10 days · Safari
Grand Northern Tanzania
The northern circuit plus Lake Natron and Lake Eyasi — wildlife, Rift Valley landscapes and time with the Hadzabe and Datoga.
Is this trip for you?
Trip type
Private departure
Every safari is yours alone: your own Land Cruiser, your own driver-guide, your own dates. We do not sell seats on a shared vehicle, so the day runs at your pace and the itinerary changes when you want it to.
Ages
All ages
Children are welcome and we run family safaris regularly. A few camps set minimum ages, and long transfer days are hard on younger children, so family itineraries get shorter drives and more rest.
Fitness
No fitness requirement
Game drives are done sitting down. The demanding part is the road, not the walking. Tell us about mobility needs and we will plan around them.
Group size: 1 to 7 travellers per vehicle, everyone on a window seat
Day by day.
-
1
Arrival in Arusha
Airport transfer, hotel and an itinerary briefing. Overnight in Arusha.
- Overnight
- Arusha
- Where
- None — arrival day
- Driving
- About 1 hour from Kilimanjaro Airport
- Meals
- Dinner
-
2
Arusha to Tarangire
Afternoon game drive in Tarangire. Overnight near the park.
- Overnight
- Near Tarangire
- Where
- Tarangire National Park
- Driving
- 2 to 2.5 hours
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
3
Tarangire to Lake Natron
North through Maasai country to Lake Natron, arriving in the late afternoon. Overnight near the lake.
- Overnight
- Lake Natron
- Where
- Lake Natron, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Driving
- 5 to 6 hours on rough road
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
4
Lake Natron
A morning walk up the Engare Sero gorge to the waterfall, and an afternoon at the lake shore among the flamingo. Optional overnight climb of Ol Doinyo Lengai instead. Overnight near the lake.
- Overnight
- Lake Natron
- Where
- Lake Natron and the Engare Sero gorge
- Driving
- Short local transfers only
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
5
Natron to the Serengeti
A long, spectacular drive across the Rift and into the Serengeti from the north-east, with game viewing on arrival. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Where
- Serengeti National Park
- Driving
- 5 to 7 hours via Klein's Gate
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
6
Full day in the Serengeti
A whole day on the plains with a picnic lunch. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Where
- Serengeti National Park
- Driving
- A full day out with a picnic lunch
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
7
Second full Serengeti day
A second day, positioned for the migration if the season suits. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Where
- Serengeti National Park
- Driving
- A full day out with a picnic lunch
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
8
Serengeti to the crater rim
Morning game drive, then east to the Ngorongoro rim. Overnight on the rim.
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro rim
- Where
- Serengeti, then Ngorongoro
- Driving
- 5 to 6 hours east
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
9
Crater floor to Lake Eyasi
A dawn descent into the crater, then south-west to Lake Eyasi in the afternoon. Overnight near the lake.
- Overnight
- Lake Eyasi
- Where
- Ngorongoro Crater, then Lake Eyasi
- Driving
- 3 to 4 hours after the crater
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
10
Hadzabe morning and return
Out before dawn to join a Hadzabe hunting party, then a visit to a Datoga homestead and forge before the drive back to Arusha.
- Overnight
- You fly home
- Where
- Lake Eyasi
- Driving
- 5 to 6 hours to Arusha or the airport
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
Where you sleep.
Camping
Einoti's own camping safari: a two-person tent on the public campsites inside or beside the parks, pitched by the crew, with a safari cook travelling with you and cooking on site. Bring a sleeping bag and mat, or hire them from us. It is the cheapest way to travel and the closest to the bush you will get.
Comfort
Small lodges and permanent tented camps just outside the parks. En-suite bathrooms, hot water, solid food and a real bed. The difference from the tier above is the location and the size of the room, not the safety or the cleanliness. Note that there is no accommodation inside Lake Manyara National Park at any tier: the options there are around Karatu or inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Classic
Mid-range lodges and tented camps, usually inside the park or on its boundary, which buys you an earlier start at the gate and a longer evening. Pools at most properties, and a proper restaurant.
Premium
Small luxury camps and lodges in the best positions on each circuit, including mobile camps that follow the migration. Fewer rooms, more staff, and a view you will not want to leave in the morning.
We book against availability for your dates rather than naming a property we may not be able to get you into. Your written quotation names every lodge and camp before you pay anything.
What is included
- All park entrance and administrative fees
- All meals while on safari
- 1.5 litres of drinking water per person per day
- Transfers from and to your hotel
- 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof while on safari
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Staff fees
- Accommodation where noted in the itinerary
- A walking tour in those protected areas that allow one
Not included
- International airfares and departure taxes
- Visa fees
- All items of a personal nature
- Tips and gratuities for hotel and lodge staff, camp staff, your driver and guides
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- Laundry services
When to go.
June to October — dry season
The busiest and most expensive months, and the easiest game viewing of the year. Water is scarce, so animals concentrate on the rivers and waterholes and the grass is short enough to see through. The Mara River crossings fall in the northern Serengeti between roughly July and September.
January to March — short dry season
Hot, green and much quieter than the June-to-October rush. The wildebeest are calving on the southern Serengeti plains in February, which is the single best month of the year for predator sightings.
November to December — short rains
Rain falls in the afternoon and rarely stops a day. The parks are green, the migration is moving south, and both lodges and park traffic are lighter.
April and May — long rains
The wettest months. Some camps close and some tracks become difficult, but the parks are empty and the light is extraordinary. We plan these trips around the surfaced roads and the lodges that stay open.
Questions about this trip.
Is the Lake Natron road really that rough?
Yes. It is five to six hours of corrugated gravel and it is the hardest driving on any trip we run. It is also the reason almost nobody is there when you arrive.
Do we have to climb Lengai on this trip?
No. This itinerary uses Natron for the lake, the flamingos and the Engare Sero gorge walk. The Lengai climb is a separate night ascent and we add it on request.
How does the Hadzabe visit work?
We arrive before dawn and go out with the hunting party, which is when they actually hunt. It is not a performance, and it is arranged directly with the families near Lake Eyasi rather than through a broker.
On this route
Where you will be.
Compare
Other safari journeys.
Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara
The shortest itinerary that still does the northern circuit justice: elephants in Tarangire, the forest and lake at Manyara, and a full descent into the Ngorongoro Crater.
- Tarangire's dry-season elephant herds
- Full crater descent
- Groundwater forest at Manyara
Pricing on request View itinerary
Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
The classic four-day northern circuit, taking in elephant country, the Serengeti plains and the crater floor without ever feeling rushed.
- A full day in the Serengeti
- Crater floor game drive
- Tarangire baobabs and elephant
Pricing on request View itinerary
Serengeti & Ngorongoro Classic
Two full days on the Serengeti plains plus the crater, with enough time to sit with a sighting instead of moving on from it.
- Two full Serengeti days
- Crater floor descent
- Optional dawn balloon flight
Pricing on request View itinerary
Plan it with us
Make this itinerary yours.
Add days, drop a park, change the pace. This is a starting point, not a fixed departure.