4 Days Northern Parks

Tarangire National Park is a landscape filled with ancient baobab trees and seasonal swamps, famous for some of Africa’s largest elephant herds. The park’s lifeline, the Tarangire River, attracts spectacular concentrations of game during the dry season – an unrivalled safari experience for nature lovers and adventurers.

Mto wa Mbu is a bustling farming village at the gateway to Lake Manyara National Park, unique for its incredible cultural diversity – with more than 120 Tanzanian tribes living peacefully together. The lush, irrigated fields provide an abundance of fruit and grains, while the vibrant local market offers an authentic insight into Tanzanian rural life.

Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its pioneering multiple land use system. This vast area uniquely combines the protection of spectacular wildlife – most famously the Ngorongoro Crater – with the traditional pastoral way of life of the Maasai people. Besides breathtaking landscapes and exceptional biodiversity, the NCA is also home to globally important palaeontological and archaeological sites, such as Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli. These sites make the area a key region for understanding the origins of humans.

Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous worldwide for its endless savannahs and the impressive Great Migration of more than a million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle. This legendary game reserve offers unparalleled opportunities to spot the Big Five and is home to an exceptional wealth of animal life within one of the world’s oldest ecosystems.

Just outside the north-western boundary of Serengeti National Park, near the Grumeti River and Ikoma Gate, lies Ikoma. This area acts as an important buffer zone and is known for unique safari experiences such as night safaris and guided walking safaris – activities that are often not allowed within the park itself. Ikoma provides access to the Serengeti’s rich ecosystem and reveals a different perspective on the African bush, with a mix of migratory species and permanent residents.

The Ndutu area, located on the border of the southern Serengeti ecosystem and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, turns into a scene of intense natural spectacle every rainy season (usually from December to March). It is known worldwide as the calf area of the Great Migration: hundreds of thousands of wildebeest gather here on the nutrient-rich short-grass plains to give birth to their young. This impressive explosion of new life inevitably attracts a high concentration of predators, making Ndutu an absolute prime location for experiencing breathtaking wildlife moments.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world and forms a spectacular, fully enclosed ecosystem. This natural wonder is known for its exceptionally high density of wildlife – from the iconic “Big Five” to an impressive population of lions – all of which flourish within the steep, surrounding crater walls.

At the foot of Mount Meru lies Arusha – Tanzania’s vibrant safari capital and the starting point for legendary adventures in East Africa. This vibrant city is the gateway to the northern safari circuit and opens the way to iconic destinations such as the vast Serengeti, the impressive Ngorongoro Crater and majestic Kilimanjaro. Arusha offers more than just a starting point: enjoy vibrant markets, cultural experiences and all the amenities for the ultimate wildlife journey.