Arusha → Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha
This is the more comfortable five-day group safari for travelers who want more time in the Northern Circuit and prefer lodges or permanent tented camps. The extra day compared with the 4-day version is useful because Serengeti gets more time. Instead of treating Serengeti mainly as a stop between Tarangire and Ngorongoro, travelers have enough time for two proper game-drive days.
After breakfast, depart Arusha for Tarangire. Enjoy a full game drive through the park. The route can take you through areas with elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras and antelopes. Tarangire's baobab trees also make this one of the most visually distinctive parks on the Northern Circuit. After the game drive, leave the park and continue to your lodge. Overnight: Farm of Dreams Lodge / similar. Meals: Lunch & dinner.
After breakfast, drive toward Serengeti. The road takes you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will see changing landscapes as you move from the cultivated areas around Karatu toward the open Serengeti plains. Enter Serengeti and continue with an afternoon game drive. Overnight: Central Serengeti tented camp. Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Spend the entire day in Serengeti. After breakfast, leave camp with a packed lunch. Rather than spending the morning driving between parks, you can concentrate on wildlife. The guide can spend more time at good sightings instead of rushing to reach another destination. Expect opportunities to see lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeest, zebras, hyenas and a wide variety of birds. Return to camp later in the afternoon. Overnight: Central Serengeti. Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Enjoy a final morning game drive in Serengeti before heading toward Ngorongoro. The drive passes through the changing landscapes of the conservation area. Depending on timing, you can stop at viewpoints and enjoy the highland scenery. Continue to the lodge around Karatu or near the crater. Overnight: Marera Valley Lodge / similar. Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Start early and descend into Ngorongoro Crater. Spend several hours on the crater floor. Search for buffaloes, lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and black rhino. After lunch, leave the crater and return to Arusha. Safari ends in Arusha.
