7-day best of northern Tanzania tour

Arusha

Day 1: Welcome to Tanzania!

After landing at Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha, a tour representative will greet you and then drop you off at your hotel. Depending on your time of arrival, you can decide if you would like to receive a short safari briefing with your guide on the same day or the next morning. You can spend the rest of the day as you wish. Relax at the hotel in anticipation of the coming day that is filled with lots of exciting activities.

Tarangire National Park

Day 2: Elephant Herds and Majestic Baobabs at Tarangire

It’s time to experience the wild! You will be driven to Tarangire National Park situated just two and a half hours from Arusha. Take in the impressive vastness of the landscape during your drive and pass through small villages with areas where locals sell their goods. You can also have a short stop at these local markets.

Later, go on a game drive at Tarangire which has the highest concentration of wildlife after the Serengeti. During the dry season, the Tarangire River is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. It’s an animal wonderland with wildebeests, zebras, lions, elephants, impalas, buffaloes, giraffes and gazelles. The park is home to migratory herds and predators, as well as hundreds of bird species. So, keep your eyes open for the little things too! See the terrain dotted with baobabs (monkeybread trees) and look at the superb views of the Maasai steppe and mountains to the south.

Lake Eyasi

Day 3: Interact with the Hadzabe and Datoga Tribes

On this day, you will have one of the most interesting experiences of our cultural program. The Hadzabe, an indigenous ethnic group in Tanzania, live near the shores of Lake Eyasi and in the southern Serengeti. They maintain a Stone Age way of life and communicate in a language which consists of clicking sounds. Today, you will get a glimpse into their lives. They use tools carved by hand, hunt with a bow and arrow and live in makeshift huts made of natural materials. You will also have an opportunity to use a bow and arrow, and take part in the traditional dance if you wish to.

After lunch, visit the Datoga tribe. They are a semi-nomadic people, who ensure their survival mainly through cattle and livestock, and also by farming beans and corn. All the parts of an animal are used for practical or ritual purposes. Visit the dwellings and experience their culture. Later, return to the lodge.

Serengeti National Park

Day 4: Visit a Maasai Village and Serengeti Park

Meet the Maasai today! Your guide will drive you to a Maasai village where you will be greeted in a ceremony in which the young men dance and try to jump as high as possible to prove their strength. Then, take a look in the clay huts and discover the handmade jewellery.

Later, proceed on the long journey to the Serengeti with a break at Naabi Hill Gate, the entry point to the Serengeti. Start your safari in the afternoon in the endless plain dotted with granite rocks known as "Kopjes". More than 1.5 million wildebeest, thousands of Thomson’s gazelles and zebras, elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffes and other species live in the Serengeti. Your guide will choose an area where you are most likely to observe the migratory herds. During migration, millions of wildebeests and zebras move along the grazing grounds in a cycle which is always the same. And of course, the big cats follow them. 

Serengeti National Park

Day 5: Witness the Remarkable Annual Migration at Serengeti

You will need another day to truly discover the wildlife at Serengeti National Park. On your game drive today, your guide will use his trained eye to show you things that you wouldn't notice on your own. Of course, the elephant, lion, cheetah and the elusive leopard are once again the focus of the search. Nevertheless, the pretty impala, the funny warthogs with their tails standing upright, hyenas, zebras, buffalo herds and proud giraffes create beautiful photo opportunities, too. On the riverbanks, you will find crocodiles and hippos.

Rivers like the Grumeti and the Mara River are big obstacles for the thousands of wildebeest and zebras during the animal migration, so dramatic scenes take place when they try to cross them. There are magical moments when huge herds of animals pass by and you feel the earth vibrating below their hooves. It is an unforgettable experience!

Ngorongoro Crater

Day 6: Spot the Big Five in Ngorongoro Crater

Make your way to another superb wildlife destination with a drive to the Ngorongoro Area near Karatu. A full-day safari in the world’s largest volcanic crater promises unique experiences! The Ngorongoro caldera is home to 25,000 large mammals and more than 360 bird species. Take a look at the grasslands criss-crossed by lakes, swamps, rivers, forests and mountains. See elephants in the jungle thickets while zebras, wildebeests, antelopes and buffaloes walk on the crater floor. The crater also has the highest predator density in Africa.

You are most likely to see the Big Five–elephant, black rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard–in the Ngorongoro Crater. You will be particularly lucky if you spot one of the endangered black rhinos. At the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maasai live side by side with the wildlife carrying on a way of life that they have followed for centuries.

Arusha

Day 7: Farewell, Tanzania!

As your trip comes to a close, you will journey from Karatu back to Arusha. The drive takes about three hours. Once again, you can enjoy the impressive expanse of the landscape and the hustle and bustle on the roadside in the small villages.

Afterwards, head to the airport where you will start your journey home with memories of a wonderful trip.