10-Day Northern Circuit Safari Expedition

Overview

1. Day 1 Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport Stay Planet Lodge – ArushaMeals Dinner

   Our team meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) and drives you to your lodge in Arusha, where you can rest after the flight. In the evening you meet your safari guide, who talks you through the trip over dinner. This is where your safari with Tanzania Tourism Safaris begins.

2. Day 2 Arusha – Tarangire National Park Stay Lake Burunge Tented CampMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After breakfast you set off for Tarangire National Park, with a picnic lunch packed for the day. Tarangire is known for its baobab trees and wide savannah. It is often overlooked, yet it has one of Tanzania’s largest elephant populations. On your game drives you will also see giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, lions and a great many birds. After your first full day on safari, you stay at a tented camp above Lake Burunge.

3. Day 3 Tarangire – Lake Manyara National Park Stay Endoro Lodge – KaratuMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   Today is a short drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Just inside the gate is a thick groundwater forest, where troops of baboons wander about. Further in, it opens into grassy plains and a shallow soda lake, known for its flamingos and tree-climbing lions. After your game drive, you climb the Great Rift Valley escarpment to your lodge, which looks out over the highlands of Karatu.

4. Day 4 Karatu – Lake Natron Stay Lake Natron CampMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After breakfast you head north to Lake Natron, a rough, little-visited area. Volcanoes shape the land here, and this is Maasai country. On the way you get clear views of Mount Oldonyo Lengai, the sacred “Mountain of God.” You reach your camp near the lake in the late afternoon. Take time to enjoy how quiet this remote corner of Tanzania is.

5. Day 5 A full day at Lake Natron Stay Lake Natron CampMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   In the morning you go on a guided hike through the rift valley, up to waterfalls hidden in deep gorges. Later you walk to the shore of Lake Natron, a strange place where huge numbers of flamingos gather to breed. Optional: if you want a real challenge, we can arrange a midnight climb of Oldonyo Lengai (ask us in advance).

6. Day 6 Lake Natron – Northern Serengeti Stay Tanzania Bush Camp – KogatendeMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   Today you leave the volcanic valleys for the Serengeti. The road climbs the “17 corners”, with wide views of the Ngorongoro highlands and Lake Natron below. You enter the Northern Serengeti through Klein’s Gate, in time for an evening game drive as the sun goes down over the savannah.

7. Day 7 Northern Serengeti (Mara River Region) Stay Tanzania Bush Camp – KogatendeMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   You have a full day in the Mara River region, famous for the Great Migration river crossings. In the right season, you may see wildebeest and zebras plunge into water full of crocodiles. Even when the migration is elsewhere, there are plenty of elephants and big cats, and the views are great.

8. Day 8 Northern Serengeti – Central Serengeti Stay Sound of Silence – Central SerengetiMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   After breakfast you drive to the middle of the Serengeti. This area, called Seronera, looks the way most people picture Africa: open plains, kopjes and hills dotted with acacia trees. Predators are common here, especially lions and leopards. There is plenty to photograph, and you can enjoy quiet nights under the stars at your camp.

9. Day 9 Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Karatu Stay Endoro Lodge – KaratuMeals Breakfast | Packed Lunch | Dinner

   You leave the Serengeti at sunrise and drive to the Ngorongoro Crater. Then you go down into this old caldera for a half-day game drive. The crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a safe home for wildlife, including all of the Big Five and rare black rhinos. You have one last bush picnic before driving out of the crater to your lodge in Karatu.

10. Day 10 Karatu – Arusha – Departure via Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar Extension Meals Breakfast | Lunch

    After breakfast you drive back to Arusha for a farewell lunch. Then, depending on your plans, we take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home. Or, if you are adding a beach break, we take you to the domestic airport for your flight to Zanzibar on the Indian Ocean coast.