Your journey at a glance
Sample journey
This itinerary is adapted from the reference collection as travel inspiration. Confirm accommodation, activities, inclusions and availability with Darba Tanzania Safaris before booking.
Overview
A week off the standard route: Tarangire's elephants, the flamingos and volcano of Lake Natron, the remote northern approach into the Serengeti, and two days around Ngorongoro Crater.
Experience Overview
Most northern circuit safaris enter the Serengeti from the south through Ngorongoro. This one takes the wilder way in. After a first day in Tarangire, you drive up the Rift Valley to Lake Natron, a red soda lake beneath the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai, where you walk to the flamingo flats and the Ngare Sero gorge with a Maasai guide.
From Natron the route crosses the remote Loliondo area into the northern and central Serengeti, where you spend two days on game drives with few other vehicles around. You finish with two days in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including a full game drive on the crater floor, before returning to Arusha.
Highlights
The standout moments built into this safari.
Lake Natron's flamingos and the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano
The remote northern route into the Serengeti through Loliondo
Two days of Serengeti game drives away from the crowds
A full game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
Itinerary
These are sample itineraries designed to inspire your journey. Each trip can be fully customized to match your travel style, preferences, and schedule. Use them as a starting point to craft your perfect safari experience.
Day 1 · Tarangire National Park
Pick-up in Arusha and a two-hour drive to Tarangire National Park for a game drive among elephant herds and baobab trees along the Tarangire River, with a picnic lunch. Overnight at a lodge near the park.
Day 2 · Lake Natron
Drive north through Mto wa Mbu and up the Rift Valley across Maasai plains to Lake Natron. In the late afternoon, walk with a Maasai guide across the mudflats to the flamingo flocks, with Ol Doinyo Lengai rising behind the lake.
Day 3 · Serengeti National Park
An early walk up the Ngare Sero gorge to the waterfall, then drive west through the Loliondo highlands and enter the Serengeti at Klein's Gate. Game drive into the park and overnight at a camp in the northern or central Serengeti.
Day 4 · Serengeti National Park
A full day of game drives in the Serengeti with a picnic lunch, following lions, cheetahs and leopards in the Seronera valley or the migration herds, depending on the season.
Day 5 · Ngorongoro Crater
A morning game drive on the way out of the Serengeti, then drive south-east past Olduvai Gorge to the Ngorongoro crater rim, arriving in time for sunset over the caldera.
Day 6 · Ngorongoro Crater
Descend to the crater floor for a full game drive among lions, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, hippos and flamingos, with a good chance of black rhino and a picnic lunch at Ngoitoktok Springs. Overnight in Karatu.
Day 7 · Arusha
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha, arriving around midday for your onward flight or hotel.
