The Northern Parks Game Drive Safari

Why the classic format still wins

First-timers tend to remember one instant. It might be a lioness lifting her head in the first amber light, or the hush that falls just before elephants step onto the track ahead of you. Or it might be the sudden understanding, about twenty minutes into your first drive, that no documentary got close to how crowded with life the Serengeti really is.

A game drive safari is built to deliver that instant, again and again. This page explains the route, the seasons, the rhythm of a normal day, what moves the price and what to put in your bag.

What the term actually covers

Put simply, you cross a national park by 4x4 with a trained guide, following wildlife as it moves. Variations exist: exploring on foot, hopping between parks in small aircraft, or using a mobile camp whose tents relocate to stay close to the herds. Any of these can be woven into one journey.

For most guests the word means the Northern Circuit of Tanzania: the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, with Lake Manyara slotted in when time allows. The three parks sit close together yet differ sharply in terrain and wildlife, which explains why this loop has become the usual way into African safari.

Four reasons it holds up

• Density of animals: the Serengeti and Ngorongoro ecosystem carries one of the heaviest concentrations of large mammals on the planet, so the question is how much you can absorb in a day, not whether you will see anything.
• Landscape on the move: driving between parks lets you watch open savanna rise into crater highlands and acacia woodland thin out onto the plains, a progression that flights skip entirely.
• Elastic length: the format works as a compact five-day first taste or a two-week deep dive, and it bolts neatly onto a Zanzibar stay, a Kilimanjaro climb or a visit with Maasai or Hadzabe communities.
• Guide knowledge: because this is the most frequently driven route, guides know it intimately, down to individual waterholes, den sites and seasonal habits.

Choosing your months

Season shapes this trip more than nearly any other choice. A frank summary follows.

From June to October the grass thins, animals gather at permanent water and you can see a long way. It is also the stretch when the migration's river crossings usually play out in the northern Serengeti.

December to March follows the short rains, so the land is green and the skies are dramatic. In the southern Serengeti and around Ndutu, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves arrive within a few weeks, and the hunting that follows is exceptional.

April and May are the quietest months, with fewer visitors and softer rates, although some roads turn difficult and a few camps shut. That suits a tight budget better than a first safari.

No month is truly poor. The animals stay put; what changes is where the best action sits, and a good guide knows exactly where that is during your week.

A day on safari

Expect something slower and more deliberate than a sightseeing schedule. The day bends around light and animal behaviour.

1. 5:30 AM

   Up before the sun

   Predators are most active at first light and the light itself is kind, so drives leave early.

2. 6:00 to 10:00 AM

   Morning drive

   Three to four hours out, usually with a bush breakfast and coffee at a scenic stop.

3. Midday

   Rest while the heat peaks

   Animals lie up in the shade and so do you: lunch and downtime at camp, or a picnic when you are covering distance between parks.

4. 4:00 to 6:30 PM

   Afternoon drive

   As the day cools the bush wakes again, and this is often the best window for predator activity before sunset.

5. Evening

   Camp and a sky full of stars

   Dinner, talk, and at many camps a fire under more stars than most people have ever seen.

That pattern repeats from park to park. The journeys between them count as part of the experience rather than dead time.

What shapes the price

Cost depends heavily on where you sleep, how many are travelling and how long you go. The pricing for each itinerary will be confirmed by Lemala Safaris when you enquire.

• Where you stay: the same route can cost very different amounts depending on whether you choose comfortable tented camps or high-end lodges.
• Party size: a private vehicle for your group costs more per head than a seat on a shared departure.
• Length and parks: every extra park or night adds guiding, park fees and accommodation.
• Time of year: July to October and the Christmas stretch attract premium rates nearly everywhere.

Park fees, a private guide and vehicle, meals and accommodation are normally part of the price. Flights to Tanzania, visas, gratuities and insurance usually are not, so check each line with any operator before you commit.

What to bring

Dress in khaki, olive or tan rather than bright colours or white, which show the dust. Add a broad-brimmed hat, strong sunscreen, binoculars, a light rain jacket whatever the month and a camera or phone with a spare battery.

• Neutral-coloured clothing
• Wide-brimmed hat
• High-SPF sunscreen
• Binoculars
• Light rain jacket
• Camera and spare battery