6-Day Tanzania Safari: Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
A private 6-day mid-range safari from Arusha through four parks: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, two nights in the central Serengeti and a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor.
The Northern Circuit in Six Days
Six days is enough to see the four best-known parks of the north without long days back to back. Tarangire and Lake Manyara are short drives from Arusha and very different from each other; two nights in the Serengeti give you a full day on the plains; and the Ngorongoro Crater comes last, on the way home.
You travel in your own vehicle with your guide, and stay in mid-range lodges and tented camps.
Why Travellers Choose It
- Four parks: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater
- Two nights and a full day in the central Serengeti
- A game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Your own vehicle and guide
- Mid-range lodges and tented camps, full board
Read our park guides
Route Map
- By road
- Day of the trip
- Arusha
Lines show the order of travel, not the exact roads.
Your guide collects you from your hotel in Arusha. After about two hours' drive you spend the day on game drives in Tarangire, among its elephants and baobab trees, and arrive at your lodge or camp in the afternoon.
Overnight: Lodge or tented camp near Tarangire
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
A short drive to Lake Manyara, where the road winds through groundwater forest full of baboons and blue monkeys before opening onto the lake shore, often with hippos and water birds. In the afternoon you drive up the escarpment to Karatu.
Overnight: Lodge in Karatu
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You cross the Ngorongoro highlands and drive down onto the Serengeti plains, game-viewing on the way to your camp in the central Serengeti.
Overnight: Tented camp in the central Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A whole day on the plains. The central Serengeti has lions, cheetahs and leopards all year; your guide plans the day with you, with a picnic lunch or a break at camp.
Overnight: Tented camp in the central Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A last morning game drive in the Serengeti, then the drive back across the plains and the Ngorongoro highlands to Karatu.
Overnight: Lodge in Karatu
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
An early start down into the crater for a game drive with a picnic lunch, then the drive back to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon or early evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Price Per Person Sharing — Private, Mid-Range
| Group Size | Price Per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 Person | $4,280 |
| 2 People | $2,860 |
| 3 People | $2,500 |
| 4 People | $2,320 |
| 5 People | $2,220 |
| 6 People | $2,140 |
Price per person sharing in US dollars, by the number of people travelling together; one traveller has a room to themselves. Groups of 7 or more: price on request.
Prices are based on our current estimates of 2026 lodge rates; we confirm the final price in writing before you book.
Optional extra: a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the central Serengeti, about an hour in the air, followed by a bush breakfast. About 599 US dollars per person for flights in 2026 and about 660 US dollars from 1 January 2027. Children from 7 years. Ask us to add it when you book.
Trip Notes
- Start and end: your hotel in Arusha
- Mid-range lodges and tented camps, named after booking
- Private safari on the dates you choose
Includes
- All park entry and conservation fees, and the Ngorongoro Crater vehicle fee
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional driver-guide
- 5 nights in mid-range lodges and tented camps, full board
- Drinking water on game drives
- Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel in Arusha
Excludes
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tanzania's compulsory inbound travel insurance for foreign visitors (44 US dollars per person, from 1 October 2026)
- Hot-air balloon flight (optional)
- Tips for guides and lodge staff
- Drinks not included in the lodges' meal plans
- Any government increase in park fees or taxes after booking
Questions Travellers Ask
Why visit four parks?
Each one is different: Tarangire for elephants and baobabs, Lake Manyara for its forest and lake shore, the Serengeti for its open plains and big cats, and the Ngorongoro Crater for its density of animals in one place.
Can we see the Great Migration?
Sometimes. The herds move through different parts of the Serengeti during the year; this trip stays in the central Serengeti. If the migration is your priority, tell us your dates and we will plan where to stay.
Can we add a beach stay?
Yes. You can fly from Arusha or the Serengeti to Zanzibar after the safari. Ask us for a price.
Is the price per person or per group?
Per person sharing, for the number of people travelling together. For example, a group of four pays $2,320 each, $9,280 in total.
