Northern Safari Circuit
The journey, one day at a time
Into Arusha
Arrive to Arusha, the green town below Mount Meru that is the gateway to Tanzania's northern circuit — a night to settle before the parks.
Into Tarangire
Drive to Tarangire to Tarangire, a park of giant baobabs and dense elephant herds, and take a first drive along the river.
Along the Tarangire River
A full day tracking elephant family groups and predators along the river that gives the park its life.
Up to the Ngorongoro highlands
Drive to Ngorongoro to the Ngorongoro highlands and settle on the crater rim, ready for the descent.
Down into the crater
A full day on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater — black rhino, lion, flamingo and big herds inside one collapsed volcano.
Into the central Serengeti
Drive to Central Serengeti into the central Serengeti and drive the Seronera valleys for resident lion, leopard and cheetah. Continue by road into the central Serengeti and drive the Seronera valleys for resident lion, leopard and cheetah.
The Seronera valleys
Full days among the Seronera river lines — the surest big-cat country in the Serengeti — with the long midday to rest. A full day further onto the plains and kopjes, routed by where the prides and herds are moving.
Out across the plains
A full day further onto the plains and kopjes, routed by where the prides and herds are moving. Drive from Arusha into the central Serengeti and drive the Seronera valleys for resident lion, leopard and cheetah.
Into the Mara
Fly across the border to Mara into the Maasai Mara and head out on a first game drive as the light softens — plains game, elephant and the first cats on the way to camp.
Full day on the plains
Morning and afternoon drives with a Maasai guide, routed by where the predators are moving, with the long midday hours to rest at camp.
Journey's end
A light flight back to Nairobi connects to your onward flight home.
The season changes what you see.
The migration window
The wildebeest are in the Mara and the river crossings are on — the headline months, and the busiest. Book well ahead.
Resident game, green plains
The Big Five never leave. Fewer vehicles, lower rates, newborns in the grass and clean light for photography.
Where this journey goes
Hand-picked camps & lodges
Legendary Lodge
A gracious coffee-estate lodge with private cottages and gardens — the refined way to start or end a safari.
One Nature Nyaruswiga
Contemporary tented suites on the central plains, with telescopes, plunge pools and broad migration views.
Namiri Plains
A remote Asilia camp in former cheetah-research country, prized for its big cats and uncrowded plains.
Gibb’s Farm
A historic coffee farm on the crater highlands — gardens, farm-to-table food and timeless calm.
Ilora Retreats
An intimate, design-led tented retreat in the heart of the Mara, built around quiet luxury and private guiding.
Angama Mara
Glass-fronted suites suspended on the Oloololo Escarpment, with one of the most cinematic views in Africa.
Make it yours.
Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.