Tanzania’s Northern Circuit

Day 1 – Onsea House, Arusha
Meet your driver on arrival into Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Onsea House where you will overnight in the serene and tranquil surroundings.Onsea House is located just outside the town of Arusha, perfectly positioned on the drive from Kilimanjaro Airport. Owner managed and spread out over two levels, the House has an intimate and friendly feel. Add to this the superb staff and a reputation of culinary excellence, and Onsea House is a brilliant pre or post safari stopover.

Day 2 – Oliver’s Camp, Tarangire National Park
After breakfast at the lodge, you will be met by your guide for the transfer and game drive to Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire National Park. Watch out for the changing landscapes along the way and remember to ask any questions you may have. Onsea House will provide you with a packed lunch.

On arrival at Oliver’s Camp, spend the afternoon settling into your stylish room and the beautiful surroundings. After tea, experience your first taste of the wild and beautiful Tarangire National Park on an afternoon game drive with one of the superb guides. If you wish, the option of a night drive is also available at an extra cost; watch the antelopes feed in the cool night air and predators stalking their prey under the cover of darkness. Otherwise, sip a cool gin & tonic as the sun sinks below the horizon and head back to camp for dinner under a blanket of stars.

Day 3 – Oliver’s Camp
After breakfast with the rising sun, you will leave camp with your guide for a morning drive. Drives are conducted in comfortable 4×4 vehicles and will last roughly 4-5 hours, offering the chance to spot buffalo, elephant, giraffe, gazelle and, of course, the ever present predators. Take a picnic lunch with you and eat under the shade of the large baobabs that dot the landscape, or head back to camp and enjoy lunch in the main dining room.

Relax in camp during the heat of the day, before continuing your exploration of the area on the afternoon drive. In the evening, enjoy dinner at the camp and head to the camp rewhere whiskies are poured and safari tales told late into the night.

Day 4 – The Highlands Ngorongoro, Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, pack your bags and begin the drive to The Highlands camp in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Oliver’s Camp will provide a packed lunch to enjoy on the journey.

After you have settled in to your domed suite, spend the afternoon following the ancient Maasai trails to the top of the Olmoti crater. The gentle 2-3 hour ascent leads you through mountain forest, grassland and rocky outcrops and is a botanist’s dream with varying vegetation and a variety of splendid fern species on show. The birding is outstanding and once at the summit, you will be treated to a simply stunning view of the Olmoti crater itself. On return to camp settle infor the night around the inside replace, the perfect place to unwind at the end of your long day exploring.

Day 5 – The Highlands Ngorongoro
Wake up with the rising sun and begin the 40 minute drive from The Highlands to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. Look out for the zebra interspersed with the Maasai cattle as they ar ebrought out to pasture, and the magnificent view down to the Ngorongoro Crater. You will spend the morning exploring the vast 300 sq km crater oor with the opportunity to spot the Big 5 and the many roaming predators present on the mineral rich floor. Lunch will be served on the crater floor, and in the afternoon, you may continue your exploration of the crater or perhaps visit one of the local Maasai communities close to camp, offering an insight into the traditional way of life that has defined this corner of East Africa for centuries.

Day 6 – Olakira Camp, Serengeti National Park
After an early breakfast, pack your bags and depart with your driver to Manyara Airstrip. On arrival at the airstrip, you will be met by a resident guide from Olakira Camp. A welcome table will be set up either at the airstrip or a short distance away, with tea & coffee, cold drinks and snacks allowing you to refresh while your guide briefs you on the surrounding area. Depending on your preference, you may enjoy a short game drive or head directly for camp. You will enjoy a delicious packed lunch from Plantation Lodge / The Highlands.

OLAKIRA NORTH – Fly to Kogatende Airstrip in the Northern Serengeti.  (1 June – 14 November)
OLAKIRA SOUTH – Fly to Ndutu Airstrip in Southern Serengeti.  (1 January – 31 March / 1 – 31 December)

Day 7 – Olakira Camp
Depart from camp for your morning game drive as the sun casts its first rays over the land. Spend some time watching the great wildebeest herds plunging across the Mara River, or search for the predators that prowl across the landscape, waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the plains game that graze lazily on the grass. Take breakfast with you and return to camp for lunch, or leave camp a little later in the morning and enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush before the adventure continues on your afternoon drive. If you are sharing a vehicle on a Game Package basis, the camp will do everything they can to ensure your ideal itinerary for the day is met.

Day 10 – Arusha
After breakfast, pack your bags and depart with your guide to the relevant (Kogatende or Ndutu) Airstrip, where you will catch your flight back to Arusha for any onward connections.

END OF SAFARI