Serengeti and Zanzibar
The Makoma Northern Circuit, then the Indian Ocean.
The safari is the full northern circuit, Tarangire, three nights in the central Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater, run exactly as our Northern Circuit trip. At the end, rather than turning for home, a short flight from the Serengeti or Arusha brings you to Zanzibar.
The island is yours to shape. Three nights is enough to rest and see Stone Town. Five or six lets the coast become its own holiday. Because the safari and the beach are planned and priced separately, you decide how long the island runs without touching the safari.
Starting from £X per person, excluding international flights.
Fly-in options and Zanzibar beach extensions available.
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Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfers you to your lodge on the edge of Usa River. The afternoon is free to rest, with dinner and a briefing on the days ahead.
Accommodation: Mount Meru Game Lodge, or similar
Meals: Dinner -
Day 2: Tarangire National Park
A full day in Tarangire. In the dry season the park holds the highest elephant density on the northern circuit, concentrated along the Tarangire River as the surrounding land dries out. The landscape is defined by baobab and the river valley, with resident lion and leopard. Lunch is taken in the park.
Accommodation: Korongo Luxury Camp, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
A morning game drive at Lake Manyara, a groundwater forest fed by springs beneath the Rift escarpment, with flamingos on the alkaline lake. The park suits a half day, so you continue in the early afternoon into the highlands around Karatu, at around 1,500 metres.
Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
The drive from Karatu into the Serengeti crosses the short-grass plains and passes the entry gate at Naabi Hill. The open country here holds Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, zebra and ostrich, with cheetah on the plains and lion around the isolated kopjes. You reach the central Seronera region by the afternoon, with a game drive on arrival.
Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
A full day in the Seronera region. Standing pools and a high water table under the riverine woodland hold water year-round, which sustains resident lion, leopard and spotted hyena after the migration has moved through. This is the most reliable resident-game area of the park in any month. Along the river lines you find hippo and elephant, giraffe and buffalo in the woodland, and topi and impala on the grassland between. Lunch is taken as a picnic in the field or at camp.
Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
A second full day in the Seronera region from the same camp. Your guide plans the day around current sightings, working the granite kopjes for lion, the Seronera valley woodland for leopard in the yellow fever trees, and the open plains for cheetah in the early morning. Smaller resident species are throughout, black-backed jackal and bat-eared fox on the plains, dwarf mongoose on the termite mounds, warthog and dik-dik in the scrub, with baboon and vervet along the watercourses.
Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
You depart Seronera after breakfast, with a game drive as you leave the park, and reach the Ngorongoro rim through the morning. The crater is a caldera roughly 19 kilometres across, formed when the original volcano collapsed inward on its magma chamber. It holds all of the Big Five, including a resident population of black rhino, alongside dense concentrations of lion, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo, with flamingo on the soda lake at its centre. An afternoon game drive on the crater floor, then up to the highlands.
Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge, or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
A final morning in the highlands, then the descent toward Arusha. You can stop at Mto wa Mbu for lunch, with the option to visit a tanzanite workshop or browse the craft markets along the way. From Arusha, a scheduled flight connects to Zanzibar for those adding the coast.
Accommodation: None, or first night on Zanzibar if the beach extension is booked
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
What's Included
Private guide and 4x4 vehicle for the duration of the safari
All accommodation as listed, or similar
All meals as specified, full board throughout the safari
All national park entry fees and Ngorongoro Conservation Area fees
Ngorongoro Crater descent fee
Government taxes and levies on the safari
Airport transfer on arrival, and transfer to Arusha for the onward flight on departure
Scheduled flight from Arusha to Zanzibar, for those adding the coast
Unlimited bottled water and on-board refreshments in the vehicle
Fresh fruits as we pass through Mto wa Mbu
What's Not Included
International flights to and from Tanzania
Tanzania tourist e-visa, around USD 50, arranged online before travel
Travel insurance, which is mandatory and must include medical evacuation cover
Gratuities for your guide and lodge staff
Alcoholic and soft drinks at lodges, and any drinks beyond those provided in the vehicle
Personal spending, souvenirs and optional purchases such as at the tanzanite workshop
Optional extras and any activities on Zanzibar
Want to extend your trip?
Learn about our Fly-In Safaris or add a Zanzibar Beach Extension