Northern Tanzanian Safaris
An Introduction to Safaris in the North of Tanzania
Northern Tanzania is Africa's most famous safari region. The Great Rift Valley cuts down through the continent giving rise to a dramatic volcano range and some of the most fertile grazing grounds on earth. Home to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro, Northern Tanzania has three of Africa's top five attractions and hosts the highest concentration of predators in Africa, as well as the largest herds on the planet. Away from the famous parks there are off the beaten track alternatives that flourish in their relative anonymity. Just focussing on the safari options here however would be missing out on the areas cultural importance; this is the heart of Masai land and with the archaeological findings at Olduvai, the 'Cradle of Mankind'.
Northern Tanzania is an essential destination on everyone's travel list. The Serengeti's Great Migration is one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles, whilst being on safari on the Crater floor of the extinct volcano at Ngorongoro is a game viewing environment that has no equal. Towering above it all is Kilimanjaro, the worlds highest freestanding mountain and arguably Africa's toughest challenge. Away from the tourist hotspots, quieter parks such as Tarangire are superb for game viewing yet often overlooked to their more famous neighbours. The Rift Valley Lakes of Eyasi and Natron are the home of Hadzabe tribes and the breeding grounds for the largest flocks of flamingo on earth. To many people a Northern Tanzanian safari is the very best of it all.
Northern Tanzanian Safari: The driving circuit
Arusha, a beautiful small town close to Kilimanjaro, is the base for all safaris to Northern Tanzania. Vehicles depart on driving circuits to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Manyara and Tarangire from Arusha every day giving the region its common reference of the 'driving circuit'. Exploring the region like this does have advantages with a private driver guide being the common means of exploring the area. Group trips on set itineraries are also possible and even more affordable, but visitors should take on board the amount of actual driving time that's needed to explore the area fully with approximately 20 hours of solid driving from park to park in addition to the day's game drives. We recommend an absolute minimum of 6 nights for a driving circuit, but would push for longer stays to make the driving time worthwhile.
Northern Tanzanian Safari: Flying into the camps
All camps and lodges across the region are linked by bush airstrips. The very best camps in the region have their own fleets of specially adapted safari vehicles and do not rely on the driving market. They run their operations by picking clients up at bush airstrips and looking after them until they leave. It is a more expensive option but reduces the time spent driving on what can be fairly boring driving roads. We often recommend driving the region around Ngoorngoro, Tarangire and Manyara because the roads are very good and driving time is kept to a minimum, but flying into the various parts of the Serengeti.
Northern Tanzanian Safari: Activities on offer in Northern Tanzania
In the Serengeti and Ngorongoro game driving is only permitted during the day. Night driving is permitted in the reserves adjacent to the Serengeti, specifically in the Loliondo reserve to the East of the Serengeti (home to the famous Kleins Reserve and a number of mobile operations such as Nomad Nduara) and the super luxurious Singita Grumeti Reserve above the Serengeti's Western Corridor. Lake Manyara and recently Tarangire have both started offering night safaris. There are possibilities to walk in the private concession areas just mentioned as they are outside all National Park boundaries, and in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Crater Highlands. There are no boating safaris across the region.
Northern Tanzanian Safari: An Idea of Price in the North
For a Northern Circuit driving safari the cost depends on the number of people sharing the driver and vehicle. As an idea, a private Land Rover safari staying in the Serena lodges, or the hotels around Karatu (near the Ngorongoro) will cost around $650 per person per day for 2 people and $550 per person per day for 4 people. This includes a private vehicle, driver and all park fees etc. We often recommend driving around the areas around Tarangire, Manyara and Ngorongoro. The roads here are good and driving through this area gives a great introduction to the local villages and the different tribes that Northern Tanzania is so famous for.
The fly in camps in the area cost between $750-$1,000 pppn for the likes of The Manor, Tarangire Treetops and Swala where as the famous Ngorongoro Crater Lodge comes in at well over the $1,500pppn mark in its peak season months (July and August).
Northern Tanzanian Safari: Flying up to Serengeti
Flights into the Serengeti from Tarangire and Manyara (usually the airstrip for Ngorongoro, cost about $250pp.). This saves a drive of at least 6 hours, so as much as driving into the Serengeti is the most economical way of travelling, this drive is rather unnecessary, especially from August to the middle of December when the drive into the Serengeti will be very unproductive in terms of game viewing. Its also worth pointing out here that if you are searching for the Great Migration the drive will be substantially longer than 4 hours due to the location of the herds, with many operators choosing to split up what is a 10 hour drive by having a couple of nights in the central Seronera region.
The Serengeti is therefore where we really encourage clients to use the fly in safari camps. Flying in to the park cuts out the long driving distances needed to reach the majority of the camps. The fly in safari camps in the Serengeti start at approximately $600pppn with the likes of Olakira and Dunia Camp (great camps at the most affordable prices). Step up a level and you reach the permanent lodges of Sayari, Migration Camp and Serengeti Lamai where prices are approximately $900pppn. The next level brings in the parks finest lodges with Grumeti, Kleins and the absolutely incredible Grumeti Reserves Faru Faru, Grumeti Reserves Sabora and Grumeti Reserves Sasakwa...where prices range from $1,000pppn to over $1,600 at Sasakwa!
Northern Tanzanian Safari: Where to Stay in the North
To read up about all the lodges and hotels on offer in Tanzania's Northern parks, link through to the specific park pages below. Each page has an overview of where to stay and also detailed information on all the lodges in each area.
Serengeti,
Ngorongoro Crater,
Lake Manyara,
Tarangire
Contact Us Please phone us to discuss your plans with one of our consultants; a Tanzanian safari is always a complex matter to arrange and it really is worth spending the time to get it right. Wherever possible, it is worth coming in to our offices to work through your options in person. Tel +44 (0) 20 7471 8780 or Email Us
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