Grand Northern Circuit

Your guide meets you in Arusha, the gateway to the northern circuit, for a briefing and the drive to the park. Travel days involve long drives or flights; times depend on the day's schedule and are confirmed in your final itinerary.

Lake Manyara National Park, at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, packs groundwater forest, an alkaline lake and open grassland into 325 km². It is known for its tree-climbing lions and flocks of flamingos. Game drive for elephant, lions, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, with the chance of a treetop canopy walkway or birdwatching. Overnight: Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime.

Travel to Tarangire National Park for an afternoon game drive. Overnight: Tarangire Safari Lodge on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime.

Tarangire National Park, about 2,850 km² south-west of Arusha, is known for its giant baobab trees and elephant herds that can number up to 300. Spend a full day on game drives along the Tarangire River looking for elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, with a picnic lunch in the bush. In the dry season (June to October) wildlife concentrates along the river. Overnight: Tarangire Safari Lodge on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime.

Drive from the Tarangire towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with game viewing on the way, and climb to the crater rim for sunset over the highlands. Overnight: Ngorongoro Farm House on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime.

Descend early into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest intact caldera at about 260 km², and spend several hours on the crater floor, where the Big Five can be seen in a single day: lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, rhinoceroses, cheetahs, hyenas. Enjoy a picnic lunch by the hippo pool before climbing back to the rim in the afternoon. Overnight: Ngorongoro Farm House on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime. Then drive on to the Serengeti.

Serengeti National Park, 14,750 km² of savannah, rivers and granite kopjes, is the home of the Great Migration. Start before dawn for the best light and the most active wildlife, with a game drive looking for lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, rhinoceroses, cheetahs, hyenas. Stop for a bush breakfast in the open, rest through the middle of the day, then drive again in the late afternoon. A hot-air balloon safari at sunrise can be added. Overnight: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge on the Classic option, with higher-grade camps and lodges on Signature and Sublime.

Enjoy a final early game drive, then travel back to Mwanza for your onward flight or hotel. Travel days involve long drives or flights; times depend on the day's schedule and are confirmed in your final itinerary.

A sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti plains, followed by a champagne bush breakfast.

Your own guide and safari vehicle for the whole trip, for the freedom to set the pace.

Add days on the beach in Zanzibar at the end of your safari.

A guided visit to a local community to meet people and see daily life.

Light-aircraft transfers between parks to save long drives.

A session in a photographic hide for close wildlife photography.