8 Days Great Northern Parks Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha – The Safari Gateway

Welcome to Tanzania! Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you’ll be greeted by your safari driver-guide and transferred to your lodge in Arusha, the gateway to the country’s northern parks. Take time to relax after your journey and enjoy the serene surroundings. In the evening, your guide will brief you on the adventure ahead, ensuring you’re ready for the days to come.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel or lodge in Arusha

Day 2: Arusha – Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, set out for Tarangire National Park, famous for its ancient baobab trees and enormous elephant herds that dominate the landscape. The park’s life-giving Tarangire River attracts vast numbers of wildlife—zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, and predators like lions and leopards—especially during the dry season.

Spend the day on game drives across this scenic wilderness, pausing for a picnic lunch under the shade of a baobab. As the sun sets, head to your lodge or tented camp for a warm meal and a peaceful evening surrounded by the sounds of the African bush.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp near Tarangire

Day 3: Tarangire – Lake Manyara National Park

Depart after breakfast for Lake Manyara National Park, a lush paradise nestled along the Great Rift Valley escarpment. This small but biodiverse park is famed for its tree-climbing lions, playful baboon troops, and brilliant birdlife, including flamingos, pelicans, and storks that line the lake’s edge.

Enjoy a leisurely game drive through the park’s varied habitats—groundwater forests, acacia woodlands, and open plains—before continuing to your lodge in Karatu for an evening of relaxation.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge or eco-lodge in Karatu

Day 4: Karatu – Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, journey into the world-renowned Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destination and the stage for the Great Wildebeest Migration. The drive passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with opportunities to stop at scenic lookouts and marvel at the dramatic landscapes.

As you enter the Serengeti, the vast plains come alive with wildlife—lions basking under acacia trees, cheetahs scanning the grasslands, elephants moving gracefully through the savannah, and herds of wildebeest stretching to the horizon. Enjoy a game drive en route to your lodge or camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Serengeti lodge or tented camp

Day 5: Full-Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park

Spend this day exploring the endless plains of the Serengeti, where every corner reveals a new wildlife encounter. Depending on the season, you may follow the path of the Great Migration, witnessing thousands of wildebeest and zebras moving in a synchronized dance of survival.

Your expert guide will navigate through the park’s prime wildlife areas, from predator-rich river valleys to open plains teeming with antelope and buffalo. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush before continuing your exploration until sunset paints the sky with gold and crimson hues.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Serengeti lodge or tented camp

Day 6: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After an early breakfast and a final morning game drive in the Serengeti, begin your journey toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera. En route, you can visit a traditional Maasai village to learn about their pastoral culture and coexistence with wildlife.

Arrive at your lodge perched along the crater rim, offering breathtaking views over the vast caldera below. Relax with dinner as you watch the sunset over one of Africa’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge at the Ngorongoro Crater rim or nearby

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Exploration

After breakfast, descend 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for an unforgettable game drive inside this natural amphitheater. The crater’s fertile floor sustains one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, including elephants, black rhinos, lions, flamingos, and hippos.

Enjoy a picnic lunch beside the hippo pools, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of the crater walls rising above you. In the afternoon, ascend back to the rim and return to your lodge for a final night of relaxation and reflection on your journey through Tanzania’s wilderness.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge at Ngorongoro or Karatu

Day 8: Ngorongoro – Arusha / Departure

After a leisurely breakfast, drive back to Arusha, passing through rolling highlands and rural villages. Depending on your flight schedule, enjoy lunch in Arusha before being transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward journey, marking the end of an incredible safari adventure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch