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Northern Circuit · 4 days, 3 nights

FOUR DAYS,

THREE LANDSCAPES

The highlights of the Northern Circuit in the time most people actually have. Monkeys in the forest, lions in trees, elephants moving through the bush, and a huge variety of animals inside a collapsed volcano.

  • Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Manyara
  • Private 4x4, a window seat each
  • Airport transfers included
See The Day By Day

Private 4x4 Fleet

Guaranteed Window Seat

Local Expert Guides

Direct Operator Pricing

Flamingos feeding on the soda lake inside Ngorongoro Crater
What you are buying

THREE PARKS IN

FOUR DAYS

This is the short version of the Northern Circuit, and it works because the three parks sit within a few hours of each other. You get Tarangire’s elephants and baobabs, the crater floor, and Lake Manyara’s forest and salt lake, without a single wasted transfer day.

It is the itinerary we recommend to anyone arriving with under a week, and the one that pairs most easily onto the end of a Kilimanjaro climb.

  • Diverse landscapes: forest, open bush and the floor of a caldera
  • Massive elephant families and ancient baobabs in Tarangire
  • Over 500 bird species and the endangered black rhino in the crater
  • Tree-climbing lions and flamingos at Lake Manyara
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THE ITINERARY,

DAY BY DAY

Every park, every drive, every lodge and exactly which meals are covered.

Price from

On request

per person, private group

4 Days

On safari

3 Nights

Accommodation

3 Parks

Visited

Private

Vehicle and guide

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What’s included in the price?

YOUR ROUTE
START
Arusha
DAY 2
Tarangire
DAY 3
Ngorongoro
DAY 4
Lake Manyara
END
Arusha
DAY

1

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

You will be picked up from the airport by a KissRock Adventures representative and driven to your accommodation in Arusha. Depending on your arrival time, you will hopefully have time to relax and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime. Busy Arusha is an essential part of safari life here in northern Tanzania and most travellers pass through at some stage.

STAY
Classic Comfort
MEALS
At own expense
  • Night at Arusha Planet Lodge
DAY

2

Day 2: Tarangire National Park

Your guide collects you from your accommodation after breakfast and drives to Tarangire National Park. Named after the Tarangire River, this park is famous for massive elephant families, ancient baobab trees, giraffes, lions and leopards.

PARK
Tarangire National Park
DRIVE
Approx. 2.5 hrs from Arusha
STAY
Classic Comfort
MEALS
All meals, drinks not included
  • Night at Eileen's Tree Inn
DAY

3

Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater

Drive up into the cooler regions of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then descend 600m into the caldera to spot wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, over 500 bird species and the endangered black rhino.

PARK
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
DRIVE
600m descent into the caldera
STAY
Classic Comfort
MEALS
All meals, drinks not included
  • Night at Eileen's Tree Inn
DAY

4

Day 4: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its alkaline salt lake, flamingos, evergreen forest baboons and tree-climbing lions. After a picnic lunch, transfer back to Arusha or the airport.

PARK
Lake Manyara National Park
DRIVE
Return transfer to Arusha
MEALS
Breakfast and lunch, drinks not included

Where you sleep

  • Night 1Arusha Planet LodgeClassic Comfort
  • Nights 2–3Eileen's Tree InnClassic Comfort

These are the properties this price is built on. Want a different tier? We quote it against the same route so you can see what the upgrade actually costs.

WHAT'S IN,

WHAT'S NOT

What's included

Park and conservation feesEvery national park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area entry fee at the non-resident rate, already inside the figure we quote you.
All game drives and transportEvery activity and every kilometre of the route in a 4x4, from the first park gate to the last.
Your driver-guide, and VATA professional English-speaking guide who drives, spots and explains, with Tanzanian VAT already added rather than appearing at the end.
Accommodation as detailedThe named lodge or camp listed against each day below, not a tier to be confirmed later.
Airport transfers both waysCollected on arrival and dropped back at Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport when the safari ends.
The meals shown on each dayEach day below says exactly which meals are covered, so you know before you travel which ones are yours.

What's not included

International flightsYour flights into and out of Tanzania, which you book yourself or we quote separately.
Tanzania visaBought on arrival or in advance depending on your passport. We tell you which applies to you.
Crew tipsBudget around $15 per person per day as a guideline. We go through it at your briefing so nobody is caught out.
Travel and medical insuranceWe ask every guest to travel insured. Bring proof with you.
DrinksSoft drinks and alcohol are paid as you go, at the lodge or camp.
Personal itemsAnything personal, and anything not listed in the left column. Ask us and we will confirm.
The vehicle matters

FOUR WHEELS,

ONE WINDOW EACH

You will spend six to eight hours a day in this vehicle. It is not a detail.

Pop-Up Roof Land Cruisers

Custom Toyota Land Cruisers with full pop-up roofs, so everyone can stand and shoot at once.

Charging & Cold Storage

Inverter charging at every seat and a cold fridge, because dust and heat are relentless.

Binoculars In Every Vehicle

Quality binoculars as standard, plus a reference library to identify what you just saw.

HF Radio Between Guides

When one driver finds a leopard, the rest of the fleet knows within a minute.

WHEN IS THE

BEST TIME TO GO?

Every month works for something. The question is which month works for what you came to see.

Pick a month
BestGreen season
JanBest

Calving season on the Ndutu plains, with heavy predator action.

FebBest

Calving season on the Ndutu plains, with heavy predator action.

MarBest

The tail of calving season before the long rains arrive.

AprGreen season

Green, quiet and much cheaper. Some tracks get difficult.

MayGreen season

Green, quiet and much cheaper. Some tracks get difficult.

JunBest

Dry season begins. Animals start concentrating around water.

JulBest

Classic dry season. The herds are crossing the Mara.

AugBest

Classic dry season. The herds are crossing the Mara.

SepBest

Dry, short grass, and the easiest sightings of the year.

OctBest

The last reliable dry month before the short rains.

NovGreen season

Short rains pull the herds south. Quieter parks, lower rates.

DecGreen season

Short rains continue, with green light and fewer vehicles.

The herds move on their own schedule. We update this as our guides report in.

Choosing between them

SIX ITINERARIES,

ONE CIRCUIT

They cover much the same ground. What really changes is how many nights you get out on the plains.

An elephant family grazing on the green floor of the Ngorongoro Crater3 days3-Day Big Five ExpressOn requestView
Elephants walking past an ancient baobab on the Tarangire plain4 days4-Day Northern Circuit ExplorerOn requestYou are here
A lone acacia on the savanna at sunrise5 days5-Day Classic Wildlife & SerengetiOn requestView A leopard resting along the branch of an acacia tree6 days6-Day Serengeti Big Cat & CraterOn requestView Vast wildebeest herds spread across the short-grass plains6 days6-Day Great Migration Calving SeasonOn requestView Wildebeest crossing fast water during the Great Migration7 days7-Day Ultimate Serengeti ImmersionOn requestView

SAFARI FAQ

Yes. The vehicle, the guide and the itinerary are yours. Nobody is added to your Land Cruiser to fill it, which is why every seat is a window seat and why we can change the plan on the morning if your guide hears something worth driving to.

It is a starting point, not a fixed departure. Add a night, drop a park, start from Kilimanjaro instead of Arusha, or run it after a climb. Tell us what you want different and we re-cost it.

Every property on this itinerary is named below, day by day, with the tier it sits in. We would rather you looked them up now than found out on arrival. If you want a different tier we quote it against the same route so you can see what the upgrade really costs.

Around $15 per person per day for the crew is the guideline we give, and we talk it through at your briefing rather than leaving you to guess on the last morning. It is not included in the price.

Most of our guests do. The usual shape is mountain first, safari second, beach last. We arrange the transfers and the internal flight to Zanzibar as one booking so there is no gap for anything to go wrong.

Northern Circuit Explorer

TELL US WHEN.

WE WILL COST IT.

Send your dates, your group size and the lodge tier you want. A guide replies with a costed itinerary inside 24 hours.

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