This is the classic lodge safari that covers the famous Northern Circuit of National Parks. It includes some of the best and most famous wildlife areas in Africa, including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. You travel in your own private 4x4 vehicle with your own driver guide who stays with you throughout.

It is based in the Sopa Lodges, or alternatively, for a small surcharge you can stay at the Serena properties. With Serena the itinerary is the same except for the first night which is at Lake Manyara, not Tarangire. Details of all the Sopa and Serena Lodges can be seen by clicking on the Accommodation link below the itinerary.

All the lodges are very comfortable, situated in beautiful locations to give views out over the savannah or surrounding countryside. Often you have the luxury of game viewing from the comfort of the lodges terraces while enjoying a cool drink. All lodges provide en-suite facilities and most have swimming pools.

This is a private safari (minimum 2 people). It can depart on any day you wish (subject to availability).

Please let us know you preferred dates and we will forward a full tailored itinerary with confirmed quotation to you by e-mail and/or post.

Day 1
Depart the UK.

Day 2
Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport. You will be met by your private guide and vehicle and drive to Tarangire National Park, arriving with plenty of time for an afternoon Game-drive. Overnight at the Tarangire Sopa.

Day 3
Depart for Serengeti after breakfast. The predator-rich plains of the Serengeti unfurl before us as we game drive through the park to arrive at Serengeti Sopa Lodge in time for dinner.

Day 4
A full day to explore the Serengeti, the most famous National Park in Africa. Your driver-guide will choose the route based on his extensive knowledge of the park and local conditions. You carry a packed lunch to make the most of the day, which may include tracking cheetah through the Gol Kopjes, hunting leopard along the Seronera River, avoiding the crocs and hippos at Retima or exploring the Masai paintings at Moru Kopjes.

Day 5
After breakfast depart for Ngorongoro Crater, with a final Serengeti game drive en-route. You stop at Olduvai Gorge to visit the site where Mary and Louis Leakey discovered the remains of Zinjanthropus Bosei, a distant ancestor of man believed to be 1.8 million years old. You then continue to the Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site and home to nearly 25,000 animals, and the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, perched on the Crater Rim 2,000 ft above its plains.

Day 6
A full day in Ngorongoro Crater, with picnic lunch, gives us time to explore in detail this fascinating wildlife amphitheatre. This caldera, formed by an ancient volcano, hosts a unique cross-section of eco-systems, from soda lake to savannah and is home to almost every major species of African mammal.

Day 7
Return to Arusha for lunch and transfer to the airport in time for your flight back to the UK .

Day 8
Arrive back in the UK.

It is possible to combine this safari with a beach stay in Zanzibar. Please see our itinerary for full details.