7 Days Tanzania Safari (Midrange Northern Circuit)

Tarangire • Serengeti • Ngorongoro Crater • Lake Manyara • Comfortable Lodges & Tented Camps

Safari Highlights: Tarangire elephants and baobabs, two Serengeti game-drive days, Ngorongoro Crater’s wildlife density, and Manyara’s forest-and-lakeshore scenery. Optional Serengeti balloon safari and a Maasai cultural visit.

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7 Days Tanzania Safari (2025, 2026 & 2027) — Midrange Northern Circuit

This 7-day midrange safari is designed for travelers who want Tanzania’s classic Northern Circuit with strong wildlife time and practical pacing. You start in Arusha to settle in, then explore Tarangire’s baobab-dotted savannah, move into the Serengeti for big cats and vast plains, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for one of Africa’s most wildlife-dense game drives, and finish in Lake Manyara’s green groundwater forest and lakeshore habitats.

The itinerary is intentionally structured around the best viewing windows—early morning and late afternoon—while keeping transfers comfortable. Between parks you’ll still enjoy game viewing and viewpoints, with breaks timed for meals and photo stops. For guests who want something extra special, we can add a sunrise Serengeti balloon safari, a private sundowner setup, or a Zanzibar beach extension after the safari.

Accommodation is midrange with a focus on great locations, comfort, and warm hospitality. Final lodges/camps can be confirmed based on season and availability, while keeping the same route and overall standard.

7 Days Tanzania Safari - Midrange Northern Circuit

Day 1: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) – Transfer to Arusha

When you land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, our team meets you for a smooth private transfer to Arusha. This first evening is intentionally easy: check in, stretch after your flight, and enjoy the calm of northern Tanzania before safari starts. If skies are clear, you may catch Mount Meru in the distance, and on some days even the outline of Kilimanjaro.

Depending on your arrival time, you can keep it simple and rest, or add a gentle warm-up activity such as a short craft stop or coffee break. Your guide (or our representative) will run through the plan, confirm departure time for Tarangire, and share practical tips—how we pace game drives, what to expect at park gates, and how to get the best photos without rushing your experience.

Overnight: Summit Safari Lodge (Arusha) or similar midrange lodge

Day 2: Arusha → Tarangire National Park – Full Game Drive – Karatu

After breakfast you drive to Tarangire National Park, famous for its elephant herds and dramatic baobab trees. The landscape shifts from town and farming areas into wide savannah and riverine habitat, and once inside the park you begin game viewing immediately. Tarangire’s river acts like a wildlife magnet, especially in drier months, drawing animals for water and creating excellent sightings.

You’ll spend the day exploring different zones—open plains where zebra and wildebeest move in herds, woodland patches where giraffes browse, and the river corridor where you often see elephants crossing or gathering in numbers. Predators are present too, and your guide will read tracks, alarm calls, and movement to increase chances of lions or leopard. Picnic lunch is served at a designated spot inside the park, then you continue the drive into the afternoon when the light becomes softer and wildlife becomes more active again.

In the late afternoon you exit Tarangire and continue to the cooler highlands around Karatu—an ideal base between parks. Arrive, refresh, and enjoy dinner.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge (Karatu) or similar

Day 3: Karatu → Serengeti – Scenic Transfer + Game Viewing (Naabi Hill / Central Serengeti)

Today you travel toward Serengeti National Park. The road is part of the story—watch the highlands fall away and the land open into the famous Serengeti plains. You pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (wildlife can appear even outside the national park), and you’ll stop for viewpoints and photos along the way as the scenery becomes increasingly dramatic.

After park formalities at the gate, you enter the Serengeti and begin game viewing during the drive to your camp. This isn’t just a transfer—your guide treats it like a safari day, scanning for big cats, elephants, and large herbivore herds. If the migration is in the broader region (seasonal), you may encounter long lines of wildebeest and zebra, with predators nearby.

Arrive to check in and enjoy lunch, then head out again for an afternoon game drive when temperatures cool and animals begin moving. Sunset often brings some of the best moments: lions waking up, hyenas patrolling, and golden light across the plains.

Overnight: Serengeti Tortilis Camp / Serengeti Signature Luxury Tented Camp (or similar)

Day 4: Serengeti Full Day Game Drive – Big Cats, Kopjes & River Lines

This is your dedicated Serengeti day—an early start to catch the park at its most active, with the option to stay out longer for deeper exploration. Your guide plans the route based on recent sightings and the season: kopjes for lion prides and leopard chances, open plains for cheetah and hunting behavior, and river lines for hippos and the drama of predator-prey interactions.

You’ll stop for a picnic lunch in the park (or return to camp if you prefer a more relaxed mid-day), then continue through the afternoon. With a full day, you’re not limited to “checking boxes”—your guide can wait patiently at a promising area, follow a cheetah family at a respectful distance, or position for the best angle when lions move.

Optional upgrade: Sunrise balloon safari over the Serengeti followed by bush breakfast (available on request; excellent for photographers and a once-in-a-lifetime perspective).

Overnight: Serengeti Tortilis Camp / Serengeti Signature Luxury Tented Camp (or similar)

Day 5: Serengeti Morning Safari – Transfer to Ngorongoro Highlands + Maasai Cultural Visit

After breakfast, enjoy a final Serengeti morning game drive—perfect for revisiting hotspots or focusing on any species you still want to see. Morning light is ideal for photos, and the cool hours often bring movement: lions changing position, elephants traveling in lines, and raptors active overhead.

Later, begin the journey back toward the Ngorongoro highlands. Along the way, you can include a Maasai cultural visit for a respectful introduction to local traditions, homestead design, and daily life. It’s a meaningful contrast to the wildlife focus—showing how communities have lived alongside these ecosystems for generations.

Arrive at your camp/lodge on the crater highlands, where evenings are cooler and the atmosphere feels very different from the Serengeti plains. Dinner and overnight, ready for the crater descent the next day.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp / Ngorongoro Ang’ata Camp (or similar)

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater – Full Game Drive – Lake Manyara Area

Today is one of the most iconic safari days in Africa. You start early and descend into the Ngorongoro Crater—an ancient caldera with a remarkable concentration of wildlife. Over the day you explore open grasslands, acacia woodland patches, swamps, and the soda lake, with each habitat offering different sightings.

Expect excellent chances for lion, buffalo, hippo, hyena, zebra, and elephant. Ngorongoro is also one of the best places in Tanzania to search for black rhino, and your guide will focus on the most promising zones and timing. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch inside the crater near the hippo pool, then continue game viewing before ascending back to the rim.

In the afternoon, you drive down toward Lake Manyara. The shift in scenery is part of what makes this itinerary strong—moving from highland crater views to the greener, forested feel of Manyara’s ecosystem.

Overnight: Lake Manyara Tortilis Camp (or similar)

Day 7: Lake Manyara Game Drive – Return to Arusha / JRO Departure

After breakfast, head into Lake Manyara National Park for game viewing in a compact but highly diverse landscape. The groundwater forest is famous for baboons and blue monkeys, and elephants often move quietly between the trees. As you approach the lakeshore, you’ll see different birdlife depending on the season, with strong chances for waterbirds and raptors.

Manyara is well known for its dramatic scenery and varied habitats—forest, open clearings, marshes, and lake edge—all in a relatively small area. Tree-climbing lion sightings are possible but never guaranteed; your guide will search the most likely zones while still focusing on the park’s consistent highlights.

After the drive, continue to Arusha and onward to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your flight. Timing is planned around your departure schedule for a stress-free transfer.

End of Safari.