5-Day Tanzania Northern Circuit Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro

• After breakfast, depart from your hotel in Arusha and drive to Lake Manyara National Park.

• Pass through the market town of Mto wa Mbu along the way. This agricultural and fresh produce market is a melting pot of local cultures and a souvenir hunter's paradise.

Overnight stay in Country Lodge.

• After an early breakfast, begin the day with a scenic drive towards the Serengeti.

• Pass through the mist-shrouded rain forests of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where you might be lucky enough to spot cape buffalo, baboons, or even elephants and leopards in the dense undergrowth.

• After a wonderful picnic lunch at the Serengeti National Park picnic area, set out to witness the iconic savannah landscape and be amazed by the sheer number of animals that roam these grassy plains.

Dinner and overnight stay in the heart of Serengeti National Park, according to the standard and type of accommodation requested from the available options.

• Spend the whole day on safari in the Serengeti. Explore different regions of this vast park with your driver-guide, who will select the best possible route based on the time of year and the kind of animals you would like to see.

Touch the skies with a sunrise hot air balloon ride, followed by a champagne breakfast (optional).

• Return to the lodge for a late breakfast and freshen up before heading out again with a picnic lunch.

Overnight stay in Serengeti Acacia Tented Camp.

• Spend one final day on safari, making the most of the sweeping open plains of the Serengeti and trying to see as much wildlife as possible. Other than the Big Five, look out for wild dogs, giraffes, wildebeest, and spotted hyenas.

• Return to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals that have eluded you so far. As far as the eye can see, observe thousands of animals in herds - wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant, and the most respected group of animals.

Overnight stay in Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge.

• Only early risers are rewarded with the breathtaking views of the rising sun over the crater's edge.

• After a hearty breakfast, drive down the adventurous track into the crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed millions of years ago, is 610 m deep and covers roughly 260 square kilometres.

• Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25,000, the crater offers the best game viewing of all the parks in Tanzania.

• Marvel at the sights of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, elephants, and some bird species in the area.

• Catch a glimpse of the endangered black rhino through the grass with a little bit of luck.

• After an extensive game drive and picnic lunch, leave the crater in the afternoon and drive to Arusha, then transfer to the airport.

End of tour.