# 4-Day Northern Circuit Safari Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in four days. It covers the whole northern circuit, with two long road days, which we tell you about up front. The shortest trip that reaches the Serengeti. One night near Tarangire, one in the central Serengeti and one on the Ngorongoro highlands, finishing with the crater. Driving makes days 2 and 3 long; flying one way is an option to ask about. - **Length:** 4 days, 3 nights - **Route:** Tarangire National Park → Serengeti National Park → Ngorongoro Crater - **Style:** Private - **Comfort:** Mid-range - **Pace:** Full days - **Best months:** January, February, June, July, August, September, October ## About this journey ## The shape of the trip Four days, three parks, one night in each area. You start in Tarangire, cross the Ngorongoro highlands to the central Serengeti for a night, then come back east for a morning in Ngorongoro Crater before Arusha. It's the classic northern circuit in the shortest time that still makes sense. We'll be straight about what that costs: days 2 and 3 are long days on the road. ## The honest version of the drive From Tarangire, the central Serengeti is roughly 6 to 8 hours by road, including game viewing once you're past Naabi Hill Gate. The way back to the highlands takes about 5 to 6 hours. Beyond the crater rim the roads are unsealed and corrugated. You see plenty on the way, because the last stretch into Seronera is itself a game drive. Still, you'll spend more hours in the vehicle on this trip than on any other we propose. Two ways round it: - **Fly one way.** A light-aircraft flight to a central Serengeti airstrip replaces most of the day 2 drive. It has to be planned around scheduled flights and around how your vehicle and guide meet you, so ask early. - **Add a day.** The [5-day classic safari](/safaris/5-day-classic-tanzania-safari) follows the same route with a second Serengeti night and a full day there with no transfer. ## Comfort and luxury versions As written, this is a comfort-level safari: mid-range tented camps or lodges near Tarangire and in the central Serengeti, and a mid-range lodge near Karatu. The luxury version uses smaller camps and a lodge or camp on the crater rim. It's also the version where the flight option makes the most sense, since it buys back time you'd otherwise spend on the road. ## When to go The central Serengeti has resident lions, leopards and cheetahs all year, so this route doesn't depend on the migration. Whether the herds are anywhere near Seronera depends on the month and on the rains. In many years they pass through central areas on their way west and again on their way south late in the year, but that's a bonus, not a plan. See [the Great Migration month by month](/travel-guide/great-migration-month-by-month). Tarangire is strongest from June to October. The long rains, roughly April and May, make the unsealed roads slower and the long days longer. ## Day by day ### Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire Pick-up is at your Arusha hotel in the morning. The drive west takes about 2 to 3 hours, and by lunchtime you're inside Tarangire National Park. This first afternoon sets the tone: open woodland, baobabs, and family herds of elephants moving between the trees towards the river. Giraffe and impala are common, and lions and leopards live here too, though leopards take more finding. Ask your guide to stop at the river viewpoints, where you can watch herds come down to drink. You spend the night near the park, rested for the long day ahead. - Meals: Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 2 h 30 min ### Day 2: Tarangire to the central Serengeti This is the long one. You leave after an early breakfast and drive back through Mto wa Mbu, up to the Ngorongoro highlands and along the crater rim road, with a stop at a viewpoint looking down into the crater. Beyond the rim the road drops onto the open plains. At Naabi Hill Gate your guide sorts the permits and you stop for a picnic lunch. The last stretch to Seronera is a game drive in its own right: gazelles, hyenas, perhaps a cheetah on the short grass. Expect about 6 to 8 hours in the vehicle in all, reaching camp in the late afternoon. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 7 h 30 min ### Day 3: Serengeti to the Ngorongoro highlands Make the most of your one Serengeti morning with an early game drive around Seronera, when lions and leopards are at their most active. The Seronera River valley is the best-known area in the park for leopards, which rest in the sausage trees and acacias along the water. Late in the morning you start back east across the plains. If there's time, your guide can stop at Olduvai Gorge, where fossils of early human ancestors were found, and its small museum. With stops, the drive to the highlands takes about 5 to 6 hours. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Driving: about 5 h 30 min ### Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater and back to Arusha Today starts early and cold, with a short drive to the crater rim and the descent road. Below you, the crater floor holds open grassland, a soda lake and patches of fever-tree forest. Buffalo and wildebeest graze alongside the lions and hyenas that hunt them. Black rhino live here in small numbers. They're hard to spot. With luck and sharp eyes you might pick one out, grey against the grass. After a picnic lunch you climb out and drive back to Arusha, about 3 to 4 hours from the rim, arriving in the evening. - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch - Driving: about 4 h ## Included - Private safari vehicle with pop-up roof and driver-guide - Park and conservation fees for the itinerary - Accommodation as listed in the itinerary - Meals as listed in the itinerary - Drinking water in the vehicle - Airport transfers at the start and end of the safari ## Not included - International flights - Visas - Travel insurance - Tips for your guide and camp or lodge staff - Drinks unless stated - Optional light-aircraft flight to the Serengeti - Optional activities such as a visit to Olduvai Gorge museum - Your hotel night in Arusha before day 1 ## Questions ### Should we fly or drive to the Serengeti on a 4-day safari? Driving is the standard version and shows you the highlands and the plains on the way, but day 2 is about 6 to 8 hours on the road. Flying to a central Serengeti airstrip turns that into a short flight and an afternoon game drive. It costs more and depends on scheduled flights and luggage limits, so it's worth asking about when you first enquire. ### How much time do we actually get in the Serengeti? One afternoon and one morning, with a night in between. The afternoon game drive into Seronera and the early drive on day 3 are often productive, because big cats are most active at the start and end of the day. If the Serengeti is the main reason you're going, a second night makes a real difference; the 5-day classic safari adds it. ### Will we see the Great Migration on this trip? Possibly, but don't count on it. The herds move with the rains and spend much of the year far to the south, west or north of Seronera, beyond the reach of a one-night stay. In some months they pass through the central Serengeti. If the migration is the priority, the 7-day Great Migration safari is built around their expected position for your month. --- Source: https://untamedsafariexperience.com/safaris/4-day-northern-circuit-safari Last updated: 2026-10-25 Plan a journey: https://untamedsafariexperience.com/plan-your-safari