7-Day Northern Circuit Group Safari

SAFARI COST: USD 2, 200 per person

Tour Description

This 7-day group safari delivers the ultimate Northern Circuit experience—chasing the Great Migration’s dramatic river crossings, exploring the wildlife-packed Ngorongoro Crater, and connecting with one of Africa’s last hunter-gatherer tribes. Journey through five distinct ecosystems: Tarangire’s elephant-filled baobab forests, the crater’s Big Five concentration, the predator-rich Serengeti plains. Built for the dry season (July–October), this itinerary maximizes your chances of witnessing wildebeest and zebras plunging across the Mara River in one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Crossings are never guaranteed, but with two full days in the Northern Serengeti, your odds are best.

Safari Highlights

Day 1: Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park – Overnight Karatu Day 2: Full day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater – Overnight Karatu Day 3: Transfer to Northern Serengeti Day 4: Full day game drive in Northern Serengeti Day 5: Full day game drive in Northern Serengeti Day 6: Return to Karatu Day 7: Lake Eyasi – Hunting with the Hadzabe – Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park – Overnight Karatu

You leave Arusha behind, the great Rift Valley escarpment rising on your left. Two hours later, you roll into Tarangire National Park—and the first thing you see is a herd of elephants, maybe fifty of them, marching through a forest of baobab trees so ancient they look like they were planted by giants.

Tarangire’s secret is its river. In the dry season, the Tarangire River is the only water source for miles, and everything comes to it. Elephants, buffalo, lions, and the biggest herds of wildebeest and zebra you’ve ever seen are all packed into a landscape of dust, acacia, and those surreal baobabs. You spend the afternoon on game drives, weaving through the herds. The elephants here carry tusks so heavy they carve furrows in the earth. Lions doze in the shade, too full to move. And the light, as the sun drops behind the baobabs, turns everything the colour of honey. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Eileen’ Tree in Karatu

Day 2: Full Day Game Drive in Ngorongoro Crater – Overnight Karatu

You wake before dawn. The crater rim is cold. You’ll need layers but the reward is a sunrise that paints the caldera in gold and pink. You descend the switchback road into the crater floor, and within minutes, you’re surrounded by wildlife. This is one of the few places on Earth where you can see the Big Five in a single morning. Lions sprawl across the roads, too lazy to move. Black rhinos are critically endangered and fiercely protected graze in the open grasslands. Hippos crowd the hippo pools, grunting and splashing. Elephants move through the fever trees. And leopards, if you’re lucky, drape themselves across rocky outcrops.

The crater floor is small, just 260 square kilometers but it holds over 25,000 large animals. The density is absurd. You’ll take a picnic lunch by the Ngoitokitok Springs, watching hippos and flamingos in the same frame, and wonder if this is what paradise looked like before humans showed up. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Eileen’ Tree in Karatu

Day 3: Transfer from Karatu to Northern Serengeti

After breakfast, you leave the Ngorongoro Highlands behind and drive west into the Serengeti. The landscape opens dramatically, the endless plains stretch to the horizon, dotted with acacia trees and termite mounds. You cross through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing through the famous Naabi Hill Gate, the official entrance to Serengeti National Park. As you push north toward the Mara River, the terrain changes from open plains to riverine woodlands, kopjes, and rugged country. This is the front line of the Great Migration. Between July and October, more than a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras gather along the banks of the Mara River, preparing to cross. When you arrive in the Northern Serengeti in the late afternoon the Kogatende area is the prime crossing zone. The crocodiles wait below. The lions and hyenas patrol the far banks. The tension is palpable. Settle into your camp with the sound of the river in your ears. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Tukaone Safari Camp

Day 4: Full Day Game Drive in Northern Serengeti

Today is your first full day in the Northern Serengeti. Your guide positions the vehicle at strategic crossing points along the Mara River. The herds mill nervously, pacing the edge, pulling back, pacing again. You wait. The dust rises, the calls echo, and the anticipation is unbearable.

And then if you’re lucky the first wildebeest plunges in. The rest follow in a surge. Hooves churn the water. Crocodiles slide from the banks. Zebras scream. The crossing is chaos, blood, and raw instinct. You might see a crossing. You might not. The herds are wild, and they do as they please. But even without a crossing, the Northern Serengeti delivers. Lion prides of up to thirty individuals, cheetahs hunting on the open plains, leopards in the riverine trees. This is a predator country at its finest. You spend the full day exploring, with a picnic lunch on the plains. Return to camp as the sun drops behind the acacias. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Tukaone Safari Camp

Day 5: Full Day Game Drive in Northern Serengeti

Another full day in the Northern Serengeti, another chance at a crossing, another morning of tension and hope. Your guide knows the best crossing points and will position you where the action is most likely. If the crossing happens, you’ll watch in stunned silence. If it doesn’t, you’ll still have one of the greatest wildlife days on the planet. The northern Serengeti is home to massive herds of elephant, buffalo, and plains game, even when the migration has moved on. Take advantage of the full day to explore the Kogatende and Lamai areas, known for resident lion prides and excellent sightings of cheetahs and leopards. The riverine forests host a variety of bird species, while the open plains offer endless wildlife viewing opportunities. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Tukaone Safari Camp

Day 6: Transfer from Northern Serengeti to Karatu

After breakfast, you leave the Serengeti behind and begin the journey south toward Karatu. The drive takes you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, crossing the stunning highlands with views of the crater in the distance. This is a transfer day, but the scenery makes it worthwhile. You pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend into the Great Rift Valley, passing through Maasai villages and rolling green hills. Arrive in Karatu in the late afternoon, check into your lodge, and enjoy a relaxing evening. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinking Water Accommodation: Eileen’ Tree in Karatu

Day 7: Lake Eyasi – Hunting with the Hadzabe – Departure

On your final day, you drive to Lake Eyasi, a remote soda lake at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment. The landscape is stark, volcanic, and otherworldly. Your destination is the Hadzabe tribe. One of the last remaining hunter-gatherer communities in Africa, the Hadzabe have lived in this region for tens of thousands of years, hunting with bows and poison-tipped arrows. You spend the morning with them. They show you their hunting techniques, their fire-making skills, and their language, a tongue full of clicks, one of the oldest on Earth. If you’re lucky, you might join a group of Hadzabe hunters on a hunt, watching as they stalk game with astonishing precision. This is not a tourist show. This is a genuine encounter with one of the last hunter-gatherer societies on the planet.

After the Hadzabe experience, visit the nearby Datoga tribe, known for their blacksmithing skills and intricate ironwork. After lunch, you’ll be transferred back to Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

Inclusions

All airport transfers
Full-board accommodation (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
All park entry fees and conservation levies
Game drives as mentioned in the itinerary
Private 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
Professional English-speaking driver-guide
Hadzabe cultural experience
Bottled drinking water throughout the safari

Exclusions

International flights and visas
Travel and medical insurance (mandatory)
Tips and gratuities for guides and lodge staff
Personal expenses (drinks, laundry, souvenirs)
Optional activities (hot-air balloon safari, extra cultural visits)
Accommodation and meals outside the specified itinerary
Alcoholic beverages at lodges and camps