Northern circuit safaris
Small groups, a 4x4 with a pop-up roof and a guide who has been reading these plains for over a decade. Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Manyara — built around your dates.
The northern circuit
Tanzania's northern parks sit within a day's drive of Arusha and complement each other neatly — open plains, a crater, elephant country and a lake. Most people combine three or four of them over five to seven days.
We run camping safaris for travellers who want to be outside and lodge safaris for those who want a hot shower. Both use the same vehicles and the same guides.
Fourteen thousand square kilometres of open plain, and the stage for the greatest animal migration on earth. Big cats are seen on most days out there, and in the right month the horizon is solid wildebeest.
A collapsed volcanic caldera twenty kilometres across, with a resident population of around 25,000 large animals that mostly never leave. It is the most reliable place in Tanzania to see black rhino, and one of the densest concentrations of predators anywhere.
Elephant country. In the dry season the Tarangire River pulls in herds of several hundred, and the park's giant baobabs give it a completely different character from the Serengeti. Far quieter than its famous neighbours.
Small, green and extraordinarily varied — groundwater forest, open floodplain and a soda lake edged pink with flamingos, all inside a park you can drive in a day. Famous for its tree-climbing lions.
The park on Arusha's doorstep, under the shoulder of Mount Meru. Giraffe, colobus monkeys, buffalo and the Momella Lakes — and one of the few parks in Tanzania where you can walk with an armed ranger rather than drive.
Final cost confirmed in your written quotation.
From price based on group size, season and accommodation level.
Packages
Starting points rather than fixed products — every one of these can be stretched, shortened or combined with Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar. Applicable park/conservation, camping/hut and mandatory rescue fees for the advertised itinerary are included. Every quotation is built from the actual route, park fees, crew, meals, equipment, transport and accommodation required for your expedition.
| Package | Length | What it is | Per person | Enquire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-day camping safariTarangire · Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara | 3 days | Our most-booked trip. The northern circuit's greatest hits in three days, camping under canvas with a cook travelling with you. | From$1,250 | Enquire |
| 5-day Serengeti & NgorongoroTarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro | 5 days | The classic. Two nights in the Serengeti gives you the time the plains deserve, finishing with a full day on the crater floor. | From$2,400 | Enquire |
| 4-day Ngorongoro & TarangireTarangire · Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro | 4 days | A shorter loop that skips the long Serengeti drive but keeps the crater — the best value way to see big game if your time is tight. | From$1,700 | Enquire |
| 10-day Tanzania Grand SafariThe full northern circuit, unhurried | 10 days | Every major park with time to spare in each, in lodges and luxury tented camps. Built for travellers who would rather see less, slower. | From$5,200 | Enquire |
Final cost confirmed in your written quotation.
From price based on group size, season and accommodation level.
Private two-person safaris are welcome and receive a tailored quotation.
Grand Safari: final price depends on travel season, accommodation category, group size and selected lodges and camps.
The prices shown are starting prices for the itineraries and group sizes described. Your final cost is confirmed in a written quotation and depends on your dates, group size, season, and the park and conservation fees in force at the time. Tanzanian national park and conservation fees, fuel costs and exchange rates are set outside our control and change from time to time, so published prices are reviewed periodically. Once you accept a quotation and pay your deposit, your price is fixed — if government fees rise before you travel, we absorb the difference.
Timing
The migration is a continuous circuit, not an event — there is no month when it is not happening somewhere. What changes is where the herds are, and therefore where you should sleep.
Southern Serengeti and Ndutu
Around half a million calves are born in a six-week window on the short-grass plains. Predator activity is at its peak. The best months for cats.
Moving north and west
Green, dramatic and very quiet. Some camps close and roads get difficult, but prices drop sharply and you will have the park to yourself.
Western corridor
The herds mass along the Grumeti River. Crossings are less famous than the Mara's but the crocodiles are the largest in Africa.
Northern Serengeti
The images everyone knows. Nothing is guaranteed — herds can sit at the bank for days — but this is the window and the northern Serengeti is where to be.
Returning south
The herds turn back towards the southern plains. A quiet, green, good-value month with the migration on the move.
On the road
Early starts, long lunches, late afternoons out again. Game moves at dawn and dusk, so that is when we are out — the middle of the day is for shade, food and a rest.
A 4x4 with a full pop-up roof for standing game viewing, a cool box, binoculars and field guides on board. Maximum 6 guests per safari vehicle for comfort and viewing space. The exact vehicle is confirmed on your quotation.
A qualified driver-guide who is also your spotter, mechanic and translator. Ours are Wildlife Management graduates who have worked these parks for years.
Coffee at 6am, out for the first light, back for brunch, siesta through the hot hours, then out again from 4pm until the gates close. Dinner under a lot of stars.
Start planning
Cats, the migration, rhino, birds, or simply somewhere quiet with a good view. We will build the route around it and tell you honestly what is realistic in the time you have.
Enquiries are read Mon–Sat 8am–6pm and Sun 9am–4pm (EAT).
