Detailed Itinerary – Great Northern Circuit 7 days
Day 1: Manyara National Park Tour
Approx 0800hrs: Drive from your accommodations in Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive at a park with a tree-top walk experience.
Overnight and dinner at a nearby camp or lodge.
Top Attractions: Tree climbing lions, giraffes, and excellent bird viewing.
Day 2: Drive to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Optional visit to Olduvai Gorge enroute.
Approx 0800 hrs: Drive to Serengeti National Park. There is ample wildlife viewing and beautiful scenery as you drive through the Ngorongoro Highlands to Serengeti National Park.
Top Attractions: Pause for a view over Africa’s Great Rift Valley, and see evidence of the first humans at the excavation site at Olduvai Gorge.
Overnight and Dinner at accommodation in Serengeti National Park.
Day 3: Full-day Serengeti National Park Tour
Approx 0800 hrs: Begin game drive through Serengeti National Park. See the largest migration of animals at the Grumeti River Crossing, visit the famous kopjes (rock formations) and see the beautiful Seronera area.
Dinner and overnight at your preferred camp or lodge.
Top Attractions: Stunning game viewing in Serengeti: from the famous Serengeti migrations to the endless grasslands. You’ll feel like you stepped back into time, or into a real-life Lion King.
Kjopes are the natural rock formations that inspired scenes in Disney’s Lion King; it is common to see lions lounging in the shade of these.
Day 4: Half-day in Serengeti National Park, with a drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Approx 0800 hrs: A half-day to see more of Serengeti National park. Visit the Retina Hippo Pool or the Serengeti Woodlands for a chance to see forest elephants or monkeys. Continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation area, passing through scenic African landscapes as you drive.
Overnight and dinner at your preferred accommodations near Ngorongoro Crater.
Top Attractions: Depart early for the best chance of seeing cheetahs on the prowl. Depending on the season, you’ll likely find elephants in the woodlands.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater tour
After an early breakfast, you will enter the Ngorongoro Crater. Stop at the viewpoint to look down into the crater from above. Then, descend into the crater for game viewing and a chance to spot the endangered Black Rhino, which lives here.
Top Attractions: Black Rhinos, the Hippo Pool for a picnic lunch, Lake Magadi’s pink flamingos, and the largest concentration of animals found anywhere in the world
Day 6: Drive to Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, you will depart to Tarangire National Park on a scenic route passing through parts of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. You will arrive at the park in time for a half-day drive.
Dinner and overnight at your preferred camp or lodge in Tarangire National Park or the surrounding area.
Top Attractions: East Africa’s largest herds of elephants are found within Tarangire National Park. You’re sure to see these gentle giants during your game drive.
Day 7: Tarangire National Park tour, return to Arusha
Start your morning with breakfast and a game drive in Tarangire National Park. Afterward, you will return to Arusha Town. Depending on your plans you may stay a night or transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Top Attractions: See giant baobab trees that are hundreds of years old; get photos of zebras, gazelles and waterbuck drinking at the Tarangire River (and their predators, such as lions); and, of course, take in the many elephants that call Tarangire National Park home.
End of 7 Day Safari
Safari Prices – 7-Day Great Northern Circuit Tour
| prices valid for 2023-2024 | Camping | Standard | Premium |
| 2 ppl | $2128 | $2893 | $3427 |
| 4 ppl | $1635 | $2402 | $2940 |
| 6 ppl | $1471 | $2238 | $2778 |
All Prices are listed in USD
Experience Tanzania with RA Expeditions Ltd,
the Safari Experts in Tanzania
Note the following
- The accommodations can be on the basis of Basic Camping (public or private), Permanent Tented Camps, Luxury Mobile Camping, or Lodges (standard to luxury). The accommodations may also vary depending on the locations of good game viewing from season to season. When we know your travel dates we will advise accordingly.
- If you wish to fly from Arusha to Serengeti or Serengeti to Arusha this is possible and we will customize the itinerary accordingly.
- This itinerary can be customized to cover only Ngorongoro and Serengeti or Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.
- If you would like us to arrange your accommodations for the night (s) before and after safari, please let us know.
- If you are arriving at Kilimanjaro/Arusha Airport or in Arusha by shuttle bus let us know so we can arrange meeting you on arrival to make things even smoother.
- You may customize this itinerary. RA Expeditions is a full-service safari operator; contact us to arrange your Tanzania travel plans, including flights and hotel transfers.
- Click here for packing list. Camping and lodge safaris have almost same packing list but in case you have questions let us know.
- This itinerary can also be extended (number of days and/or parks/activities) to cover other parks in the northern circuit, Kilimanjaro trek, Meru trek, Oldongo Lengai trek, Usambara Mountains, Zanzibar/Mafia/Dar beach holiday, Southern parks or western safari parks, and more!