Highlights of the North

Welcome to: Arusha

Arusha town is a pleasant introduction to East Africa. It is green, orderly town with many nice coffee bars and restaurants. Being considered the safari capital of Africa, it's bustling with Landcruiser's, safari guides and the like, but you're a trendsetter when going on a self-drive safari! 

Accommodation suggestions:
Mid-range: Karama Lodge 
Deluxe: Rivertrees Inn

Start: Arusha
Destination: Tarangire National Park
Drive: 150 km | 2,5 hours

Hit the road towards Tarangire National Park. From Arusha, it's an easy 2 hour journey on a smooth asphalt road, so you can still bite some dust for your first afternoon self-drive safari in Tarangire. The park its famous for its big herds of elephants and baobabs. Animal concentration peaks between July till the start of the rains in November, early December. Travelling in the first half of the year? Skip Tarangire and shorten your road trip with one day or extend it with a day in another park. 

Accommodation in Tarangire:
Mid-range: Whistling Thorn 
Deluxe: Maramboi  

Start: Tarangire National Park
Destination: Mto wa Mbu / Lake Manyara
Drive: 110 km | 1,5 hour 

Today you travel to Mto wa Mbu, the gateway town to Lake Manyara National Park. It's only 1,5 hour drive, so you can first enjoy an early morning game drive in Tarangire. Mto wa Mbu is a lively, tropical village and quite touristy.It is said to be the only place in Tanzania where people from 120 Tanzanian tribes live in harmony together.

Accommodation suggestions:
Mid-range: Migunga Forest Camp, at the outskirts of town
Deluxe: Wayo Green Camp, inside the park. 

Enjoy: Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara is a shallow soda lake, set at the base of the Western Rift Valley Escarpment. The northwestern lakeshore and its hinterland are protected in a scenic national park. Manyara is one of Tanzania’s smallest parks, yet boosting a very diverse flora & fauna - savannah, acacia woodland, rocks, grassy floodplains and tropical rainforest. An exciting aspect of Lake Manyara  is the opportunity to stretch your legs. The park offers suburb birding and guided walking safaris along the shore to the hot springs and flamingo lookout point. Best to go early in the morning.

Start: Mto wa Mbu / Lake Manyara
Destination: Lake Eyasi
Drive: 80 km | 2,5 hours

if your looking for something remote and different, Lake Eyasi is a recommended off-the-beaten track deviation. It is a cultural highlight because of the unique opportunity to hunt with the Hadza tribe. Lake Eyasi is a shallow soda lake at the remote southern border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From Manyara it's a 30 minute smooth drive to Karatu town, from where you continue off road for some 2 hours, on rough, rocky roads. So drive carefully and slowly. 

The Lake Eyasi Cultural Tourism Programme regulates tourism in the area. You find the office at  Mangola on the main ''road''. You need to stop here to pay the mandatory entrance fee of $ 20 / vehicle and it is also where you arrange a guide for your hunting experience with the Hadza tribe or any other cultural activities that you like to do.

Accommodation in Lake Eyasi: 
Budget: Tindiga Tented Camp
Deluxe: Kisima Ngeda 

Start: Lake Eyasi
Destination: Ngorongoro Crater. 
Drive: 40 km | 2 hours

Joining the Hadza tribe on a hunt means getting up at 5:00 AM. It's a unique experience. The Hadza are Tanzania’s only remaining tribe of true hunter-gatherers. Their language is characterised by clicks, reminiscent of Southern Africa’s San. The Hadza live in nomadic family bands and they live on what nature provides. Hunting with poisoned arrows and honey gathering are generally male activities, while women and children collect roots, seeds and fruit. The hunting men are fast and will not wait for you, so some level of fitness is required. 

You return to your lodge around 10:30 AM for your breakfast. After late breakfast, you continue to Karatu, gateway to Ngorongoro Crater. 

Accommodation in Ngorongoro Conservation area: 
Mid-range: Bougainvillea Safari Lodge, Karatu
Deluxe: Ngorongoro Farm House, situated on a large coffee farm about halfway between Karatu and the Ngorongoro Crater.

Enjoy: The Ngorongoro Crater.

The Ngorongoro Crater is an Unesco World Heritage Site. The crater is the world's largest intact caldera and is the only place in the world where you have a very high chance of seeing the 'Big 5' in one day. Read more about how to organise your crater safari here. 

For those that find going down the Crater a too expensive affair, or just want a more off-the-beaten track experience, good to know that the highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area contain more extinct volcanoes and calderas, such as Empakaai crater and Oldovai Gorge. Trekking the crater highlands is great fun. Your Bradt Travel Guide is a good source of information. 

Start: Ngorongoro Crater
Destination: Serengeti NP
Drive: 40 km | 1 to 3 hours

Time to finish of with the Grand Dame, Serengeti National Park. The park is massive, so make sure to read our practical blog about where and when to go, how to arrange for your permits and more. 

This stunning picture, was taken by a roadtripper.   

A Landcruiser is required if you want to visit the Serengeti. Driving times to Serengeti are as follows:

• Loduare Gate (Ngorongoro Conservation Area entrance) to Ngorongoro Crater Road: 1.5 hours.
• Ngorongoro Crater Road to Naabi Hill Gate (Serengeti): 2.5 hours.
• Naabi Hill Gate to Seronera: 1 hour.

Accommodation suggestions:
Mid-range: Serengeti View Mobile Camp
Deluxe: Wayo Green Mobile Camp 

Enjoy: Serengeti NP

Enjoy a day of game drives. Early morning and late afternoon drives are the best. Its great fun to drive yourself, but if you find it hard to spot the predators, you can always decide there and than to pick up a ranger at the gate. Again, the Bradt Travel Guide is a great source of information about the different sections of the park. 

Start: Serengeti NP
Destination: Arusha
Drive: 300 km | 5,5 hours. 

Perhaps you can't get enough of the game viewing and you stay another day, otherwise make your way back to Arusha. Your last stay will be at the foothills of Mount Meru, in between Arusha and Moshi.    

Accommodation near Mount Meru:
Mid-range: African View Lodge
Deluxe: Eileen Rivertrees Inn. 

Enjoy: Arusha & surroundings

After this hectic safari schedule, the surroundings of Arusha are nice to explore. USA river is great for mountain biking (from Rivertrees Inn), Lake Duluti for canoeing, Moshi town is nice to visit and offers cultural coffee tours, Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru is fantastic for walking and hiking. Or just enjoy some chilling at the pool of your lodge. Rivertrees  Country Inn and Mount Meru View Lodge (the mid-range and deluxe options of this accomodated roadtrip) have particularly nice ones.