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8 Days Private Tanzania Safari | Four Northern Circuit Parks
This 8 Days Private Tanzania Safari covers four parks across Tanzania’s northern circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Arusha National Park — with every game drive run as a private vehicle rather than a shared one. It also includes a short flight from the Serengeti back to Arusha, saving a full day of driving compared to an all-road itinerary.
Tarangire opens the trip with its baobab-lined landscape and dense elephant herds, followed by a night in the Ngorongoro highlands before descending into the crater itself. The Serengeti section gets a day and a half of dedicated game driving before you fly back to Arusha, and the trip closes with a morning in Arusha National Park — a park most itineraries skip, known for its walking safaris and views of Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater.
This itinerary suits travelers who want a fully private northern circuit safari with a flight built in to save time, and who appreciate a lesser-visited final stop in Arusha National Park rather than ending the trip with a repeat of scenery they’ve already seen.
Quick Facts
| Duration | 8 Days / 7 Nights |
| Start / End | Arusha |
| Destinations | Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park, Arusha National Park |
| Best For | Travelers wanting a fully private northern circuit safari with a flight leg included |
| Note | Includes a short flight from the Serengeti back to Arusha |
Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival
- Day 2: Transfer to Tarangire National Park, game drive
- Day 3: Half day game drive in Tarangire, transfer to Ngorongoro highlands
- Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater drive
- Day 5: Drive to Serengeti National Park, game drive
- Day 6: Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park
- Day 7: Early morning game drive, flight to Arusha, day at leisure
- Day 8: Arusha National Park safari, guided walking safari, airport drop-off
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival at the airport, your driver-guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Arusha town. Check in, enjoy a late dinner, and rest for the night.
Accommodation: Zawadi House Lodge
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Transfer to Tarangire National Park, Game Drive
After breakfast, your Tanzania safari guide will collect you from your hotel and drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its large elephant herds and iconic baobab trees. Watch for lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, hartebeests, elands, impalas, and a wide range of birdlife.
You will also take in views of the park’s baobab and acacia trees, which provide shelter for much of its wildlife. Proceed to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
| Tier | Accommodation |
| Outside the park | Sangaiwe Tented Camp |
| Inside the park | Tarangire View Camp |
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Half Day Game Drive in Tarangire, Transfer to Ngorongoro Highlands
After breakfast, spend the morning exploring more of Tarangire National Park, when wildlife tends to be most active — expect leopards, elephants, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, and lions, among species you may have missed on the previous drive.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park before a further game drive, then continue to the Ngorongoro highlands. Check in at your lodge and relax before dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Hhando Coffee Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Hhando Coffee Lodge
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater Drive
Breakfast is served at your lodge ahead of the drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the world’s largest caldera and its exceptional wildlife density, including the Big Five — lion, leopard, cape buffalo, rhino, and elephant — alongside zebras, wildebeest, hippos, cheetahs, antelopes, elands, impalas, gazelles, waterbucks, and hartebeests.
During the safari, you will also visit Lake Magadi, where flamingos gather along the shore alongside hippos. Afterward, enjoy lunch and spend the night at the same lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Drive to Serengeti National Park, Game Drive
Enjoy breakfast at your lodge as you prepare for the transfer to Serengeti National Park. After lunch, head out for a late afternoon game drive across the savannah plains in search of the Big Five, along with the scenic kopjes where lions often watch for prey. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
Enjoy an early breakfast before a morning game drive through central Serengeti, watching for lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, impalas, gazelles, kudu, and rhinos.
After a picnic lunch in the wilderness, continue with an afternoon game drive before returning to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Early Morning Game Drive, Flight to Arusha, Day at Leisure
Enjoy an early breakfast at camp before heading to the Seronera airstrip with a game drive en route, watching for animals as they return to shelter for the day. Arrive in good time for your flight check-in.
On arrival at Arusha Airport, your driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Check in and spend the rest of the day at rest, with dinner and an overnight stay to follow.
Accommodation: Zawadi House Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Zawadi House Lodge
Day 8: Arusha National Park Safari, Guided Walking Safari, Airport Drop-Off
After breakfast, meet your safari guide for a morning game drive in Arusha National Park, known for landmarks such as the Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater.
You will enjoy both a guided walking safari and a game drive in the park, taking in elephants, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, antelopes, and hippos, among acacia-dotted savannah. The walking safari runs one to four hours depending on preference.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park, followed by further game viewing, before leaving the park for a drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for your flight check-in.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
What’s Included
- Airport pick-up and drop-off as per the itinerary
- 4×4 safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
- Accommodation per the itinerary
- Meals during the safari
- Services of a knowledgeable, English-speaking driver-guide
- National park entrance fees as per the itinerary
- Excursions and activities as per the itinerary
- Crater and concession fees
- Flight from the Serengeti to Arusha
- Drinking water in the safari vehicle
- Government taxes
What’s Not Included
- Flights
- Visas and related costs
- Personal expenses such as drinks, tips, laundry, and telephone calls
- Optional excursions and activities not included in the itinerary
