Safari Overview
The 7-day northern circuit is the itinerary that safari travellers most frequently describe as the experience that changed how they see Africa. Four parks, four days in the Serengeti, an optional hot air balloon dawn flight over the plains, and a finale in Lake Manyara with the exclusive Treetop Walkway experience - this is a week that delivers more wildlife, more landscape variety, and more depth of experience than any shorter itinerary can provide.
Four full Serengeti days transform the experience. Where shorter itineraries drive the most-visited circuits, four days allows your guide to follow individual lion prides through their morning hunting sequences, wait for cheetah hunts to fully develop, explore the woodland zones and kopje environments that shorter safaris rarely reach, and adapt each day's route based on the latest wildlife intelligence from across the park.
The addition of the hot air balloon safari on Day 5 - floating over the Serengeti at dawn before the champagne breakfast on the plains - is consistently rated by our guests as one of the most extraordinary experiences of their lives. The Serengeti from 300 metres, in silence, as the sun rises over 18,000 square kilometres of plain, is something no photograph or description can fully prepare you for. The Manyara Treetop Walkway on the final day adds a dimension entirely different from vehicle game drives - a sky-high walk through the forest canopy at the level of the birds, offering perspectives on the park's remarkable ecosystem that ground-level visits simply cannot replicate.
Completely Flexible to Your Preferences
On every day of this safari, your guide discusses with you the best timing for game drives and wake-up times. You choose how to structure each day - morning drive and afternoon rest, full-day drive with bush picnic, or any combination. The Serengeti has no fixed circuit: the guide navigates based on current wildlife intelligence and your personal interests and photography goals.
Daily Itinerary
A full day is set aside for Arusha → Tarangire National Park (Full Day) → Farm of Dreams Lodge, allowing the experience to unfold without a rushed timetable. Inside Tarangire, baobab woodland and the river corridor create varied habitat. Elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope and predators may be encountered, and your guide chooses roads according to current conditions rather than promising particular sightings. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 1.
Your journey begins at the agreed airport or meeting point, where the LuiTours team welcomes you and confirms the day’s transfer. The transfer is kept unhurried, with time to notice the first changes in landscape and settle in after the journey. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 2.
A full day is set aside for Full Day Serengeti Game Drive → Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp, allowing the experience to unfold without a rushed timetable. The route crosses open plains, seasonal grasslands and scattered kopjes. Plains game, elephants and predators may be seen, while the location of migratory herds changes with rainfall and cannot be guaranteed. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 3.
A full day is set aside for Another Full Day Serengeti Game Drive → Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp, allowing the experience to unfold without a rushed timetable. The route crosses open plains, seasonal grasslands and scattered kopjes. Plains game, elephants and predators may be seen, while the location of migratory herds changes with rainfall and cannot be guaranteed. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 4.
The Ngorongoro landscape combines a forested rim with grassland, wetlands and soda-lake habitat on the crater floor. Wildlife can be diverse, but the guide reads conditions carefully and keeps every sighting patient and responsible.
Hot Air Balloon Safari - What to Expect
A full day is set aside for Ngorongoro Crater Full Day Game Drive → Farm of Dreams Lodge, allowing the experience to unfold without a rushed timetable. The Ngorongoro landscape combines a forested rim with grassland, wetlands and soda-lake habitat on the crater floor. Wildlife can be diverse, but the guide reads conditions carefully and keeps every sighting patient and responsible. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 6.
The final travel arrangements begin from the confirmed hotel, lodge or meeting point, with timing built around the scheduled flight or onward transfer. Flight and transfer times shape the schedule, and the ground team coordinates each handover so the journey remains straightforward. On the 7 Days Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara Safari, this is the main focus of day 7.
The Four Parks - What Makes Each Unique
| Park | Defining Feature | Key Wildlife | Landscape | Best Sighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Greatest elephant density in northern Tanzania; spectacular ancient baobab landscape | Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, fringe-eared oryx | Tarangire River, seasonal swamps, baobab savannah, dry miombo woodland | Elephant herds of 50-100+ at the river; kori bustard and saddle-billed stork |
| Serengeti | World's greatest wildlife migration; highest big-cat concentration on earth; balloon safari | Lion, cheetah, leopard, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, crocodile | Endless short-grass plains, kopje granite outcrops, acacia woodland, seasonal rivers | Great Migration river crossings (Jul - Oct); dawn balloon flight over the plains |
| Ngorongoro | World's largest intact caldera; closed ecosystem with year-round wildlife abundance | Black rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, elephant, zebra, wildebeest, flamingo | Volcanic crater floor, open short-grass plain, crater lake, Lerai Forest acacia fringe | Endangered black rhino; lion pride encounters at close range on open crater floor |
| Lake Manyara | Tree-climbing lions; Treetop Walkway canopy experience; flamingo-fringed soda lake | Tree-climbing lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, flamingo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest | Groundwater forest, alkaline soda lake, acacia woodland, Rift Valley escarpment | Lions resting in acacia branches; Treetop Walkway canopy perspective |
Wildlife encountered across all four parks on this safari:
From Price
Minimum price only, based on 2 people sharing. Final pricing depends on season, availability and requested customizations.
| Package | From Price |
|---|---|
| Price for 2 People | From $3,674 per person |
What's Included
Included in Your Price
Not Included
Best Time to Visit
All four parks offer excellent game viewing year-round. The Serengeti's Great Migration river crossings peak July - October in the northern Serengeti, while the calving season (Jan - Mar) offers extraordinary newborn wildlife spectacle on the southern plains. The balloon safari operates year-round. Tarangire and Manyara are at their most dramatic in the dry season (June - October) when wildlife concentrates around water sources. The Ngorongoro Crater's enclosed ecosystem is excellent in every month.
| Park | Best Season | Highlight | Year-Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarangire | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Elephant herds at the river; excellent predator viewing | Large elephant herds and excellent birding every month |
| Serengeti | Jul - Oct (migration crossings); Jan - Mar (calving) | River crossings; calving season; year-round big cats; balloon safaris | Resident lions, cheetahs, leopards present every month |
| Ngorongoro | Year-round | Black rhino, resident lion prides, flamingo on crater lake | Closed ecosystem: excellent wildlife density every month |
| Lake Manyara | Jun - Oct (dry season) | Tree-climbing lions; Treetop Walkway; flamingo flocks Nov - May | Tree-climbing lions and rich birdlife year-round |