Experience the thrill of Tanzania’s famed Northern Circuit with this unique small-group safari, which delivers adventure, culture and value! The wonderful Tanzanian guides are the key – young, enthusiastic, professional, and highly trained. Opportunities for walking and cultural interaction.

Accommodation is a delightful mix; small guest house, boutique lodges, permanent tented lodges and a few nights in mobile tented camps. For the later, the tents are roomy with comfy camp cots fitted with linens and blankets. Shared toilet and bucket shower tents. Camp locations change seasonally to sites near the best game areas.

A group maximum of 10 members on each departure guarantees a wonderful ambiance. 


Download our Trip Notes for full itinerary and optional extras.

Begins on Tuesdays and ends on Saturdays

Departures 2010: Jan 5, 19; Feb 2, 16; Mar 2, 16; May 4, 18; Jun 1, 15; Jul 6, 20; Aug 3, 17; Sep 7, 21; Oct 5, 19; Nov 2, 16, 30; Dec 14

Departures 2011: Jan 4, 18; Feb 1, 15; Mar 1, 15; May 3, 17; Jun 7, 21; Jul 5, 19; Aug 2, 16; Sep 6, 20; Oct 4, 18; Nov 1, 15, 30; Dec 13

Optional 6-day Zanzibar Extension is detailed on our Trip Notes. Including flight from Serengeti priced from $1394/person (down load by clicking on Trip Notes)

DAY 1  ARRIVE KILIMANJARO, TANZANIA
Upon arrival into Kilimanjaro Airport this evening you are met and transferred to your lodge (transfers are priced separately based on number of passengers-see pricing below). Welcome to Africa! Olasiti Lodge or similar

DAYS 2-3     TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we depart for Tarangire National Park. The park is bustling with diverse wildlife, set amid majestic baobab trees. During the dry season, the animals congregate along the banks of the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in Maasai land. Our days are filled with game drives, visits with resident tribes, and walking excursions. Maramboi Tented Lodge or similar (BLD)

DAY 4        LAKE MANYARA • KARATU
Early morning walk at Tarangire before departing for Karatu, on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. Cross the floor of the Great Rift Valley near Lake Manyara. Then, mingle with villagers at local markets such as Mto Wa Mbu or Karatu. Shopping and bargaining for bolts of cloth, crafts, and local produce immerse you in a daily ritual of African life. Afternoon visit to a school then drive up the escarpment to Lake Eyasi arrive at your camp and relax in the evening. Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp (BLD)

DAY 5      LAKE EYASI
Early morning walking and hunting-gathering with Bushmen (Wahadzabe) hunters or spend time participating in the morning routine of the settlement. Your local guide will interpret for you and discuss hunting techniques still used by the tribes.  This dry and rugged landscape is inhabited by Bushmen who live in nomadic groups, hunting with bow and arrow and gathering roots, tubers and wild fruits. Be prepared for an extraordinary cross-cultural experience as you join these nomadic Bushmen in their daily life (note: there may be an opportunity to go on a hunt; guests who are not interested in participating in the hunt will have other activities available to them).  In the afternoon you can also visit the Datoga, a tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists who migrated into this area looking for good grazing land many decades ago, are interesting people to visit. They have so far resisted neighboring tribes' cultural infiltrations.  The women, still wearing locally fat treated goatskin gowns, carve their faces and bodies to look prettier are usually seen. Learning about their history is as fascinating.  Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp (BLD)

DAYS 6-7 NGORONGORO CRATER AND HIGHLAND WALKING
Morning depart to Ngorongoro Crater with picnic lunch. Descend into the 100-square-mile Ngorongoro Crater to view game on the vast grasslands of the crater floor. Spectacular animal life can be found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water.  Ngorongoro is one of the most impressive game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Local wildlife includes black-maned lion, the highly endangered black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, jackal, and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. The bird life is also prolific with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake as well as other species of water and plains birds. 

Depending on season and weather permitting, the half-day hike options include the Empakai Crater, Olmoti Crater or the surrounding highlands on day 7.  Impressive views of the landscape abound.  Walking is not strenuous, but do expect some sloping terrain and at times, muddy paths. Afternoon visits to a Maasai village where herdsmen are often grazing their cattle around the crater rim. Ngorongoro Farm House (BLD)

DAY 8      OLDUVAI GORGE • SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Serengeti National Park is the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world. Our journey here also includes a visit to Olduvai Gorge, the famous archeological site where the Leakeys unearthed the remains of Australopithecus, Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. Mobile Tenting (BLD)

DAYS 9-11   SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
We spend these days exploring the corners of the park, taking in the beauty of the seemingly unending plains. From January to March, the park is home to the migration of over 2.5 million wildebeest and zebra, which attract a host of predatory animals. The flora of the Serengeti is as equally diverse as its wildlife. Massive islets of granite, called Kopjes, standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of plant and animal species. Mobile Tenting (BLD)

DAY 12      ARUSHA • DEPART OR EXTEND YOUR STAY
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha where the safari comes to an end (arrive Arusha approximately 17h00) or continue with one of our extensions (Kilimanjaro climb, Southern Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya etc.). NOTE: the drive is approximately 7 hours including a lunch stop. There is an option to fly back – see details by downloading our Trip Notes or give us a call.

ZANZIBAR EXTENSION: This safari combines wonderfully with our Zanzibar. We have detailed a 6-day program including a flight from Serengeti on day 12 priced from $1640/person for 6 days.

Optional: Serengeti Balloon Safari  US $499 per person (4-5 hour excursion)
5:00am Serengeti Balloon Safaris will collect you from your central Serengeti lodge or camp, and transfer you by LandRover to our launch site near Maasai Kopjes.  Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon. At dawn we take off, rising as the sun rises and float in whichever direction the winds of the morning take us. Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of your balloon: sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. The flight is approximately one hour depending on local conditions. Upon landing you celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an excellent sparkling wine), before sitting down to a full English breakfast prepared and served in the bush in Out of Africa style with bone china, linen table cloths, King's silver etc. After breakfast you receive your Serengeti Balloon certificate and we drive you back to Seronera Lodge game viewing enroute.  9:30 am arrive at Seronera ready to continue your day's activities. Prebooking the balloon safari is strongly recommended, as there are only 2 balloons in the entire Serengeti!

Accommodations: A comfortable mix of first class permanent tented lodges, fully serviced tenting and guest lodges. 4nts in mobile tents (Serengeti) in large (10x10x8 ft) 2-person walk-in tents outfitted with comfortable camp cots with linens, blankets and 4”foam mattresses. Each tent has a verandah with 2 camp chairs and 2 washbasins. Separate shared facilities tents with bucket hot water shower and drop loo. Separate dining tent. Camps are set up and maintained by a dedicated camp staff.