7-Day Classic Northern Circuit Safari

After breakfast, you drive toward the Serengeti. The route passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The landscape changes from acacia woodland to highland plains to open savannah.

You stop at Olduvai Gorge, where some of the oldest human remains were found. The museum is small but worth the stop. You enter the Serengeti through the Naabi Hill Gate. The plains stretch out in every direction. You begin your first game drive almost immediately.

By evening, you check into your lodge in Central Serengeti. The sunset is different here — the colors seem to go on forever.

You leave camp at sunrise, when predators are most active. The guide takes you to areas where lion prides are known to hunt. You'll also look for leopards resting in the branches of sausage trees.

The afternoon is spent on the plains, tracking large herds of wildebeest and zebras. During the migration months, the herds can stretch to the horizon. You stop for a packed lunch in the bush — a thermos of coffee and sandwiches eaten with the windows down.

By evening, you return to the lodge. The day feels longer than 24 hours.

A second full day in the Serengeti gives you flexibility. You can explore a different section of the park or return to areas where you saw interesting wildlife. The Serengeti is massive, and one day is never enough.

Your guide plans the day based on what you want to see and where the wildlife is moving. If the Great Migration is in the area, you spend the day tracking the herds. If not, the resident wildlife is still abundant — lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and giraffes.

The evening light brings the day to a close. Dinner at the lodge, stories around the table.

After an early morning game drive, you leave the Serengeti and drive toward Ngorongoro. The road takes you through the conservation area, with views of the crater rim.

You check into your lodge near Karatu, on the edge of the crater highlands. The altitude is higher here, and the air is cooler. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at the lodge. You can sit on the terrace and watch the sun drop behind the crater wall.

You leave the lodge early to descend into the Ngorongoro Crater. The descent road is steep and winding. The mist sits low over the floor as you come down.

The crater floor is 600 meters below the rim and contains grassland, woodland, and several water sources. In a single morning, you can see elephants, buffaloes, lions, hippos, hyenas, and the endangered black rhino. The crater is one of the few places in Tanzania where you have a good chance of seeing rhino.

Picnic lunch near the Hippo Pool. Windows down, listening to the sounds. After a full morning, you return to the lodge.

After breakfast, you drive back to Arusha. The drive takes about three hours. You pass through the highlands one last time, then descend into the valley.

Drop-off at your hotel or the airport. Safari ends.