Calving Season Safari 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: Arrival in Kilimanjaro Int’l Airport - transfer to hotel in Arusha

Day 1: Arrival in Kilimanjaro Int’l Airport - transfer to hotel in Arusha
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met by your driver guide and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. The remainder of the day is reserved for relaxation after your international flight and preparation for the safari ahead. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to enjoy the lodge facilities or simply rest before the adventure begins. A safari briefing will be provided either upon arrival or later in the evening.

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast
Overnight: Comfortable hotel in Arusha

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, depart Arusha and travel southwest toward Tarangire National Park for your first game drive. Covering approximately 2,850 km², Tarangire is known for its impressive elephant population, ancient baobab trees, and the Tarangire River, which serves as a reliable water source for wildlife throughout much of the year. As you explore the park, you may encounter elephant herds, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, impalas, and several antelope species. Predators including lions and leopards are also present, although sightings depend on wildlife activity. Lunch is served at a designated picnic site within the park before continuing with an afternoon game drive. Later in the day, proceed to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Tarangire to Ndutu - Serengeti National Park

Following breakfast, continue toward the Ndutu region, situated within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and bordering the southern Serengeti ecosystem. The drive offers changing scenery as the landscape gradually opens into vast grasslands. Between December and March, Ndutu hosts one of the most important stages of the Great Migration as hundreds of thousands of wildebeest gather to calve on the nutrient rich plains. During this period, thousands of calves can be born each day, attracting predators such as lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and jackals. After arriving in Ndutu, enjoy an afternoon game drive focused on migration activity and predator interactions. The flexible off road game viewing permitted in this area allows guides to position vehicles effectively while respecting wildlife regulations.

Day 4: Ndutu to Central Serengeti

The morning begins with a game drive in the Ndutu region before continuing toward Central Serengeti. Wildlife activity remains excellent throughout this transition, particularly during the calving season when predator sightings are frequent. As you travel northward, the landscape gradually changes from open short grass plains to the rolling savannah and granite kopjes that characterize Central Serengeti. Covering approximately 14,763 km², Serengeti National Park supports one of the world's most significant wildlife ecosystems. Upon arrival in the Seronera area, enjoy an afternoon game drive exploring river valleys, open plains, and rocky outcrops that provide habitat for lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, and numerous antelope species. Continue to your lodge in time for dinner and a relaxed evening.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Full Day in Central Serengeti

Today is dedicated to exploring Central Serengeti, one of the most rewarding wildlife viewing areas in East Africa. The Seronera Valley supports permanent water sources that attract wildlife throughout the year, creating excellent opportunities for game viewing regardless of season. You may choose to begin the day with an optional hot air balloon safari, available at an additional cost and requiring advance booking. After landing, a bush breakfast is served before continuing with game drives. Throughout the day, your guide will focus on areas where wildlife activity has recently been reported. Lion prides, leopards resting in riverine trees, cheetahs scanning the plains, elephants, buffaloes, and numerous herbivore species are commonly encountered. A picnic lunch is enjoyed in the park before returning to camp later in the afternoon.

Day 6: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

An early morning game drive offers one final opportunity to experience the Serengeti at a time when wildlife activity is often at its highest. After breakfast at the lodge, continue with a final game viewing drive while gradually making your way toward the southeastern boundary of the park. This journey provides opportunities for additional sightings before leaving the Serengeti ecosystem behind. By midday, proceed toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where the terrain changes noticeably as elevation increases and the climate becomes cooler. The route passes through the highlands surrounding the crater and offers impressive views of the surrounding landscape. After arriving at your lodge on the crater rim or nearby highlands, enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure before dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha and Departure

After an early breakfast, descend approximately 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half day game drive. The crater floor covers about 260 km² and supports a remarkable concentration of wildlife within a relatively compact area. Open grasslands, freshwater springs, swamps, acacia woodland, and Lake Magadi create a variety of habitats that sustain animals throughout the year. Wildlife commonly seen includes lions, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos, elephants, and, with luck, the endangered black rhinoceros. Following a picnic lunch at a designated site inside the crater, ascend to the rim and begin the drive back to Arusha. Depending on your international flight schedule, transfer directly to Kilimanjaro Int’l Airport for your onward journey

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.
 
 
 
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.
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.
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.
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.