East Africa
Tanzania, and the matter of scale
The Serengeti runs to the horizon in every direction, and the Ngorongoro Crater holds a resident population of almost everything inside one collapsed volcano. Our northern circuit routes run from three to eight days.
In short
Ngorongoro gives you density in a single day. The Serengeti gives you distance. Five days is enough for both.
The northern circuit begins in Arusha, climbs through coffee country to the Ngorongoro highlands, and then drops onto the Serengeti plains. Within two days of driving you cross three completely different landscapes.
Ngorongoro is the most reliable day of game viewing in East Africa. The crater floor is around 260 square kilometres and enclosed, so lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and black rhino live there year round.
The Serengeti is the opposite pleasure. It is enormous and open, and our camps sit around Seronera in the centre, where the resident lion and leopard are easiest to find. The migration passes through between December and July.
Shortest route
3 days
Longest route
8 days
From
USD 1,285 pp
Migration here
December to July
Gateway
Kilimanjaro or Arusha
Central Serengeti, near Seronera
Why go
What Tanzania offers that Kenya does not
Space, mainly. On the short grass plains you can drive for an hour and see one other vehicle, which changes what a sighting feels like. The Serengeti is roughly seven times the size of the Maasai Mara and it has no fences on the Kenyan side.
Then there is the crater. There is nowhere else in Africa where a single day produces so much, and it is the most dependable place on the continent to see black rhino. Rim lodges give you cold mornings and a view straight down into the caldera before you descend.
Calving season, January to March, fills the southern plains with wildebeest calves and the predators that follow them. Tarangire adds very large elephant herds among baobabs in the dry months, and the Serengeti is the classic balloon flight.
The circuit
Four areas, in the order you drive them
Arusha
Where the circuit starts
Worth a night at the beginning so you start the drive rested rather than straight off a long haul flight.
Read more
Tarangire
Manyara region
Baobabs and the Tarangire river, with elephant herds that gather in numbers in the dry season.
Read more
Ngorongoro
One full day on the floor
An enclosed caldera holding lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and black rhino year round.
Read more
Serengeti
Two to three nights
Seronera for the residents, the southern plains for calving between January and March.
Read more
The routes
Four Tanzania safaris
Priced per person sharing for two travellers, at three accommodation levels.
Most requested
3 days / 2 nights
Code UTS-DASE-03
Three days, Serengeti
Kati Kati, Serengeti Serena or Oleserai
Two nights in the central Serengeti, with full days out on the plains.
From, per person sharing
USD 1,285 to 2,190
Details
5 days / 4 nights
Code UTS-ANPL-05
Five days, crater and plains
Farm House and Kati Kati, Serena, or Oldeani and Oleserai
Two nights on the crater side, two in the Serengeti. The classic short circuit.
From, per person sharing
USD 2,310 to 3,320
Details
7 days / 6 nights
Code UTS-DAUN-07
Seven days, unhurried
Arusha, Ngorongoro, Serengeti
A night in Arusha, two in the highlands, three on the plains.
From, per person sharing
USD 2,870 to 4,160
Details
8 days / 7 nights
Code UTS-FUCI-08
Eight days, the full circuit
Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti
Everything, including Tarangire, with three nights in the Serengeti.
From, per person sharing
USD 3,160 to 5,625
Details
Included: accommodation, park and conservation area fees, and safari transport with a driver guide. Quoted separately: Ngorongoro crater service fees, international flights, visas, balloon flights, Zanzibar or Kilimanjaro extensions, and tips.
The herds cross into Kenya between July and October
Best time to visit
Following the herds south of the border
December to March puts the herds on the southern short grass plains for calving. This is the best window for predator action and for balloon flights over concentrated wildlife.
April and May are the long rains: some camps close, roads soften and prices fall. June and July see the herds moving north and west towards the Grumeti and then the Mara River.
From August to October the migration is largely in Kenya, but the Serengeti stays excellent for resident game and the crater is unaffected by season. If you want both halves, combine this with our Kenya routes.
Practical
Planning a Tanzania trip
Getting there
Kilimanjaro International is the usual arrival point for the northern circuit.
Flying into Nairobi and crossing at Namanga or Isebania also works if you are combining with Kenya.
Visas are issued on arrival or online in advance for most nationalities.
The Arusha to Seronera flight saves most of a driving day and is quoted on request.
Costs to expect
Ngorongoro crater and conservation area fees are significant and are included in our rates.
Balloon safaris over the Serengeti are an additional cost, booked ahead.
Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro extensions are quoted separately.
Tips for driver guides and camp staff are not included.
Why book with us
One guide, the whole circuit
The northern circuit involves long transfers and three very different altitudes. Having the same driver guide from Arusha to the Serengeti and back means nobody has to be briefed twice, and the day can be re-shaped around weather and wildlife rather than a handover schedule.
Vehicles
Our own 4×4 fleet
Guides
In-house, one per route
Registration
Kenya and TRA
Office
Westlands, Nairobi
Questions
Tanzania safari questions
Is Ngorongoro or the Serengeti better?–
+
They do different jobs. Ngorongoro gives density and near certain sightings in a single day. The Serengeti gives space and time. Five days lets you have both, which is why the five day route is the most booked.
When can I see the Great Migration in Tanzania?+
+
Roughly December to July. Calving is January to March in the south, and the herds move north and west from June. After that they are largely in the Maasai Mara.
Can I combine Tanzania with Kenya?+
+
Yes. The natural pairing is the Serengeti and Ngorongoro with the Maasai Mara. Tell us your total days and we will split them rather than rushing both.
Do I need internal flights?+
+
No, the circuit works entirely by road. The Arusha to Seronera flight saves most of a day, so we quote both versions and let you compare.
What about Zanzibar?+
+
It pairs well as a finish. Give us the nights you want on the island and we will add it to any of the routes above.
Kenya registered tour operator
TRA registered
Our own 4×4 safari vehicles
In-house driver guides
Westlands, Nairobi
Start planning
Tell us your dates and we will build the northern circuit around them, costed at all three lodge levels.