Northern safari circuit encompasses some of Africa’s most iconic parks and reserves including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, and the Great Rift Valley lakes Natron and Eyasi.

Due to the popularity of these parks, the northern safari circuit harbors more tourists than any other circuit in Tanzania. Sometimes, especially during peak seasons, it is not uncommon to see plenty of vehicles in one area.

Main Gateway

The main gateway to this circuit is the city of Arusha, which is served by Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Unfortunately, not a lot of direct flights to Kilimanjaro are available. Tourists coming from UK, US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia usually fly directly into JRO from Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Other options are connecting flights via Nairobi in Kenya, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia or Dar es Salaam.

What’s great about it?

The great thing about the northern safari circuit is, parks are accessible by roads and so it’s easy to drive from one park to another. Since visitors usually spend a lot of time on the road during their game drives and some roads can be dusty or muddy, closed vehicles with pop-up roofs are typically used in this area. The pop-up roofs and large windows allow excellent game viewing while maintaining safety and comfort throughout the trip.

The world-famous Big Five is also a common sighting all year-round, and a lot of accommodation options ranging from budget camps to luxury lodges and exclusive tented camps are widely offered. Also, adventurous travelers who aim to take their once-in-a-lifetime trip to greater heights can easily trek the world-famous Mount Kilimanjaro or the crater of Mount Meru.

Top Northern Safari Parks:

• Serengeti National Park

Home to Great Wildebeest Migration which has been consistently named “the greatest show on earth” and the World Cup of Wildlife, Serengeti National Park is one of the major attractions in Tanzania. It displays the breathtaking scenery of a wildlife-ridden Africa all year-round and visitors never go zero when it comes to game viewing.

• Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Africa’s Garden of Eden, is where you can find the famous Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest unbroken, inactive volcanic caldera. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site that promises sightings of the Big Five and all other wildlife including about 25.000 large mammals. The crater rim sits around 7.500m above sea level and is covered in ancient forests draped in lichen, making it a unique site to spot such incredible diversity and concentration of animals and birds.

• Lake Manyara National Park

Imagine a vast soda lake filled with massive herds of vibrant pink flamingoes, white rhinos, zebras and other wildlife? In Lake Manyara National Park, you get to see this before your very eyes. Aside from such a sight to behold, the main attractions in this park include the tree-climbing lions and the prolific elephant population.

• Tarangire National Park

is one of the most scenic parks on Tanzania’s northern circuit and makes for classic safari adventures close to Arusha. See large herds of elephants, towering Baobab trees and the Tarangire River on your safari. Spend two nights here to explore the more remote sections of the park

Best time to visit Northern Circuit Parks: June to October and December to March