5 Days Northern Circuit Adventure
Safari Overview
The 5-Day Northern Circuit Tanzania Safari offers a journey through Tarangire National Park, the Central Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater, with highlights such as tracking predators and the Great Migration. Base pricing ranges from $950 to $2,500+ per person depending on the lodging choice, with optional experiences like a hot air balloon safari available for an additional cost.
Price
One Person
$1000pp
Two Persons
$1700pp
More than One Person
$1700pp
Day 1:
On Day 1 of the safari, travelers journey from Arusha to Tarangire National Park for a morning drive through rural landscapes followed by an afternoon game drive focused on large elephant herds and diverse wildlife. The day concludes with an evening check-in at a local tented camp or safari lodge near the park. For more details, visit the safari provider’s website.
Day 2:
On Day 2 of the safari, you leave your accommodation and head into the Serengeti National Park, transitioning from Tarangire’s acacia woodlands to the world-famous endless plains.The Journey (Morning): You will drive through the lush, misty highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The route provides dramatic landscape shifts and a scenic viewpoint overlooking the massive Ngorongoro Crater floor from above before descending into the vast, flat plains of the Serengeti.The Wildlife (Afternoon): Your game drive begins the moment you enter the park gates. You will focus on the Seronera (Central Serengeti) region, which is famous for its year-round abundance of wildlife. This area offers some of the best opportunities in Africa to spot large pride of lions, leopards resting in sausage trees, and cheetahs hunting on the open savannah.The Evening: You will head to a tented camp or safari lodge located inside the park. Staying inside the park allows you to hear the sounds of the African bush—like hyenas calling or lions roaring in the distance—as you wind down for the night.
Day 3:
On Day 3 of the safari, you spend a full day exploring the Serengeti National Park, maximizing your time in one of the most celebrated wildlife sanctuaries on earth.The Early Morning Drive: You will head out at dawn, which is the absolute best time to catch predators like lions, leopards, and cheetahs while they are still active and hunting before the heat of the day sets in.The Landscape and Activity: You will spend hours tracking wildlife across the iconic savannah, navigating around river loops where hippos wallow and crocodiles bask. Depending on the time of year you travel, this day is often dedicated to tracking sections of the Great Wildebeest Migration, where hundreds of thousands of animals move across the plains.The Picnic Lunch: Instead of returning to camp, you will typically enjoy a packed picnic lunch at a designated site right in the middle of the wild, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the bush.The Evening: You will return to your Serengeti tented camp or lodge before sunset. This is the perfect time to relax by the campfire, enjoy a sundowner drink, and share stories of the day’s wildlife sightings under a star-filled African sky.
Day 4:
Before sunrise on Day 3, you can choose to elevate your experience with a Serengeti Hot Air Balloon Safari.The Flight (Dawn): You will arrive at the launch site before first light to watch the balloons inflate. As the sun rises, you lift off and float silently over the plains. It provides an unmatched, bird’s-eye view of the landscape, river networks, and herds of wildlife moving below.The Celebration: After roughly an hour in the air, you touch down on the savannah and are greeted with a traditional champagne toast.The Bush Breakfast: Following the toast, you are driven to a beautifully set outdoor location for a full English breakfast served in the middle of the wild.
Day 5:
On Day 5, you conclude your safari with a descent into the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater, widely considered one of the natural wonders of the world, before returning to Arusha.The Descent (Early Morning): You will wake up early to beat the crowds and descend 2,000 feet (600 meters) down a steep, winding road into the massive volcanic caldera. The early morning mist rising off the crater floor provides a dramatic and beautiful backdrop for photography.The Big Five Hunt (Morning): The crater floor is a self-contained ecosystem spanning roughly 100 square miles, hosting over 25,000 large animals. Because of the enclosed space, wildlife viewing here is incredibly dense. It is your best chance on the entire safari to spot all of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and the critically endangered black rhino) in a single morning. You will also see thousands of wildebeests, zebras, hyenas, and jackals.The Hippo Pool & Lunch: Around midday, you will stop at a designated picnic site near the Ngoitokitok Hippo Pool. Here, you can stretch your legs and enjoy a packed lunch while watching hippos submerge and grunt just a short distance away.The Return to Arusha (Afternoon): After lunch, you will ascend the crater walls and begin the 3 to 4-hour drive back to Arusha. You will drop off your safari vehicle and guide, arriving in the late afternoon or early evening in time for your onward flight or hotel stay.