Tanzania
Northern Tanzania
Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, reached from Arusha and close enough to combine into one trip.
- Trips published
- 49 trips
- Parks and places
- 5
- Trip length
- 1 to 14 days
- Prices from
- $32
Why Northern Tanzania
Four parks, four different landscapes, and drives between them short enough that a week covers all four. Tarangire for elephants and baobabs, Lake Manyara for the escarpment and the birdlife, the Ngorongoro Crater for the densest concentration of large animals in East Africa, and the Serengeti for the plains and the migration. It is the reason most people who have one trip to Tanzania spend it here.
The northern parks sit within a day of each other by road, which is why most first trips to Tanzania are built here. You fly into JRO, the international airport that serves Arusha, and you can see three or four parks without spending the week driving between them.
Where you travel
Each of these has its own guide: what there is to see, when to come, how long to give it, and the trips that go there.
Trips in Northern Tanzania
49 trips
2-Day Fly-in & Fly-Out Ngorongoro
2-day private safari visiting Manyara and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Lake Manyara National Park Day Safari from Arusha
The closest full park to Arusha and the greenest. Groundwater forest, the Rift Valley wall, elephants under fig…
Materuni Waterfalls, Coffee and Chemka Hot Springs Day Trip
One day on the Kilimanjaro foothills: a walk to Materuni Falls, Chagga coffee roasted and pounded by the…
2-Day Fly-in and Fly-Out Serengeti Park
2-day private safari visiting Serengeti Park. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Materuni Waterfalls and Chagga Coffee Day Trip
The shorter version: the walk in to Materuni Falls and a full Chagga coffee morning, back in Arusha…
2-Day LUXURY Fly-in Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater safaris
2-day private safari visiting Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Chemka Hot Springs Day Trip from Arusha
A slow day at the Chemka springs, where warm water rises out of the ground under fig trees…
2-Day Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro hotspots
2-day private safari visiting Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Ngorongoro Crater Day Safari from Arusha
The crater floor in a single day from Arusha: an early start, a descent at first light on…
2-Day Mid-range Fly-in safari to Tarangire and Ngorongoro crater
2-day private safari visiting Tarangire and Ngorongoro crater. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Momella Lakes Canoe Safari in Arusha National Park
One of the few places in Tanzania where you can get out of the vehicle. Canoe the Momella…
Tarangire National Park Day Safari from Arusha
The closest full park day to Arusha, and the best one for elephant. Baobabs, the Tarangire river, and…
2-Day Tarangire & Manyara Trip
2-day private safari visiting Tarangire and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Arusha National Park Day Safari
Forty minutes from town: crater forest, the Momella lakes and their flamingos, giraffe and colobus, and Meru above…
2-Day Tarangire and Ngorongoro Trip
2-day private safari visiting Tarangire and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Maasai Village and Materuni Waterfalls Day Trip
Two cultures in one day: a Chagga coffee village on the mountain, and a Maasai community on the…
3-Day Best Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara Tour
3-day private safari visiting Tanzania's northern parks. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
Arusha City and Cultural Walking Tour
Half a day on foot in the town most people only sleep in: the market, the clock tower,…
3-Day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Budget Tour
3-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
3-Day Smart Serengeti and Ngorongoro Adventure
3-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Amazing Serengeti and Ngorongoro Trip
4-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Arusha National Park, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater Budget
4-day private safari visiting Arusha Park, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Magic of Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Adventure
4-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Budget Tour
4-day private safari visiting Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Lake Eyasi and Manyara Tour
4-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Lake Eyasi and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
4-Day Winter Great Migration during Calving Season
4-day private safari visiting Serengeti Ndutu for the Great Migration and Ngorongoro Crater. Guide, 4x4, park fees and…
5-Day Beauty of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Mid-range
5-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
5-Day Majestic Super Great Migration at Mara river
5-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
5-Day Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara Trip
5-day private safari visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
5-Day Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Manyara Journey
5-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
5-Day Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro &Manyara Perfect
5-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
6-Day Amazing Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Manyara Tour
6-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
6-Day Arusha National Park, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Eyasi & Manyara Budget Tour
6-day private safari visiting Arusha Park, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Lake Eyasi and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full…
6-Day Wildlife safari & Authentic African Culture
6-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Lake Eyasi and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
7-Day Amazing Big Five Wildlife
7-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
7-Day Arusha National Park, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Manyara Program
7-day private safari visiting Arusha Park, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board…
7-Day The Great Migration at Mara river Crossing
7-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Northern Serengeti with Great Migration and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park fees…
8-Day Tanzania Authentic Wildlife Mid-range
8-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
9-Day Tanzania Great Migration at Mara river Crossing
9-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Northern Serengeti for the Great Migration and Ngorongoro. Guide, 4x4, park…
9-Day Tanzania Smart Mid-range safari & Zanzibar Shore
9-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
10-Day Great Migration safari & Zanzibar Beach
10-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Northern Serengeti for the Great Migration, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4,…
10-Day Zanzibar Holiday + Big Five Wildlife
10-day private safari visiting Zanzibar, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
11-Day Amazing Wildlife, Cultural experience & Zanzibar beach
11-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Mto wa Mbu and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full…
11-Day Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Zanzibar Adventure
11-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
12-Day Amazing Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Zanzibar beach
12-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full board included.
13-Day Great Migration Adventure & Zanzibar Beach
13-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Northern Serengeti for the Great Migration, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4,…
13-Day Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Zanzibar Beach
13-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Eyasi and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park fees and full…
13-Day Zanzibar Beach + Great Migration Tanzania
13-day private safari visiting Zanzibar Beach + safari in Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Northern Serengeti with Great Migration and…
14-Day Winter Migration in Calving Season + Zanzibar Holiday
14-day private safari visiting Tarangire, Central Serengeti, Southern Serengeti with Great Migration, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar. Guide, 4x4, park…
How to get there
JRO, the international airport serving Arusha, is the arrival point, about an hour from the town where the safari starts. The fly-in itineraries use light aircraft between the park airstrips instead of driving, which turns two transfer days into two hours in the air.
When to go
June to October is the dry season: shorter grass, animals concentrated at water, and the river crossings in the northern Serengeti between roughly July and September. January to March is the calving season on the southern plains, and quieter for vehicles. April and May are the long rains, when prices fall and some camps close.
How long to give it
Three days covers the crater and one other park. Five to six days covers the crater and the Serengeti properly. Anything shorter than three days spends most of itself in the vehicle.
Deciding between the regions
Southern Tanzania. Nyerere and Mikumi, reached from Dar es Salaam or direct from Zanzibar. Larger, quieter parks that reward a longer stay. Read about Southern Tanzania.
Zanzibar is the third piece most people add, and the full safari list shows every trip we run in one place.
Plan Northern Tanzania with someone who runs it
Tell us your dates, how many of you there are and how long you have. We reply with a costed itinerary you can change.