Tanzania · Classic
9 Days Soul of Tanzania, Fly-in
Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the central and northern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater — with the long transfers flown rather than driven.
- 9 days
- From $4,850
- Fly-in, private
- 2 – 6 guests
Overview
Soul of Tanzania, Fly-in, at your pace
Nine days is the shortest sensible window for the full northern circuit without spending it in the car. Flying the Arusha–Serengeti and Serengeti–Ngorongoro legs buys back roughly eleven hours of road, which becomes eleven hours of game viewing instead.
The pace is deliberately uneven: two nights in Tarangire and Manyara to settle in, three in the Serengeti where the wildlife density peaks, then the crater on the way out. Departures run year-round; July to October and January to March are the strongest.
- Duration
- 9 days
- Country
- Tanzania
- Style
- Fly-in, private
- Group size
- 2 – 6 guests
- Difficulty
- Easy
From, per person sharing
$4,850
Based on two travellers, mid-season
No deposit until the plan is right. 30% confirms, balance six weeks before arrival.
Highlights
What makes this safari special
- 01Tarangire
- 02Lake Manyara
- 03Serengeti
- 04Ngorongoro
Best months
April and May are the long rains. Camps discount heavily and the plains are quiet of vehicles, if you do not mind mud.
Day by day
The itinerary
1Day 1Arrive Kilimanjaro, transfer to Arusha
Met at Kilimanjaro International and driven the hour to Arusha. Your guide runs through the route over dinner and answers whatever the emails did not.
Arusha · lodge, dinner included
2Day 2Tarangire National Park
South-west after breakfast into Tarangire, the park with Tanzania's densest elephant population and its oldest baobabs. Full day in the park with a picnic lunch by the river.
Tarangire · tented camp, full board
3Day 3Lake Manyara and the Rift wall
A morning in Manyara's groundwater forest — baboon troops, and tree-climbing lions if the day goes your way — then up the escarpment with the Rift Valley behind you.
Karatu · lodge, full board
4Day 4Fly to the central Serengeti
Light aircraft from Manyara airstrip to Seronera, forty minutes instead of six hours. Afternoon game drive in the Seronera valley, the best year-round leopard country in the park.
Central Serengeti · tented camp, full board
5Day 5Central Serengeti, full day
Out at first light with a packed breakfast. Long unhurried hours on the kopjes and river lines, back to camp in the heat, out again at four.
Central Serengeti · tented camp, full board
6Day 6North to the Mara River
Transfer north through the Lobo hills. In migration season this is where the herds gather; outside it, the resident predators have the country to themselves.
Northern Serengeti · tented camp, full board
7Day 7Northern Serengeti, full day
A day held loosely. If there is a crossing building at the river, you stay at the river.
Northern Serengeti · tented camp, full board
8Day 8Fly to Ngorongoro Crater
Morning flight south, then the crater floor in the afternoon — two thousand large animals in an enclosed caldera, including the black rhino that are hard to find anywhere else.
Crater highlands · lodge, full board
9Day 9Return to Arusha, depart
Down through the coffee farms to Arusha with time for a shower and a change of clothes before the evening flight, or on to Zanzibar if you added it.
Departure · day room included
What is included
- All park and crater entry fees
- Two internal flights, Manyara–Seronera and Serengeti–Ngorongoro
- Private guide and extended Land Cruiser throughout
- Accommodation as listed, full board from day 2
- Drinking water, soft drinks and beer in the vehicle
- Airport transfers and a departure-day room
Not included
- International flights and visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Balloon safari, roughly $620 per person
- Tips for guide and camp staff
- Premium spirits and spa treatments
Gallery
On the route
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Begin your journey
Want it slower, or with Zanzibar on the end?
Say so and we will redraw it. Most guests change two or three things before booking.