Tarangire National Park · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara National Park
Northern Circuit with Two Serengeti Nights
The classic four-park loop, with an extra night on the plains to chase the best morning light.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Destinations
- Tarangire National Park · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Lake Manyara National Park
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- Group size
- 1 to 8 guests
- From
- $2,654 per person
Overview
The classic four-park loop, with an extra night on the plains to chase the best morning light.
Take the shorter Northern Circuit, add one night, and give it to the Serengeti. That is the whole idea, and it changes the trip more than the arithmetic suggests.
Two nights on the plains means a first afternoon to settle in and a second morning that belongs entirely to the park, with a dawn drive when predators are on the move. Around that sit Tarangire's baobabs and elephants, a full descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, and a gentle last morning at Lake Manyara.
Because wildlife never keeps to a timetable, spare time in the Serengeti is the most useful thing you can add. With it, the circuit becomes something you experience rather than tick off.
- Two nights in the Serengeti, including a full day on the plains
- A dawn drive when lions and cheetahs are most active
- Elephant herds beneath Tarangire's baobabs
- A day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, with the Big Five and black rhino
- Tree-climbing lions and flamingos at Lake Manyara
Best forCouplesFirst-time safari travellersFamiliesWildlife enthusiasts
Wildlife radar
What you can expect to see
June to October is the dry season, when animals gather at the Tarangire River and roads are at their easiest. The Great Migration moves through the Serengeti ecosystem all year, so your guide will steer to wherever the herds currently are.
- African ElephantHigh
- LionHigh
- CheetahHigh
- Black RhinoHigh
- Cape BuffaloHigh
- HippopotamusHigh
The difference
Time is the luxury here
Seeing a big cat hunting, or a cheetah scanning from a mound, depends on being in the right place at the right hour. Two nights in the Serengeti give you two chances at first and last light instead of one.
On the full day your guide follows the animals, not a fixed route, with lunch at a picnic site overlooking the plains and afternoon drives that finish only when the park is ready.
Along the way
On the route
Tarangire
Tanzania has the world's biggest population of African elephants, and Tarangire has the highest concentration on this circuit. Baobabs more than 1,000 years old stand among them.
Central and southern Serengeti
Short-grass plains in cheetah country, river systems that hide leopard, and open ground where lion sightings are frequent. The name comes from the Maasai word for endless plains.
Ngorongoro Crater
A caldera 600 m deep and 20 km across, formed when a volcano collapsed some 2.5 million years ago. It holds the Big Five and East Africa's most dependable black rhino viewing.
Lake Manyara
Squeezed between the Rift Valley wall and an alkaline lake, with elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, more than 400 bird species and its famous tree-climbing lions.
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
- Day 5KaratuDrive from Central Serengeti
- End · Day 6Lake ManyaraDrive from Karatu
Day by day
Your itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Arusha
Arusha
After landing at Arusha (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International (JRO), a Lemala host takes you to Kahawa House, a characterful and comfortable first night in Tanzania. Rest up and prepare for five days in the bush.
At 1,400 m, Arusha has cool evenings. The town is the gateway to Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and the whole Northern Circuit.
- 1,400 m / 4,593 ft
- Trail
- Kahawa House
- Meals
- Dinner & Breakfast
Day 2
Baobabs and Elephants in Tarangire
Tarangire National Park
The drive south takes about two hours. In the park, baobabs over a thousand years old rise above the elephant herds moving through them. In the dry season the Tarangire River is the only water for hundreds of kilometres, so lion, buffalo, zebra, leopard and 500-plus bird species gather. You eat a picnic lunch at a scenic spot, then leave late in the afternoon for a lodge on the shore of Lake Burunge.
From June to October the river is the only permanent water for hundreds of kilometres, which concentrates animals as in few other parks on the continent.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 3
Onto the Serengeti Plains
Serengeti National Park
The road to the Serengeti climbs through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before dropping onto the plains. You arrive by late morning and start your first game drive straight away. The short-grass south is cheetah territory, riverbanks hide leopard, and lion sightings on the open ground are common. Evening drinks on the deck at Kubukubu as the plains turn amber.
The Serengeti has the densest population of large predators of any ecosystem, with over 3,000 lions and more than 1,000 cheetahs.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 4
A Full Day Following the Wildlife
Serengeti National Park
Be out at first light, when lions come back from overnight hunts, cheetahs climb termite mounds to scan, and elephants cross the cool plains. The full day stays inside the park, and your guide goes wherever the animals are. Lunch at the Naabi Hill Gate picnic site looks across the plains, and the afternoon drive carries on until the park decides.
The Great Migration never stops: the herds are somewhere in the Serengeti ecosystem every day of the year, and your guide tracks them as they go.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 5
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater and Karatu
About an hour from the Serengeti the land falls away at the crater rim: 600 m down, 20 km across, with lake, swamp, grassland and forest on the floor. A winding dirt road carries you down into the caldera, home to some 25,000 large mammals and every member of the Big Five. Nowhere else in East Africa offers steadier black rhino sightings. Lunch is at the Ngoitoktok hippo pool, and flamingos line the soda lake. Afterwards the road climbs out of the caldera to your bed at Ngorongoro Farm House, set in highland forest.
The crater formed about 2.5 million years ago when a huge volcano collapsed inward, and its walls have held this wildlife concentration in place ever since.
- Meals
- Full Board
Day 6
Lake Manyara and Home to Arusha
Lake Manyara National Park
Straight after breakfast you leave Karatu's farmland behind and wind down onto the floor of the Rift Valley, to Lake Manyara National Park, squeezed between the escarpment and an alkaline lake. Its tree-climbing lions have been documented for more than sixty years. The park also holds giraffe, hippo, buffalo and elephant, plus more than 400 kinds of bird. After a game drive and picnic lunch in the park, drive to Arusha, where a Lemala host sees you off.
- Meals
- Half Board
Gallery
Along the route
Where you stay
Choose your style of stay
Trail
Comfortable and great value
From$2,654per 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 | $3,326 |
| 3 travellers | $2,925 |
| 4 travellers | $2,829 |
| 5 travellers | $2,742 |
| 6 travellers | $2,654 |
- 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 professional driver-guide, private to your group
- Five nights of accommodation as listed
- Entry fees for Tarangire, Serengeti (two days), Ngorongoro (transit and crater) and Lake Manyara
- Full board at the safari lodges, with dinner and breakfast on the first night
- Drinking water in the vehicle, plus selected soft drinks and beers
- AMREF Flying Doctors emergency air-evacuation cover
- Airport and inter-destination transfers
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Tanzanian entry visa
- Tips for guides and lodge staff
- Laundry, phone charges and other personal items
- Optional extras such as a balloon safari, 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 may 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
The route is the same four parks. The sixth day adds a second night in the Serengeti, so you gain a full day on the plains and a dawn game drive.
The sequence is set around driving distances and lodge locations. Tell us what matters most to you and we will advise whether a variation works.
The herds are inside the wider Serengeti ecosystem all year. Your guide tracks their current position and plans drives accordingly, though exact locations shift with the seasons.
Couples, first-time visitors, families and wildlife enthusiasts who want the full circuit with extra time in the Serengeti.
Kahawa House in Arusha, Lake Burunge Baobab Tented Lodge, Kubukubu Tented Lodge for two nights in the Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Farm House in Karatu.
Northern Circuit with Two Serengeti Nights
Tell us your dates and group size and we will confirm availability and a personal quote.