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Northern Circuit · 5 days, 1 night in the Serengeti

THE CLASSIC CIRCUIT,

SERENGETI INCLUDED

A balanced five-day itinerary visiting Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and a night in the world-famous Serengeti National Park.

  • All four parks
  • 1 night in the Serengeti
  • Private 4x4, a window seat each
See The Day By Day

Private 4x4 Fleet

Guaranteed Window Seat

Local Expert Guides

Direct Operator Pricing

Giraffe browsing an acacia at sunset
The middle ground

FOUR PARKS,

FIVE DAYS

This is the itinerary for anyone who wants the Serengeti on the list without committing a full week. You get the crater floor in the morning and transit into the Serengeti the same afternoon, which buys you a night and a morning on the plains.

If the Serengeti is the whole reason you are coming, look at the six and seven-day itineraries instead, they give you two and three nights out there. We will say so if you ask us.

  • A night at a luxury tented camp inside the Serengeti
  • A full day in Tarangire with a picnic lunch
  • Morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater
  • Lake Manyara on the final morning before Arusha
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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

5 Days

On safari

4 Nights

Accommodation

4 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, Serengeti
DAY 4
Serengeti
DAY 5
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 at Arusha Planet Lodge.

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 for a full day of game viewing in Tarangire with a picnic lunch, overnighting in Karatu.

PARK
Tarangire National Park
DRIVE
Overnight in Karatu
STAY
Classic Comfort
MEALS
All meals, drinks not included
  • Night at Eileen's Tree Inn
DAY

3

Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti

A morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, followed by an afternoon transit drive into the southern and central Serengeti.

PARK
Ngorongoro, then Serengeti
DRIVE
Crater first, transit after
STAY
Luxury Tented
MEALS
All meals, drinks not included
  • Night at Embalakai Serengeti Camp
DAY

4

Day 4: Serengeti to Karatu

Morning game drives in the Serengeti before returning towards Karatu in the late afternoon.

PARK
Serengeti National Park
DRIVE
Back towards Karatu
STAY
Classic Comfort
MEALS
All meals, drinks not included
  • Night at Eileen's Tree Inn
DAY

5

Day 5: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

Explore Lake Manyara National Park before returning to Arusha for your onward travel arrangements.

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 and 4Eileen's Tree InnClassic Comfort
  • Night 3Embalakai Serengeti CampLuxury Tented

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 requestView
A lone acacia on the savanna at sunrise5 days5-Day Classic Wildlife & SerengetiOn requestYou are here
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.

Classic Wildlife

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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