Northern Circuit Game Drives (5 Days)
Tour Price
XX-Day: North-East Circuit
$2000
$
1500
00*
-
2 persons: -10%
-
>2 persons: -20%
-
>5 persons: -30%
Details
* Indicative costs per person, excluding international airline tickets
Popular
This tour is made for active, adventurous travellers who want more than a classic safari.
Included
- All accomodations
- 24/7 service
- English-speaking guide
- Game drives
- Pickup and transfer from/to airport
- 8 days
- Park and crater fees
- Full board during safari
- Reservation costs
Excluded
- Visas
- Travel insurance
- International flights
Route
| Day 1 | Arrival at Arusha |
| Day 2 | Mt. Meru Hike |
| Day 3 | Mt. Meru Hike |
| Day 4 | Mt. Meru Hike |
| Day 5 | Oldoinyo Lengai and Lake Natron |
| Day 6 | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area |
| Day 8 | Departure at Arusha |
More Details
Day-1: Let the adventure begin
Arusha
- Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
- Transfer to Arusha (approx. 45 min)
- Check-in, freshen up, and rest
- Evening briefing with your guide — gear check for Mt. Meru
- Welcome dinner at the lodge
Day-2: Challenging Mt. Meru
Momella Gate to Miriakamba Hut (Mt. Meru)
- Early breakfast and transfer to Momella Gate (1,500 m) — Arusha NP
- Register with park rangers; armed ranger escort begins
- Trek through montane forest — watch for giraffe, buffalo, colobus monkeys
- Ascend to Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m) via Jekukumia River route (~4–5 hrs)
- Lunch at hut, afternoon acclimatisation walk to Meru Crater rim viewpoint
- Dinner and overnight at hut
Day-3: New Heights
Miriakamba to Saddle Hut (Mt. Meru)
- Breakfast at Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m)
- Trek through heath and moorland zones, crossing the Saddle (~4 hrs)
- Arrive Saddle Hut (3,570 m) — stunning views of the inner crater
- Afternoon acclimatisation ascent to Little Meru (3,820 m) and back (~2 hrs)
- Summit briefing for the pre-dawn push
- Early dinner and early to bed (summit attempt starts ~midnight)
Day-4: Above the clouds
Summit & Return to Arusha
- ~00:00 Midnight — summit push departs Saddle Hut
- Ascend via rocky ridge and crater rim to Socialist Peak (4,566 m) at dawn (~4–5 hrs)
- Sunrise over Kilimanjaro — one of East Africa’s great views
- Descend to Saddle Hut for breakfast, then continue down to Momella Gate (~4–5 hrs)
- Transfer back to Arusha — hot shower, rest
- Celebratory dinner in Arusha; rest and pack for tomorrow
Day-5: Fire and water
Ol Doyinyo Lengai & Lake Natron
- Early departure from Arusha — drive north (~3.5 hrs) to Lake Natron basin
- Optional sunrise/early-morning ascent of Oldoinyo Lengai (2,878 m) — Africa’s only active natrocarbonatite volcano (~6–8 hrs round trip)
- Descend and drive to Lake Natron shoreline
- Afternoon walk along lake’s edge — vast flamingo flocks, alien red alkaline landscape
- Visit Ngare Sero waterfall and gorge (short hike)
- Sundowner at camp with views of the volcano
Day-6: Into the wild
Serengeti National Park
- Breakfast at camp; drive south and west towards Serengeti (via Klein’s Gate or Lobo, ~3–4 hrs)
- Enter Serengeti — afternoon game drive in the northern or central Serengeti
- Search for the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino
- Sundowner in the bush; drive to camp
- Dinner under the stars at camp with campfire
Day-7: Animal kingdom
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Dawn game drive in Serengeti before heading south
- Drive to Ngorongoro Crater rim (~2 hrs) — picnic lunch with panoramic views
- Descend 600 m into the caldera — the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera
- Full afternoon crater floor game drive: black rhino, hippo pools, lion prides, hyena clans
- Ascend at dusk; enjoy crater rim sundowner
- Dinner and overnight on the rim with cool highland air
Day-8: Packing good memories
Arusha
- Leisurely breakfast on the crater rim
- Morning at leisure — optional short walk in the NCA highlands
- Drive back to Arusha (~2.5 hrs) with final views of Mt. Kilimanjaro
- Optional last-minute souvenir shopping at Maasai market, Arusha
- Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for onward flight