10 Days Tanzania Grand Lodge Safari — Northern & Southern Circuit

Overview

Highlights

• ✦Full Tanzania northern circuit (5 days)
• ✦Nyerere National Park (Selous) — boat & walking safaris
• ✦Ruaha National Park — Tanzania's wildest big-cat country
• ✦Internal bush flights between northern and southern circuits
• ✦Walking and boat safaris (not permitted in the northern parks)
• ✦Mid-range to upper mid-range tented camps and lodges

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Arusha → Tarangire

   Arusha → Tarangire

   After breakfast and a final equipment check, depart Arusha around 8am for the two-hour drive west into Tarangire National Park, famous for its dense elephant herds and ancient baobab trees. After lunch at the park gate or your lodge, head out on a long afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River — the dry-season lifeline that draws thousands of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest and Cape buffalo to its banks. Tarangire holds the largest elephant population of any Tanzanian park, with multi-generational family groups regularly numbering 50 or more. Look for tree-climbing pythons, fringe-eared oryx and the rare gerenuk. Sundowners on a kopje overlooking the river, then dinner and overnight at your Tarangire lodge or tented camp.

   Meals: L, D · Stay: Tarangire Sopa Lodge

2. 2

   Tarangire → Central Serengeti

   Tarangire → Serengeti

   Depart Manyara after breakfast for the long but spectacular drive across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and into the Serengeti National Park — Africa's most famous wildlife region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stop at the Olduvai Gorge en route, where Mary and Louis Leakey unearthed some of the earliest evidence of human evolution; a small museum tells the story. Picnic lunch on the gorge rim, then continue down onto the Serengeti's endless plains — the name means "endless plain" in Maa. Afternoon game drive through the central Seronera region en route to your camp, where lion prides, leopard, cheetah, and resident herds of giraffe, topi, impala and zebra await. Dinner at your Serengeti camp, the night air alive with the calls of hyena and distant lion.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Serengeti Sopa Lodge

3. 3

   Central Serengeti — full day

   Serengeti

   A full day in the Serengeti with morning and afternoon game drives. Pre-dawn coffee, then out by 6am for the diamond hours when the big cats are still hunting — leopards descend from sausage trees, cheetah scan the plains for Thomson's gazelle, and lion prides finish overnight kills. The Seronera Valley is the Serengeti's permanent water source and supports year-round wildlife concentrations. Return to camp around 11am for a late breakfast, swim and rest. The afternoon drive heads further afield — perhaps north to the Grumeti woodlands, south toward the Maswa side, or east toward the Banagi Hills — depending on where the migration is and what your guide is tracking. Sundowners on the bonnet of the Land Cruiser as the African sun melts into the horizon.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 2

4. 4

   Serengeti → Ngorongoro rim

   Serengeti → Ngorongoro

   After breakfast and a morning Serengeti game drive en route, climb back up the escarpment to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lunch at your lodge perched on the crater rim, with vertiginous views into the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera — 19 kilometers wide, 600 meters deep. Afternoon at leisure to enjoy the lodge facilities and acclimatize to the cooler high-altitude air. Optional walking tour to a Maasai village inside the conservation area — uniquely, the Maasai still live and graze cattle within Ngorongoro alongside the wildlife. Sundowners on the rim as the crater fills with mist below you. Dinner and overnight at your crater rim lodge — the night cold and crisp at 2,400 meters elevation.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

5. 5

   Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

   Ngorongoro → Arusha

   A pre-dawn breakfast and an early descent into the Ngorongoro Crater — Africa's Eden. The crater floor supports one of the highest concentrations of large mammals on Earth: lion prides, the densest population of spotted hyena anywhere, an estimated 30 black rhino, vast herds of wildebeest and zebra, hippo pools, flamingos on Lake Magadi, eland, gazelle, and Cape buffalo. The crater is a self-contained ecosystem and the wildlife rarely leaves. Spend the entire day on game drive, with a picnic lunch at the Ngoitokitok Springs hippo pool. Late afternoon, climb back up the crater wall to your lodge for dinner. For most travelers, the crater day is the single most memorable of any Tanzania safari.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Arusha Coffee Lodge

6. 6

   Arusha → Nyerere (Selous) by bush flight

   Arusha → Selous

   Transfer to Arusha airport for the scheduled bush flight south to Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve), Africa's largest national park. Your Selous guide collects you at the airstrip and transfers to camp on the Rufiji River. After lunch, an afternoon boat safari on the Rufiji — pods of hippo, large crocodiles basking on the sand banks, African skimmers, fish eagles and a chance of elephant coming down to drink. Sundowners on the river and dinner in camp.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Rufiji River Camp or Selous Serena

7. 7

   Nyerere — full day game drive & walking safari

   Nyerere National Park

   An early walking safari with an armed ranger and a Selous guide — three hours on foot through the bush, learning to read tracks, spoor and dung, and getting close to elephant, buffalo and giraffe in a way no vehicle can match. Return to camp for breakfast and rest. Afternoon vehicle game drive across the Rufiji floodplain and the Lake Tagalala system, where elephant herds gather and African wild dog (one of Africa's rarest predators) are sometimes seen. Sundowners on a hippo-pool overlook.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 6

8. 8

   Nyerere → Ruaha by bush flight

   Nyerere → Ruaha

   Morning at leisure or final boat safari on the Rufiji, then transfer to the airstrip for the bush flight to Ruaha National Park — Tanzania's second-largest park and arguably its wildest. Lunch at camp on the Great Ruaha River, then an afternoon game drive. Ruaha holds 10% of Africa's lions, large prides of 20+ animals, and is a stronghold for African wild dog and cheetah. The landscape is dramatic baobab country with sweeping views and few other vehicles. Sundowners on a riverbank kopje.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Ruaha River Lodge or Mwagusi Safari Camp

9. 9

   Ruaha — full day big-cat country

   Ruaha National Park

   A full day in Ruaha — morning game drive when the big cats are most active, return to camp for late breakfast and rest, afternoon game drive into the deeper west of the park. Ruaha's lion prides are the largest in East Africa (sometimes 20-plus animals), and the park is a known stronghold for African wild dog. The landscape is dotted with baobab and sausage trees and the Great Ruaha River concentrates wildlife in the dry season. Sundowners and dinner in camp under a southern Tanzania sky thick with stars.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 8

10. 10

    Ruaha → Dar es Salaam → JRO/Onward

    Ruaha → JRO

    A final morning game drive en route to the Ruaha airstrip, then bush flight to Dar es Salaam International Airport for your onward connection — international flight home, transfer to Zanzibar for a beach extension, or scheduled flight back to Kilimanjaro International (JRO). End of safari.

    Meals: B · Stay: N/A (departure)

What to bring

• • Lightweight neutral-color clothing (khaki, olive, beige)
• • Warm fleece for cool early morning game drives
• • Sun hat and sunglasses with UV protection
• • High-SPF sunscreen and lip balm
• • Insect repellent (DEET)
• • Comfortable walking shoes and sandals
• • Swimsuit for lodge pools
• • Binoculars (8x42 ideal for safari)
• • Camera with telephoto lens (200mm+)
• • Spare batteries, memory cards, power bank
• • Refillable water bottle
• • Anti-malarial prophylaxis (consult your doctor)
• • Yellow-fever certificate (required if arriving from yellow-fever zones)

Frequently asked questions