Tarangire National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti · Lake Manyara National Park
Northern Circuit in Five Days
Baobabs, a crater floor, open plains and a lakeshore, stitched into one tight private loop.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Destinations
- Tarangire National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti · Lake Manyara National Park
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- Group size
- 1 to 8 guests
- From
- $2,009 per person
Overview
Baobabs, a crater floor, open plains and a lakeshore, stitched into one tight private loop.
Four national parks in five days sounds like a sprint. Here it is paced so each stop gets a proper chunk of daylight, and the drives between them cut through highland farmland and Rift Valley scenery worth watching in their own right.
You begin among Tarangire's baobabs and its big elephant families, drop into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full morning among rhino and lion, spend a day and a half on the Serengeti plains looking for cheetah and prides, and finish beside Lake Manyara, where lions climb trees and flamingos line the shallows.
It suits first-timers and couples with limited leave, and it works for families too. You travel in a private 4x4 with a pop-up roof and one driver-guide from the first morning to the last transfer.
- Four parks in one loop: Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara
- Elephant herds moving under baobabs that are over a thousand years old
- A full game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, home to Tanzania's most reliably seen black rhino
- A day and a half on the Serengeti plains, watching for lion and cheetah
- Lake Manyara's tree-climbing lions and its flamingo-fringed soda lake
- One private vehicle and one guide throughout
Best forCouplesFirst-time safari travellersFamiliesAnyone short on days
Wildlife radar
What you can expect to see
Tarangire is at its busiest with animals from June to October, when the river is the only water for miles. The other parks on this loop reward visits in any season, so the dates that suit you can still work.
- African ElephantHigh
- LionHigh
- Black RhinoHigh
- CheetahHigh
- FlamingoSeasonal
- Blue MonkeyRare
The difference
Why this short loop does not feel short
Most five-day plans skip a park to buy breathing room. This one keeps all four and trims the idle time instead: no wasted game-drive hours, picnic lunches inside the parks, and overnight stops placed so that each morning starts close to the action.
The order matters too. Elephants and baobabs come first, to ease you into the rhythm of the bush. The crater and the Serengeti sit in the middle of the trip, when your eyes are tuned, and the gentler Manyara circuit closes things out on the way back to Arusha.
Along the way
What each park gives you
Tarangire National Park
Baobabs scattered across red earth, big elephant families, and the Tarangire River drawing lion, leopard, zebra, giraffe, oryx and more than 500 bird species in the dry months.
Ngorongoro Crater
A caldera about 20 km across and 600 m deep, holding roughly 25,000 large mammals, with lion prides, a hippo pool, flamingos on the soda lake and a good chance of black rhino.
Serengeti National Park
Some 14,763 km² of open country with Africa's heaviest concentration of predators. Cheetahs scan from termite mounds and the Great Migration circuit passes through each year.
Lake Manyara National Park
Groundwater forest, open floodplain and a soda lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment, famed for lions that rest in trees.
On the map
Your route
Follow the trip from the first night to the last, by road and by air.
- Start · Day 1Arusha
- Day 2Tarangire National ParkDrive from Arusha
- Day 3-4Central SerengetiDrive from Tarangire National Park
- End · Day 5Lake ManyaraDrive from Central Serengeti
Day by day
Your itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Arusha
Arusha
Land at Arusha (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International (JRO) and meet your Lemala host for a short briefing before a comfortable transfer to Kahawa House. Settle into the garden property in Arusha, and get an early night: the bush starts at breakfast.
Arusha sits at 1,400 m, so evenings are cool. Safari operators also service and restock their vehicles here between trips.
- 1,400 m / 4,593 ft
- Trail
- Kahawa House
- Meals
- Dinner & Breakfast
Day 2
Tarangire and the Baobab Country
Tarangire National Park
Your guide collects you after breakfast for the roughly 2.5-hour drive south. Inside the park, baobabs, some more than a thousand years old, tower over elephant families that can leave you speechless. In the dry season the river pulls in lion, leopard, zebra, giraffe and oryx. Lunch is a picnic at a scenic spot in the park, then you head out late in the afternoon to a tented lodge on the shore of Lake Burunge.
Tarangire has the highest elephant density on the Northern Circuit. Groups of 200 or more can gather by the river when it is the only water for miles.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 3
Into the Crater, Out onto the Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti
Leave early for the crater rim and a first look at the caldera: about 20 km wide, 600 m deep, home to roughly 25,000 large mammals. A winding track takes you down to lion prides lying near the vehicles, huge zebra and wildebeest herds, the Ngoitoktok hippo pool at lunchtime and flamingos on the soda lake. This is also where Tanzania's black rhino is easiest to find. After a full crater drive you continue east into the Serengeti, arriving in time for sundowners at your tented camp.
The crater walls hold in a self-sustaining wildlife population, which is why large animals are so densely packed on the floor.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 4
A Full Day on the Plains
Serengeti National Park
First light is when the Serengeti is busiest: lions returning from overnight hunts, cheetahs standing on termite mounds to look out, elephants crossing the cool plains. The park covers 14,763 km², and your guide knows where the Great Migration herds are at this point in the year. Lunch is at Naabi Hill Gate, and the afternoon drive runs until the light fades. Then you leave towards Karatu, to a highland forest lodge at the Ngorongoro Farm House.
The Serengeti is home to more than 3,000 lions, a large population and one that is easy for visitors to see.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 5
Lake Manyara and the Road Back
Lake Manyara National Park
A one-hour drive from Karatu runs through coffee farms and banana groves, then drops to the Rift Valley floor. Manyara's tree-climbing lions have been documented for over sixty years, and the park packs several habitats into a small area: dense groundwater forest with elephants and blue monkeys, open floodplain, and the flamingo-lined soda lake beneath the escarpment. You spend the morning on a game drive and eat a packed lunch under the trees, before heading north to Arusha, where a transfer sees you off.
- Meals
- Breakfast & Lunch
Gallery
Along the route
Where you stay
Choose your style of stay
Trail
Comfortable and great value
From$2,009per person
- Kahawa House
- Lake Burunge Baobab Tented Lodge
- Kubukubu Tented Lodge
- Ngorongoro Farm House
Price per person
Choose a level of stay and see what each person pays for your group size.
| Travelling together | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 2 travellers | $2,586 |
| 3 travellers | $2,300 |
| 4 travellers | $2,161 |
| 5 travellers | $2,082 |
| 6 travellers | $2,009 |
- Prices are in US dollars, per person sharing a double or twin room. Vehicle and guide costs are shared, so the price per person changes with group size and does not always fall in a straight line.
- Park fees are set by the authorities and can change, so the quote you accept is the price that applies.
What's included
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof
- A private professional driver-guide for the whole trip
- Four nights of accommodation as listed
- Entry fees for Tarangire, Ngorongoro (transit and crater), Serengeti and Lake Manyara
- Full board at the safari lodges, with dinner and breakfast on the first night
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle, plus some soft drinks and beers
- Emergency air-evacuation cover through AMREF Flying Doctors
- Airport arrival transfer and all transfers between destinations
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Tanzanian entry visa
- Tips for your guide and lodge staff
- Laundry, phone charges and other personal items
- Optional activities such as a balloon flight, Maasai village visit, rhino tracking or walking safari
- Travel insurance beyond the AMREF cover
Good to know
- Rates are quoted per person sharing a double or twin room; single supplements are available on request.
- Park and conservation area fees are set by the Tanzanian government and can change without notice.
- Your deposit confirms the booking and the balance is due before you travel. The amounts and dates are set out in your personal quote and invoice.
Questions
Good to know
Yes, as a first taste. Each park gets a proper game drive, and the overnight stops are chosen to cut travel time. If you want longer in the Serengeti, the six-day version of this route adds a second full day there.
No. The vehicle, driver-guide and schedule are private to your party, which can be a single traveller or up to eight people.
Days start early, usually at first light for the best game viewing, with a fair amount of time in the vehicle. Roads inside the parks are bumpy but the pop-up roof makes it easy to stand up and take photographs.
Kahawa House in Arusha, Lake Burunge Baobab Tented Lodge, Kubukubu Tented Lodge in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Farm House in Karatu. Final properties are confirmed at the time of booking.
Flights, your visa, tips, personal items, optional activities and any travel insurance beyond the included AMREF Flying Doctors cover.
Northern Circuit in Five Days
Tell us your dates and group size and we will confirm availability and a personal quote.