11 Day Northern Tanzania Safari – Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Kilimanjaro

Welcome to Tanzania. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Wild Compass Africa representative will meet you and transfer you to your lodge in Arusha.

Settle into your accommodation and enjoy time to relax after your journey. If you arrive early and feel up to it, you may take a gentle walk around the lodge grounds or explore part of Arusha before preparing for your safari.

After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its large elephant herds, ancient baobab trees and diverse wildlife.

Enter the park for your first game drive, exploring open grasslands, wooded areas and the Tarangire River. During the dry season, wildlife concentrates around the river and other permanent water sources, creating excellent opportunities for close encounters with elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and a variety of antelope.

Continue exploring through the afternoon before heading to your lodge or tented camp for the evening.

Spend a full day exploring Tarangire with morning and afternoon game drives.

The park offers excellent opportunities for wildlife photography and viewing, particularly around its seasonal wetlands and river corridors. Look for large elephant families, lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes and numerous bird species as you explore different parts of the park.

With a private safari vehicle, the day can be paced around wildlife activity and photography opportunities rather than following a fixed schedule.

After breakfast, leave Tarangire and begin the journey toward Serengeti National Park. As you travel west, the landscape gradually changes from the baobab-studded woodland of Tarangire to the vast open plains of the Serengeti ecosystem.

Enter the Serengeti and begin your first game drive as you make your way toward camp. The afternoon is an opportunity to start exploring the surrounding plains, with possibilities for spotting giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, elephants and predators depending on the season and recent wildlife movements.

Your guide will select the route according to current sightings, allowing the journey into the Serengeti to become part of the safari experience.

Wake early for a full day of wildlife exploration in the Serengeti.

The early hours are often productive for wildlife viewing, particularly when predators are active and herds are beginning to move. Explore the plains, kopjes and woodland areas in search of lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest.

The Serengeti's wildlife patterns change throughout the year, so the day's route will be adapted according to the season and recent sightings. If migration herds are in the area, your guide will focus on their movements while continuing to look for resident wildlife and predators.

Enjoy a picnic lunch or return to camp for lunch before continuing your afternoon exploration

Spend another full day in the Serengeti, giving you more time to explore beyond the areas visited on the previous day. Set out early and follow wildlife activity across the plains. The additional day allows your guide to spend more time with interesting sightings rather than rushing between locations. Search for big cats, large herbivore herds and other wildlife while exploring different habitats within the ecosystem.

For photographers, the day offers opportunities to work with changing light, wildlife behaviour and the expansive Serengeti landscapes. The pace remains flexible, with time to stop when an encounter develops.

Return to camp in the evening after another full day in the wilderness.

After an early breakfast, enjoy a final morning game drive through the Central Serengeti before beginning the journey toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Continue toward the Ngorongoro Crater and descend into the caldera for an afternoon game drive. The crater's enclosed ecosystem supports an exceptional concentration of wildlife, with open grasslands, wetlands and woodland providing habitat for lions, hyenas, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, elephants and, with luck, the endangered black rhinoceros.

Enjoy a picnic lunch during the crater experience before continuing your game drive.

Later, ascend from the crater and continue to Karatu for the night, where you can relax after a full day of wildlife viewing.

After breakfast, leave Karatu and continue toward Mto wa Mbu, an important stop between the northern safari areas and the Kilimanjaro region.

Spend time with a local Maasai community, learning about traditional pastoral life, daily activities and the relationship between the community and its surrounding environment. The experience provides a human dimension to the journey without taking away from the safari's main focus on wildlife and nature.

After the experience, continue toward West Kilimanjaro. As you approach the area, the landscape changes once again, opening into broad plains, acacia woodland and views toward Mount Kilimanjaro.

Arrive at your lodge or tented camp and settle into the quieter surroundings. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy a short walk around the property or simply relax and take in the landscape.

Today is dedicated to experiencing West Kilimanjaro on foot.

After breakfast, set out with a local guide for a guided hike through the area's open landscapes and acacia woodland. Away from the safari vehicle, walking allows you to slow down and notice details that are often overlooked during conventional game drives, including animal tracks, birds, plants and smaller wildlife.

The route and duration can be adapted to your interests and fitness level, from a gentle nature walk to a longer hike through the surrounding wilderness.

Take time during the walk to appreciate the wide-open views and, when conditions are clear, the dramatic presence of Mount Kilimanjaro on the horizon.

Return to camp for lunch and enjoy a relaxed afternoon. A shorter sunset walk can be arranged depending on local conditions.

Enjoy a final full day in the West Kilimanjaro landscape at a slower safari pace.

Begin with a morning nature and wildlife experience, exploring the surrounding area on foot or by vehicle depending on local conditions and the wildlife opportunities available. Look for giraffes, zebras, antelope and birdlife, while also observing tracks and other signs of wildlife.

Later, settle into a peaceful wilderness setting for a picnic lunch. Away from busy safari routes, this is an opportunity to enjoy the landscape, photograph the surroundings and appreciate the quieter side of northern Tanzania.

Spend the afternoon relaxing around camp or take another gentle walk before enjoying the final sunset of your safari, with Mount Kilimanjaro providing a spectacular backdrop when visibility is good.