7 Days Northern Circuit Tanzania Safari

You will be picked up from the airport by an Ameera Africa Safaris and transported to your accommodation in Arusha. Depending on your arrival time, you may be able to explore Arusha a little. Gran Melia Hotel is set in large, luscious grounds and is an excellent place to relax and prepare for your safari adventure.

 After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel by your private safari guide. The journey to Tarangire takes you through gently rolling Maasai plains with scattered acacia trees. You will pass many Maasais in their colourful dress walking on the roadside, riding bicycles and herding animals. The park is named after the Tarangire River which runs through it. This ‘river of warthogs’ is the only source of water for wildlife in the region during the dry season. The park is well known for its elephant families, which can often be seen congregating by the river. You may also see giraffe, bushbuck and hartebeest. These animals are closely followed by a range of predators, including lions and leopards. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet! The huge and ancient baobab trees are also seen here.

 After breakfast, you will continue on your epic safari to Lake Manyara National Park. Manyara is an unspoiled paradise and is best known for its abundance of birds and tree-climbing lions. The dramatic western escarpment of the Rift Valley forms the park’s western border. To the east is the shallow, alkaline Lake Manyara. The lake covers a large area of the park, flooding and drying with the seasons and is home to thousands of flamingos during the rains. The name Manyara comes from the Maasai word ‘emanyara’, a popular plant which is used to build the protective enclosure around a family homestead (boma). The park’s vegetation is diverse, ranging from savannah to evergreen forest. On your exploration of the park, you may see giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, elephants and if you are lucky; lions lounging in the trees.

 After breakfast, you will continue towards the fertile Ngorongoro Highlands where wheat and corn are grown by the Iraqw people. Along the way, you will pass through the mist-shrouded rain forests of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you might be lucky enough to see baboons, or even leopards and elephants in the dense undergrowth. Passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you will see the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater before traveling onward to the Serengeti National Park, which you will reach by midday. The Serengeti National Park is the largest park in Tanzania with diverse landscapes and habitats, such as grassy plains, swamps, lakes, savannah and mountains. After an extensive game drive, you will head towards your accommodation for an evening meal and your overnight stay at Lahia Tented Lodge. This is a spectacular camp, situated on top of a hill with panoramic views of the surrounding Serengeti.

 This day is set aside for game drives upon the Serengeti. The Serengeti is truly spectacular. It is famous for its vast open grasslands which allow for excellent sightings of wildlife. The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest national park and it is also one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Its climate and vegetation have remained largely untouched for millions of years. Whilst the Serengeti boasts abundant wildlife, it is perhaps best known for its annual great migration. Vast numbers of wildebeest; accompanied by large numbers of zebra and antelope move in an annual pattern, constantly seeking fresh grazing. The precise location and timing of the migration are entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.

 After breakfast, you will drive from Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater. When you first see Ngorongoro Crater, it looks like a forgotten world. Concealed by the steep volcanic walls is a pristine wilderness including sweeping savannah, pockets of acacia woodland and glistening lakes and swamps. The crater was created when a large volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself two to three million years ago. The drive down into the crater is an adventure in itself and when you reach the crater floor, you quickly find yourself amongst large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and more than 500 bird species. The crater provides you with the best chance of seeing the endangered black rhino, which can sometimes be spotted in the open grasslands. After a full afternoon inside the crater, you will head to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay in Karatu.

 After breakfast, you will travel to the airport which marks the end of your epic safari holiday adventure.