos, warthogs, giraffes, mongooses, topis, hartebeests, elands, and many bird species.
After the game drive, you’ll head to your evening’s accommodations, either the Mbugani Camp or Thorn Tree Camp, both exceptionally comfortable luxury tented camps nestled into the heart of the Serengeti.
After an early rise, you’ll take a picnic box and head out for a full day of game drives exploring the central and eastern regions of the Serengeti— one of the largest national parks in the world at nearly 14,750 sq km. Between the open woodland areas, short grassy plains, and the beautiful kopjes (the prized rock outcroppings of some of Tanzania’s most incredible predators), you’ll see plenty of wildlife, including many lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals, gazelle, wildebeests, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, and more.
During your trip, you’ll stop for lunch in the park, giving you a continued view of the wildlife around you as you enjoy your meal. After a full day of game drives, you’ll head back to either Mbugani or Thorn Tree for dinner, relaxation, and rest.
After breakfast, you’ll enjoy your last game drive in the Serengeti, this time focusing on the central and southern parks of the park as you view predators on their morning hunt—their preferred hunting time as it’s cooler and requires less energy.
Midday, you will stop and enjoy lunch before embarking on another game drive on your way back to Karatu, about a three hour drive, via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In the evening, you’ll arrive back for dinner and an overnight stay at either Eileen’s Trees Lodge or Marera Valley Lodge.
You’ll be up for another early morning but for the best reason—you’ll be gearing up for the most amazing game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater. Winding your way down from the rim, you’ll see nearly the full expanse of the world’s largest intact, unfilled volcanic caldera.
Home to the exceptionally rare black rhino, which is only rarely seen in the Serengeti and in no other parks, the crater boasts vibrant wildlife, including lions—which many get to see up close—as well as cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, monkeys, baboons, hippos, gazelles, warthogs, wildebeests, zebras and many species of birds.
Around midday, you’ll stop for lunch at a beautiful scenic spot where you can watch hippos, birds, and a few others flock around a local watering hole. From there, you’ll embark on the second half of your game drive back out of the crater towards Lake Eyasi, which is only about an hour from Ngorongoro’s main gate. For the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner and stay at the Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge, a picturesque spot just up the hill from the water.
On your final day, you’ll be off to another early start to visit the Hadzabe Tribe, locals to the area. During your visit, you will go on a bow and arrow hunting expedition with them and join them in other cultural activities, including crafting and traditional dance. Just down the road, you’ll also visit with the Datoga, known for their blacksmithing abilities, livestock, and handmade jewelry.
After your visits, you’ll head back to the lodge for a delicious hot lunch before embarking on your final four-hour drive back to Arusha, the beautiful backdrop of Tanzania gracing your every mile.