6-Day Tanzania
Full Northern Circuit

About this safari

Five destinations

Each stop on this circuit has a completely different character — progressing from intimate forest and riverine habitats, to the world's most iconic plains, to an otherworldly volcanic landscape rarely seen by visitors.

Day 1

Tarangire National Park

Tanzania's most underrated park — ancient baobab forests, the Tarangire River drawing elephant herds of hundreds, and predator density that rivals the Serengeti. Outstanding birding — 550+ species.

🐘 Elephant🦁 Lion🌳 Baobabs🐆 Leopard

Day 2

Lake Manyara National Park

A soda lake at the Rift Valley base — famed for tree-climbing lions unique to this park, flamingo-pink shallows, vast hippo pools, and a groundwater forest where elephants move like shadows.

🦁 Tree-climbing lions🦩 Flamingoes🦛 Hippo

Days 3 & 4 ★

Serengeti National Park — Two Full Nights

The world's most iconic wildlife destination — 14,763 km² of plains, kopjes, and acacia woodland. Two nights means a full dawn-to-dusk Day 4 with a 6:00 am drive, bush breakfast, and sunset back at camp. The Serengeti rewards time. This is where lion prides are largest, leopards loungest, and cheetah streak across the open grass at full speed.

🦁 Lion prides🐆 Leopard🐅 Cheetah🦓 Migration🌅 Two sunsets

Day 5

Ngorongoro Crater

260 km² closed ecosystem — 25,000 large mammals, including one of Africa's most accessible black rhino populations. The Big Five can be seen in a single day. UNESCO World Heritage Site.

🦏 Black rhino🦁 Lion🐘 Elephant🌍 UNESCO

Day 6

Lake Natron & Ol Doinyo Lengai

The most unusual stop on any Tanzania safari circuit — a deep-red alkaline lake (the sole breeding ground of 1.5–2.5 million lesser flamingoes) ringed by Africa's most active carbonatite volcano. A landscape found nowhere else on Earth.

🦩 2.5M flamingoes🌋 Active volcano🔴 Red alkaline lake🏹 Maasai

Day by day itinerary

1. Day1

   Safari Day 1 · Tarangire National Park

   Moshi / Arusha → Tarangire

   ~130 km from Moshi · Full day game drive · Elephant herds · Ancient baobab forest

   Your private 4×4 and naturalist guide collect you from your Moshi or Arusha hotel after breakfast. The drive south (~2 hours) delivers you to Tarangire Gate. Tarangire is one of Africa's best-kept wildlife secrets — extraordinary elephant density, a Jurassic baobab landscape, and predator sightings that surprise most first-time visitors. Lions, leopards, and cheetah are all resident.

   07:00

   Hotel pickupPrivate 4×4 collection from Moshi or Arusha. Snack box provided for the drive.

   09:30

   Enter Tarangire — river circuit beginsTarangire River drive. Elephant herds of 50–150 at the water. Giraffe, zebra, and hartebeest on the open grassland.

   13:00

   Bush picnic lunch by the riverPicnic at a scenic river overlook. Your cook provides a full cooked or packed meal depending on camp tier.

   14:00

   Afternoon drive — baobab woodland & predatorsMove into the giant baobab zone. Your guide searches for leopard in tree crevices and lion in the shade of large acacias. Eland and oryx frequently sighted.

   18:00

   Check in — sundowner & dinnerTarangire lodge or tented camp. Sundowner drinks at sunset. Tomorrow: Lake Manyara.

   🐘

   Elephant

   🦁

   Lion

   🐆

   Leopard

   🦒

   Giraffe

   🦓

   Zebra

   🌳

   Baobabs

   📍 Tarangire NP 🐘 Best for elephants 🏨 Tarangire lodge/camp
2. Day2

   Safari Day 2 · Lake Manyara

   Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Ngorongoro Highlands

   Tree-climbing lions · Pink flamingoes · Rift Valley views · Drive to highlands overnight

   After breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National Park — compact, beautiful, and full of surprises. The groundwater forest gives way to open floodplains and the soda lake itself. Lions here famously rest in fever tree branches 3–5 m above the ground. Flamingoes wade in the shallows. Enormous hippo pods in the lake margins. Afternoon drive continues up into the Ngorongoro Highlands for your overnight before the Serengeti.

   07:30

   Breakfast & depart for ManyaraDrive ~1.5 hours to Lake Manyara Gate through the Maasai steppe.

   09:30

   Enter Lake Manyara — groundwater forestBegin in the dense forest zone. Blue monkeys and baboons in the canopy. Elephants move through the undergrowth.

   11:00

   Tree-climbing lion searchDrive the fever tree woodland. Your guide searches for Manyara's famous arboreal lions — reliably sighted in dry season, Oct–Feb.

   12:30

   Lake shore zone — flamingoes & hippoDrive to the open lakeshore floodplain. Flamingo density is highest Nov–Mar. Hippo pods visible in the lake margins year-round.

   14:00

   Depart & drive to Ngorongoro HighlandsExit Manyara and drive up into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Highland forest, cooler temperatures, Maasai villages along the road.

   18:30

   Check in — highlands lodge or campOvernight near the Ngorongoro crater rim. Views into the caldera on clear evenings.

   🦁

   Tree-climbing lions

   🦩

   Flamingoes

   🦛

   Hippo

   🐒

   Baboon

   🐘

   Elephant

   🦢

   Water birds

   📍 Lake Manyara NP 🦁 Tree-climbing lions 🏨 Ngorongoro area overnight
3. Day3

   Safari Day 3 · Serengeti — Arrival

   Ngorongoro Highlands → Serengeti Central

   Drive via Ngorongoro conservancy · Naabi Hill Gate · Afternoon plains game drive · First Serengeti sunset

   The drive from the Ngorongoro highlands into the Serengeti is one of East Africa's great journeys — the landscape shifts from forest to moor to open savanna as you descend through the Naabi Hill Gate. The Serengeti's horizon opens suddenly and you begin game driving immediately. The central Seronera area has the highest year-round predator density of any place in Africa.

   07:30

   Breakfast & depart for SerengetiDrive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area highlands and descend to the Serengeti plains (~2 hours driving).

   10:30

   Enter Serengeti — Naabi Hill GateFirst view of the Serengeti horizon. Begin game drives immediately. Cheetah and lion commonly sighted near the gate in the early morning transition zone.

   13:00

   Bush picnic lunch — kopje settingLunch beside a Serengeti kopje (granite outcrop). Lions and leopards sometimes rest on kopjes — your guide checks safety first.

   15:00

   Afternoon Seronera circuitDrive the Seronera River woodland — leopard in fig trees, hippo in pools, and year-round resident lion prides hunting in the late afternoon light.

   19:00

   First Serengeti sunset — camp arrivalThe wide open Serengeti sky at sunset is one of Africa's most extraordinary sights. Dinner at your Serengeti camp or lodge.

   🦁

   Lion

   🐆

   Leopard

   🐅

   Cheetah

   🦓

   Zebra

   🦒

   Giraffe

   🌅

   First sunset

   📍 Serengeti Central 🏨 Serengeti camp · Night 1
4. Day4

   ★ Safari Day 4 · Full Day Serengeti

   Serengeti — Dawn to Dusk

   6:00 am wake-up · Bush breakfast · Kopje picnic · Migration drives · Second Serengeti sunset

   The finest single day of wildlife observation available anywhere in the world. A 6:00 am departure catches the light and the last of the predator activity after the night's hunt. Bush breakfast is served in the field as the morning light turns golden. Your guide uses radio, tracking skills, and decades of experience to place you exactly where the action is — following vulture circles, reading zebra behaviour, and monitoring known lion territory.

   06:00

   Dawn drive — last of the night huntLions return from the hunt at dawn. Hyena still active. Cheetah begin their morning range. The first light on the Serengeti is unlike anything else.

   08:30

   Bush breakfast in the fieldFull cooked breakfast served from the vehicle by your safari cook — eggs, sausage, toast, fruit, and coffee. Eaten on the open plains in silence.

   10:00

   Morning — big cat trackingYour guide follows radio and instinct. Leopard in a fig tree, lion pride at a buffalo kill, cheetah stalking impala — any or all of these are possible.

   13:00

   Kopje picnic lunchPacked lunch beside a granite kopje while watching the wildebeest herds. Wildebeest can number in the tens of thousands — herds visible to the horizon.

   15:00

   Afternoon migration driveDrive through the vast wildebeest and zebra herds. Crocodiles at river crossings (seasonal). Hippo in pools. Your guide maximises the afternoon.

   18:30

   Second Serengeti sunsetReturn to camp timing the second evening on the plains. The night sky stars over the Serengeti — zero light pollution — are extraordinary.

   🦁

   Dawn hunt

   🐆

   Leopard

   🐅

   Cheetah

   🦓

   Migration

   🐊

   Crocodile

   ✨

   Night sky

   📍 Serengeti all day 🌄 Dawn drive 06:00 🍳 Bush breakfast in field 🏨 Serengeti camp · Night 2
5. Day5

   ★ Safari Day 5 · Ngorongoro Crater

   Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater Descent

   Black rhino · Big Five · World's largest intact caldera · UNESCO World Heritage

   The Ngorongoro Crater — a 260 km² closed ecosystem, 600 m below the rim, containing approximately 25,000 large mammals. The crater floor is one of Africa's most densely populated wildlife areas and one of the few places on Earth where all of the Big Five can realistically be seen in a single day. After 6–7 hours on the crater floor, you ascend and overnight near the rim before tomorrow's Lake Natron departure.

   06:00

   Early depart — Serengeti to NgorongoroDrive east. The landscape transforms from Serengeti plains to Ngorongoro highland forest (~3 hours). Rim arrival ~09:00.

   09:00

   Crater rim viewpointFirst view into the caldera — wildlife movement visible 600 m below. A moment of genuine awe.

   09:30

   Crater descent & game drive beginsDescend the Lerai road. Black rhino search begins immediately — your guide knows the resident population's typical areas.

   13:00

   Crater floor picnicLunch on the crater floor. Black kites will attempt to steal your food — keep the lid on your flask.

   14:30

   Hippo pools, flamingoes & final circuitGorigor Swamp hippo pod. Soda lake flamingoes. Final rhino circuit before ascent.

   16:00

   Crater ascent — overnight near rimAscend the Seneto road. Overnight at Ngorongoro rim lodge or camp for an early departure to Lake Natron tomorrow.

   🦏

   Black rhino

   🦁

   Lion

   🐘

   Elephant

   🦛

   Hippo

   🐃

   Buffalo

   🦩

   Flamingoes

   📍 Ngorongoro Crater 🦏 Black rhino 🌍 UNESCO World Heritage 🏨 Ngorongoro rim overnight
6. Day6

   🌋 Safari Day 6 · Lake Natron & Ol Doinyo Lengai

   Ngorongoro → Lake Natron → Moshi

   Active volcano views · 2.5 million flamingoes · Red alkaline lake · Return to Moshi by evening

   The most unusual day of the circuit — and the one guests most often describe as the most memorable. Lake Natron is an alkaline soda lake in the Rift Valley, deep red and pink at its edges from the mineral-loving algae and bacteria that colour it, ringed by the 2,962 m active cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai. Up to 2.5 million lesser flamingoes breed here — the sole breeding ground for this species in East Africa. It is one of the most surreal landscapes anywhere in Africa, visited by almost no standard safari circuits.

   06:00

   Early departure from NgorongoroDrive north from the Ngorongoro highlands into the Rift Valley. The road descends dramatically onto the Natron plain (~3.5–4 hours). 4WD required for the final approach.

   10:00

   First view of Lake NatronThe lake materialises from the Rift Valley floor — crimson and pink, with Ol Doinyo Lengai rising behind it. Steam may be visible from the volcano's summit.

   10:30

   Lake shore walk — flamingo approachGuided walk with a local Maasai guide to the lake margin. Flamingo density varies by season — numbers are highest Nov–Mar during breeding. Approach requires care as they startle.

   13:00

   Lunch at the lakePacked lunch with the Natron landscape spread before you. Ol Doinyo Lengai as a backdrop. Very few visitors. An extraordinary setting.

   14:00

   Optional Maasai village visitShort visit to a nearby Maasai enkiama — traditional homestead, jumping dance, and explanation of life in the Rift Valley shadow. Community fees included.

   15:00

   Begin return drive to MoshiLong return drive from Lake Natron to Moshi via Arusha road (~4–4.5 hours). Arrive approximately 19:30–20:00. End of safari.

   🦩

   2.5M flamingoes

   🌋

   Active volcano

   🔴

   Red lake

   🏹

   Maasai

   🦅

   Rift Valley birds

   🌄

   Rift Valley

   📍 Lake Natron · Ol Doinyo Lengai 🌋 Africa's most active volcano 🏠 Return Moshi

The Big Five — and then some

The 6-day circuit gives a genuine opportunity for all five across multiple parks, with Ngorongoro as the most reliable single-day location for the complete set. Lake Natron adds an experience found on no other standard safari circuit.

Compare our safari lengths

All three safaris include two Serengeti nights. The difference is in what you see before and after.

Choose your package

Same 6-day itinerary and route throughout. The tier determines accommodation style across the 5 nights.

What's included

Best time to visit

Year-round operation with important seasonal differences. Lake Natron flamingo density peaks during breeding (November–March).

If the Great Migration's river crossings (July–October) are your priority, plan the safari during those months — the northern Serengeti extension is available as an upgrade for guests specifically targeting river crossings. For maximum Lake Natron flamingo density, January–February and December are the strongest months, coinciding with the breeding season.

Frequently asked questions

• Why is Lake Natron included in a Northern Circuit safari?
  Lake Natron is rarely included in standard Northern Circuit safaris because it requires a significant detour from the main tourist circuit and involves rough 4WD roads. We include it in this 6-day circuit because it is genuinely one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Africa — a crimson alkaline lake surrounded by the active Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, with up to 2.5 million lesser flamingoes breeding on its flats. It is a completely different visual world from any other stop on the circuit and gives this safari a dimension that no standard 4 or 5-day itinerary can match.
• Is the full Day 4 in the Serengeti really that different from Day 3?
  Yes, profoundly. Day 3 is an arrival day — you're driving to the Serengeti and have an afternoon in the park. Day 4 is the full experience: a 6:00 am departure in darkness, watching the sky lighten as you follow lions back from the night's hunt, a bush breakfast served on the open plains, a full morning tracking big cats with radio contacts, a kopje picnic with wildebeest herds visible to the horizon, and an afternoon drive through the migration before a second Serengeti sunset. The Serengeti is at its finest at dawn and dusk — both of which Day 4 gives you in full.
• Can this be combined with a Kilimanjaro climb?
  Yes — and a Kilimanjaro climb followed by this 6-day safari is one of the finest Tanzania expeditions possible. After your Kilimanjaro descent and a recovery day in Moshi, you seamlessly begin this safari and return to Moshi on Day 6 in time for your departure flight. The total expedition runs approximately 12–14 days depending on your chosen climbing route. Contact us for the full combined Kilimanjaro + 6-Day Safari pricing — we can build the complete itinerary as one package.
• How does the 6-day safari compare to the 4-day and 5-day options?
  All three safaris include two Serengeti nights and a Ngorongoro Crater descent. The 4-day skips Lake Manyara and Lake Natron. The 5-day adds Lake Manyara (tree-climbing lions, flamingoes). The 6-day adds both Lake Manyara and Lake Natron — making it the only itinerary that includes the extraordinary Natron volcanic landscape. If you have the time, the 6-day is the most complete and rewarding itinerary. The price difference between the 5-day and 6-day is relatively modest compared to the additional experience gained.
• How many flamingoes will we see at Lake Natron?
  Flamingo numbers at Lake Natron vary significantly by season and year. Peak breeding season (November–March) can bring 1.5–2.5 million birds. Outside breeding season, numbers are considerably lower — from tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand, depending on water levels and food availability. Our guides provide realistic expectations before the visit. Even at lower numbers, the lake itself — with its deep red mineral flats, shimmering heat haze, and Ol Doinyo Lengai on the horizon — is a remarkable destination regardless of flamingo count.
• Can we add Zanzibar after this safari?
  Absolutely — after six days of intensive game driving and landscape exploration, Zanzibar's white sand beaches are an excellent decompression. We arrange the flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam, beach accommodation, and any Zanzibar activities you'd like to include. The 6-day safari plus 4 nights in Zanzibar makes for an extraordinary 10-day Tanzania experience. Contact us to build the full combined itinerary.