5-Day Northern Circuit Safari
Five days is tight for the northern circuit. It works if you accept one thing: you are here to see the parks, not to become familiar with them. One afternoon in Tarangire for the baobabs and the elephants. One full day in the Serengeti for scale and predators. One full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor because nothing else in Africa replicates what happens inside that caldera. Lake Manyara on the way home, for the Ghost Forest alone. What you lose is the slow morning, the second chance at something you missed, the third Serengeti day when you stop watching the clock entirely. If that tradeoff fits your schedule, this is the route.
Safari Overview
The 5-day northern circuit covers four parks in four nights. Tarangire gets one afternoon. The Serengeti gets one full day. Ngorongoro gets a full crater descent. Lake Manyara gets a half-day on the return to Arusha. None of these are wasted. Day 2 is the honest one: the drive from Tarangire to the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge takes five to seven hours. You arrive in the Seronera area in late afternoon and fit in a short drive before dark. That is how the itinerary works. Most of Day 2 is transit. The upside is that every subsequent day is purely game viewing. Seven days is a more satisfying trip. Eight days is the version we recommend. But for people whose schedule is fixed, this route covers the essential Tanzania without shortcuts.
Your Itinerary
- Day1
Arusha to Tarangire
Arusha to Tarangire · about 2 hrs, tarmacPickup from Arusha at 7:00am. The drive to Tarangire's main gate takes about two hours, heading southeast through Maasai village country before the acacia scrub thickens and the first baobabs appear. Some of these trees predate the Roman Empire. Enter through the main gate and head directly for the Tarangire River, where elephant concentrations in the dry season are the highest of any park on the northern circuit. Herds of 150 or more are common along the riverbanks. Three hours of game driving before sunset check-in. One afternoon is not enough for Tarangire. It is enough to show you what is here.
OvernightTarangire Safari Lodge or similarMealsLunch, Dinner - Day2
Tarangire to Central Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge
Tarangire to Central Serengeti · 6.5 to 8 hrs with stops at Olduvai GorgeEarly breakfast, then the long drive. Tarangire to the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge takes five to seven hours depending on stops and road conditions. You climb through the Ngorongoro highlands, pass through the Conservation Area, and stop at Olduvai Gorge before Naabi Hill Gate. In 1959, Mary Leakey found the skull of Paranthropus boisei here, a hominid who walked these plains 1.8 million years ago. The resident guide does a 20-minute talk at the excavation site. Arrive in the Seronera area in late afternoon for a first game drive on the plains. This is primarily a transit day. The driving is the cost of a 5-day itinerary.
OvernightSerengeti Serena Safari Lodge or similar tented campMealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day3
Full Day Serengeti
Full day in the park. The Seronera Valley runs through the centre of the Serengeti and is the most consistent area for big cats year-round, regardless of where the migration herds are. Leopards rest in the sausage trees above the river. Lions claim the kopjes, granite outcrops 600 million years old, visible for kilometres across the open plains. Cheetahs work the short-grass south of the valley where visibility is longest. Out of everything on this route, this is the day with the most room to breathe. Optional: hot air balloon departure at 5:30am, one hour over the plains, champagne bush breakfast on landing. $599 per person, booked in advance. The balloon works on this day, not Day 4, when transit to Ngorongoro makes a 5:30am departure impractical.
OvernightSerengeti Serena Safari Lodge or similar tented campMealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day4
Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Rim
Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater · 3 to 4 hrs, gravel then tarmac near the rimShort morning game drive before departing through Naabi Hill Gate. The drive to the crater rim takes about three and a half hours, climbing the outer caldera slopes through montane forest thick with olive trees and giant heather. Arrive at the rim in time for lunch. The crater floor is 600 metres below. On a clear afternoon you can see the dark shapes of animal herds from the lodge terrace. Early dinner and sleep. The descent begins at 6:00am.
OvernightNgorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar rim lodgeMealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day5
Ngorongoro Crater, then Lake Manyara en route to Arusha
Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha · afternoon stop at Lake Manyara, then tarmac to ArushaDescent onto the crater floor at 6:00am. The Ngorongoro Crater holds approximately 25,000 large mammals inside 260 square kilometres of enclosed caldera that the animals rarely leave: roughly 120 lions, 50 black rhino at Gorigor Swamp, 15,000 wildebeest. Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok Springs. Begin ascent by 1:00pm to allow time for Lake Manyara. The route back to Arusha passes directly through Mto wa Mbu at the base of the rift valley escarpment, right at Lake Manyara's entrance gate. Stop for two hours in the park. The reason is the Ghost Forest: an acacia woodland permanently flooded since lake levels rose around 2020, skeleton trees standing in alkaline water with fish eagles nesting at eye level and flamingos wading beneath them. Nothing else on this route looks like it. Arrive Arusha early evening.
OvernightEnd of safariMealsBreakfast, Lunch
Prices
Green season (April–May)
| Tier | 2 guestsper person | 4 guestsper person | 6 guestsper person |
|---|---|---|---|
Comfort Comfortable tented camps and lodges, full board. Our best value, and still fully private. Tortilis mobile camps, Mawe Karatu | $2,320 | $1,785 | $1,605 |
Premium Built lodges and upgraded camps near the park gates. Ang'ata Camps, Turaco Ngorongoro Valley (built lodge) | $2,860 | $2,320 | $2,140 |
Comfortable tented camps and lodges, full board. Our best value, and still fully private.
Tortilis mobile camps, Mawe Karatu
- 2 guests (pp)
- $2,320
- 4 guests (pp)
- $1,785
- 6 guests (pp)
- $1,605
Built lodges and upgraded camps near the park gates.
Ang'ata Camps, Turaco Ngorongoro Valley (built lodge)
- 2 guests (pp)
- $2,860
- 4 guests (pp)
- $2,320
- 6 guests (pp)
- $2,140
Peak season (June–October)
| Tier | 2 guestsper person | 4 guestsper person | 6 guestsper person |
|---|---|---|---|
Comfort Comfortable tented camps and lodges, full board. Our best value, and still fully private. Tortilis mobile camps, Mawe Karatu | $2,765 | $2,225 | $2,050 |
Premium Built lodges and upgraded camps near the park gates. Ang'ata Camps, Turaco Ngorongoro Valley (built lodge) | $3,465 | $2,925 | $2,745 |
Luxury Premium tented camps and a crater-rim lodge, the top of our range. Lemala Camps, Ngorongoro rim lodge | $3,810 | $3,270 | $3,090 |
Comfortable tented camps and lodges, full board. Our best value, and still fully private.
Tortilis mobile camps, Mawe Karatu
- 2 guests (pp)
- $2,765
- 4 guests (pp)
- $2,225
- 6 guests (pp)
- $2,050
Built lodges and upgraded camps near the park gates.
Ang'ata Camps, Turaco Ngorongoro Valley (built lodge)
- 2 guests (pp)
- $3,465
- 4 guests (pp)
- $2,925
- 6 guests (pp)
- $2,745
Premium tented camps and a crater-rim lodge, the top of our range.
Lemala Camps, Ngorongoro rim lodge
- 2 guests (pp)
- $3,810
- 4 guests (pp)
- $3,270
- 6 guests (pp)
- $3,090
Per person sharing, US dollars. The 'from' price is the Comfort tier with six guests sharing in green season. Price drops as your group grows because the private vehicle and guide are shared across more people. Luxury camps close in April–May, so green season shows Comfort and Premium only. Every figure is built from real lodge rates, our own vehicle, and current park fees, not marked-up reseller prices.
Where Your Money Goes
Typical split for a mid-range private safari for two. The exact split shifts with season, lodges, and group size, and your written quote itemises every line. See the government park fees
What's Included
Included
- All park entrance fees (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) and Ngorongoro crater vehicle fee ($295 per vehicle)
- Private 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
- Professional English-speaking guide, Arusha-based
- 4 nights accommodation as specified
- All meals full-board (lunch on Day 1 through lunch on Day 5)
- Bottled water and soft drinks on game drives
- Airport and hotel transfers in Arusha
- AMREF Flying Doctors emergency evacuation insurance
Not Included
- International flights
- Tanzania e-visa ($50 for most nationalities)
- Travel insurance
- Guide gratuity (suggested $25 per day)
- Lodge staff gratuity (suggested $5-7 per day via lodge tip box)
- Hot air balloon safari (optional, $599 per person, see Day 3)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Common Questions
Is 5 days enough for a Tanzania safari?
Five days is a minimum, not an ideal. You will see all four parks and come away with a genuine safari experience. What you will not have is the unhurried feeling of a longer trip: the third Serengeti morning when you stop counting and start watching, the afternoon in Tarangire with no agenda. Seven to eight days is what most experienced safari travellers consider a satisfying trip. If five days is what your schedule allows, this route covers the northern circuit honestly. It does not pretend otherwise.
Will I see the Big Five on a 5-day safari?
You have a real chance at four of the five. Lion: very likely in both the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Elephant: near-certain in Tarangire. Buffalo: common across all three parks. Leopard: possible in the Serengeti, particularly in the Seronera Valley sausage trees, but not guaranteed on a single full day. Rhino: the best chance in East Africa is Ngorongoro Crater, where approximately 50 black rhino live in 260 square kilometres. Your guide will check morning positions. The honest answer is that five days gives you good odds but not certainty on all five. Eight days gives you more attempts.
What does 5 days miss compared to a longer safari?
Tarangire: the Silale Swamp in the south, which draws hippos, buffalo, and species (gerenuk, fringe-eared oryx) that most visitors to the park never reach. One afternoon is not enough to get there. The Serengeti: the third day, which is when the routine of game viewing settles and you start noticing things you missed. The central and western Serengeti zones beyond Seronera. Lake Manyara: we add a two-hour Ghost Forest stop on Day 5, which is better than nothing. A full Lake Manyara day (tree-climbing lions, alkaline lake, forest edge) is a different experience. If any of these are high priorities, the 8-day itinerary is the right choice.
How much does a 5-day Tanzania safari cost?
The Saleh Safaris 5-day northern circuit is from $2,765 per person for two people sharing in the Comfort tier, dropping to around $1,605 per person for a group of six in green season. The price includes all park fees (including the $295 Ngorongoro crater vehicle descent fee), private 4x4, guide, four nights accommodation, and all meals. It excludes the Tanzania eVisa ($50 for most nationalities), international flights, travel insurance, and guide gratuity (suggested $25 per day). The budget equivalent from shared group operators runs $800-1,200 per person for 5 days but puts you in a shared vehicle with strangers on a fixed departure date.
Should I add Zanzibar to a 5-day safari?
It depends on what you want. The safari-to-beach combination is one of the strongest itineraries Tanzania offers, and Zanzibar adds a genuinely different second act. The logistics work: a scheduled flight connects Arusha to Zanzibar in about two hours, departing most mornings. Adding four nights on the island turns this into a longer trip; our 11-day Tanzania and Zanzibar route starts from $2,990 per person. If your time in Tanzania is already five days total, prioritise the safari. If you have nine or ten days available, the combination is the better choice.
What is the Ngorongoro crater vehicle fee?
Ngorongoro charges a separate $295 per-vehicle descent fee, on top of the standard NCA conservation fees per person per day. This covers one full day on the crater floor. All vehicles must exit by 6:00pm. The fee is included in your Saleh Safaris package price.
When is the best time to do the 5-day northern circuit?
The route works year-round. June through October (dry season) gives the best conditions for spotting: short grass, animals concentrated around water sources, firm tracks. January and February bring calving season to the southern Serengeti plains, which is the most dramatic predator activity in the ecosystem, but benefiting from that on this route requires positioning in Ndutu rather than the central Serengeti, which means a different itinerary. November and December have the short rains: dramatically green landscapes, very few other tourists, lower lodge rates. April and May are the long rains; some roads become difficult.
Can this route be extended?
Yes. The most straightforward extension adds two nights in the Serengeti, turning this into a 7-day route with three full Serengeti days. A single extra night in Tarangire is worthwhile if elephants are the priority. The 8-day classic adds both. Contact us with your dates and we will adjust and requote.
From $1,605 pp
Park fees included
