Tanzania’s Northern Circuit is famous for offering some of the best wildlife safari experiences in Africa. Going on a safari in Tanzania’s Northern circuit is a perfect choice for adventure lovers, and the safari guarantees a memorable adventure for the traveler—you’ll come home with memories that last a lifetime. But be warned: once you visit, you’ll want to return again and again.
This region is home to the world-famous Serengeti, the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater, and many other large parks filled with animals. The highlight is the Great Migration, when millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other animals move across the land in one of nature’s most incredible events.
The way you will explore this amazing destination will depend on your preferences. Most travelers tend to choose to go self-driving by hiring 4×4 safari vehicles, but if your budget allows, you can also take a flying safari to reach more remote areas. For places to stay, Tanzania offers a mix of options: private camping areas, luxury mobile camps, and elegant permanent tented camps.
If you want to explore the wild, untouched parts of Tanzania, the best way is to fly to areas where there are no roads at all. These remote parks often have amazing camps—sometimes the only one for miles and miles.
The Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya
If watching the wildebeest migration in Serengeti is your priority, then a luxury mobile tented safari is the top choice. For this type of safari, you usually need to fly or drive to a nearby starting point.
Prices vary depending on how remote, comfortable, and luxurious the safari is. As a rough guide:
A private 4×4 safari vehicle with good lodges costs about $500 per person per night.
A flying safari with mid-range camps costs about $800 per person per night. These camps are high-quality and stay in one place, though some in the Serengeti are semi-mobile luxury tented camps.
Private mobile tented safaris are fully customized luxury camps that move with your itinerary, and they usually cost more than permanent camps.
Walking is mostly not allowed in the northern parks, except in a few areas. Game viewing there is done from safari vehicles. Walking is possible in some concession areas, such as around Klein’s Camp outside Serengeti National Park, and in the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands. Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire offers excellent walking safaris, with the option to camp overnight. Western Kilimanjaro also provides walking safaris with Maasai guides in private concessions near the Kenyan border.
The yearly migration of animals in Northern Tanzania and Kenya is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world. Known as the “Great Migration,” it involves over a million wildebeest and zebras moving across the Serengeti and Maasai Mara.
Although many maps show the migration routes, the actual movement is never certain. It depends on rainfall, which is unpredictable. If the rains change or arrive late, the migration will also change or be delayed.