Safari
Arusha, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, Arusha
your journey
This is the northern circuit done properly, with time to settle into each park rather than rush through it. You start with a full day in Lake Manyara under the Rift Valley wall, then climb through the farmland of Karatu and over the Ngorongoro highlands to the central Serengeti, where you spend three nights around the Seronera valley.
Three nights in the Serengeti gives you choices. Some days you may head out at dawn when the lions are most active, come back for breakfast and go out again in the afternoon. Other days you take a picnic and stay out on the plains from morning until early evening. Your guide reads the park and the season and plans around what you most want to see.
On the way home you sleep on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, spend the morning on the crater floor looking for black rhino, and finish with a night near Tarangire and a last game drive among its baobabs and elephant herds before the drive back to Arusha. You travel in a private 4×4 with a pop-up roof, with the same driver-guide from start to finish.
First-time safari travellers who want to see the four best-known parks of northern Tanzania, couples and families who prefer a private vehicle and their own pace, and photographers who want more than one day in the Serengeti.
Parks visited
Lake Manyara National Park · Serengeti National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Tarangire National Park
what makes it special
day by day
Your guide collects you from your Arusha hotel at 8:30 am and drives you to Lake Manyara National Park, about two hours away, for a full day of game driving with a picnic lunch. The track leads first through groundwater forest of mahogany and fig, where olive baboons and blue monkeys live, then out to open woodland with buffalo, giraffe, impala and elephant. Keep an eye on the acacias for the park's tree-climbing lions, and on the lakeshore for flamingos. In the evening you check in at your camp for dinner.
After breakfast you climb onto the highlands through the farms of Karatu and cross the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with views over the crater rim forest. The road then drops onto the short-grass plains and into Serengeti National Park, the land the Maasai called endless. You head for the central Serengeti around the Seronera valley, where the Seronera River keeps water through the year and wildlife stays close. Lunch is on arrival, followed by your first afternoon game drive before dinner at camp.
You have two whole days to explore, and you choose the rhythm. Either leave early at 6 am when predators are most active, return for breakfast and a rest, then go out again in the afternoon, or take a relaxed breakfast and head out at about 9 am with a packed lunch until around 6 pm. The Seronera area is known for its resident lion prides and for leopards in the riverine trees, and your guide will also look for cheetah, hyena, elephant and the plains game.
After breakfast you have a last morning game drive in the Serengeti, then set off towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a picnic lunch along the way. By late afternoon you reach the crater rim, more than 2,200 metres above sea level, where the air turns cool and the forest is often wrapped in mist. From the viewpoints you look down into the caldera you will explore tomorrow. Dinner and the night are at your lodge on the rim.
After an early breakfast you descend about 600 metres to the crater floor for a game drive of around five hours. Look for black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo and golden jackal, and for flamingos, kori bustard, crowned crane and sacred ibis around the lake and swamps. Lunch is a picnic at the hippo pool. You then climb out of the crater and drive about two hours to your lodge in Tarangire for a well-earned dinner.
Breakfast is at about 8 am, followed by a half-day game drive in Tarangire National Park. This is baobab country, and the Tarangire River draws some of the largest elephant herds in Tanzania, along with buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland and, with luck, lesser kudu, oryx, lion or leopard. By mid-afternoon you leave the park and drive back to Arusha, arriving at your hotel or chosen drop-off at around 6 pm.
the price
Price on request
before you ask
You can go on safari here all year. The dry season from June to October is the easiest time for game viewing, because animals gather near rivers and the grass is short, but it is also the busiest. From November to May the parks are green, quieter and excellent for birds, with short rains around November and the long rains in April and May. Where the wildebeest migration is depends on the month, so tell us your dates and we will plan the route around them.
Our safaris use 4x4 safari vehicles with a pop-up roof, so you can stand up for game viewing and photography. On a private safari the vehicle and driver-guide are yours alone for the whole trip.
Each tour page lists exactly what is included and excluded. On our northern circuit safaris, such as the 7-day Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire trip, national park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area entrance fees are included. If you are not sure, ask your specialist before you book.
Yes. Every itinerary on this site is a starting point. We can add or remove days, swap parks, or change the accommodation to suit your budget, and your specialist will send you a revised plan and quote.
Bring light, neutral-coloured clothes, a warm layer for early mornings and for the Ngorongoro Crater rim, which is cold at night, comfortable shoes, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent. Binoculars and a camera with spare batteries and memory cards make a big difference. Soft bags pack into safari vehicles more easily than hard suitcases.
Most visitors need a visa. Apply online in good time through the official Tanzania Immigration website at eservices.immigration.go.tz, and do not use unofficial agents. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after arrival. Requirements differ by nationality, so check the official site for your country.
Enquire
Every AAA Express Adventure trip can be changed to suit you: the pace, the lodges, the number of days. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and our team in Arusha will come back to you with a plan and a price.
Your journey
Price on request
7 days · 6 nights
also consider
8 days · 7 nights
Tarangire National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti National Park · Lake Manyara National Park
Price on request
6 days · 5 nights
Lake Manyara National Park · Serengeti National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Tarangire National Park
Price on request
7 days · 6 nights
Arusha National Park · Lake Manyara National Park · Serengeti National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Tarangire National Park
Price on request
karibu
Call us on +255 784 281316, email sales@aaaexpressadventure.com or send an enquiry. Our team in Arusha will get back to you.
Price on request
Plan your trip
Enquiry about: 7-Day Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire Safari
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