Wildlife
Classic Northern Circuit & Sunrise Ballooning
The full northern circuit by road, with a dawn balloon flight over the central Serengeti and a bush breakfast laid out where you land. Tarangire’s elephant herds, Manyara’s forest, the plains, and the crater floor.
About this journey
The whole northern circuit by road over seven days, with a dawn balloon flight over the central Serengeti and a breakfast laid out wherever the basket comes down. Four parks, no internal flights, one guide throughout.
Best months. June to October for dry ground. January and February put you on the calving plains; March to May is green, cheap and wet.
Pace. Gentle. Long seated days, one early start for the balloon.
Who this journey suits
You want the famous four parks and you are not in a hurry between them.
The balloon is the thing you have been promising yourself.
You would rather drive and see the country change than fly over it.
A week is what you have, and you want it full rather than relaxed.
Highlights
- A dawn balloon flight over the central Serengeti, landing to a bush breakfast
- Tarangire’s elephant herds along the river at the end of the dry season
- Lake Manyara’s groundwater forest, which looks nothing like the rest of it
- A full day on the Ngorongoro crater floor by permit
- Two nights in the Serengeti rather than one, so the balloon has a spare morning
Route
| Stop | Nights | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Arusha | 1 night | Arrive and start fresh rather than driving tired. |
| Tarangire | 1 night | Baobabs and the river. |
| Lake Manyara | 1 night | Forest, escarpment and birds. |
| Serengeti | 2 nights | The plains, and the balloon. |
| Ngorongoro | 1 night | Rim camp, floor on the last full day. |
How the journey flows
Every point below is a real place at its real coordinates. The coastline is simplified — this is a route diagram, not a survey map.
- Private 4×4
Boundaries and protected areas are OpenStreetMap data, stored with this site. The dashed line is the order of the route, not the road taken.
In order
- Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Arrive
- ArushaPrivate 4×4
- TarangirePrivate 4×4
- Lake ManyaraPrivate 4×4
- SerengetiPrivate 4×4
- Ngorongoro CraterPrivate 4×4
- Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Private 4×4
Day by day
A starting point. Every day here can be moved, shortened or removed — open one to read what it holds.
-
Day1 Arrive at Kilimanjaro WhereArusha OvernightLodge near the airport Meals D
Met at the aircraft, about 45 minutes to Arusha. We walk through the week, confirm the balloon date and its weight declaration, and leave you to sleep.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day2 South to Tarangire WhereTarangire OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Two hours on tar, then park track. The afternoon is along the river, where in the dry months the elephants dig for water in the sand.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day3 West to Lake Manyara WhereLake Manyara OvernightEscarpment lodge Meals BLD
A morning drive in Tarangire, then about two hours west. Manyara’s groundwater forest is dense and green and full of baboon; the lake beyond it is whatever size the season has made it.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day4 Up and over into the Serengeti WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
A long day: up the escarpment, across the Ngorongoro highlands, past Olduvai and down onto the plains. Five to seven hours with stops, and the single longest drive of the week. The country changes four times.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day5 Balloon at dawn, Serengeti all day WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Collected in the dark, airborne at first light for about an hour, then breakfast on the ground where you land. Back to camp by mid-morning and out again at four. If the weather cancels the flight, tomorrow is the spare.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day6 To the crater rim WhereNgorongoro OvernightRim lodge Meals BLD
A game drive out of the park and up to the rim, three to four hours. The rim sits at about 2,300 m and is cold after dark.
Where you would sleep this night
Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
-
Day7 The crater floor, then home WhereNgorongoro → Kilimanjaro Overnight— Meals BL
Down at first light, before the vehicles bunch at the descent road. Up by early afternoon and about four hours to the airport.
The places this journey goes
One photograph for each place on the route, in the order you reach them.
These are licensed photographs of the places themselves, credited on our photography credits page. They are not photographs of a Montero departure, vehicle or camp — we have not run this journey yet, and a gallery that implied otherwise would be worth nothing to you.
Where you would stay
Open any of these for rooms, power hours, hot water, Wi-Fi and the honest access position.
What it costs
Price on request — quoted on your dates, party size and camp standard. No price on this site has been approved, and nothing here is a quotation.
No price is published for this journey. It is quoted on your dates, the size of your party, how much of it you fly, and the standard of camp — and those four move the figure by a very large margin. Rather than print a range nobody has stood behind, we will build you a written, itemised quotation. It is free, and it is not a booking.
All quotations are per person sharing, in US dollars, and exclude international flights. A single traveller pays more and a larger group pays less per head. See what it costs for where the money actually goes.
What moves the price: season, how many of you there are, whether you fly or drive the long sectors, and the standard of camp. A single traveller pays more; we will say how much before you ask twice.
Access and comfort
Each line is either confirmed by our own measurement or it is not. “On request” means we will plan and cost it and nobody has measured it yet.
| Provision | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist-fitted vehicle | On request | On request and quoted separately. Not measured by us. |
| Balloon basket | Not offered | Boarding is a climb over a compartment wall, usually around a metre, and the landing can tip. Operators set their own mobility conditions and we will put you in touch rather than guess. |
| Step-free rooms | On request | Available at several properties on this route; none confirmed by us. |
| Crater floor toilets | Partial | Two points with grab rails. Neither is roll-in. |
| Day 4 | Partial | Five to seven hours in a vehicle. We can split it over an extra night and would suggest it. |
We do not ask for a diagnosis — only for what you need. How we plan accessible journeys.
The detail
What is covered, what it involves on the ground, and the changes people most often ask for. Open whichever you need.
What is included, and what is not
Included
Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional English-speaking driver-guide, for your party alone
Accommodation as described, on a full-board basis
All park, conservation and concession fees
Airport and airstrip transfers, met at the aircraft rather than at the kerb
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
24-hour local support while you are in the country
The balloon flight and bush breakfast, weather permitting, with one spare morning
Ngorongoro Crater descent permit
The same driver-guide for all seven days
Not included
A second balloon attempt if both mornings are weathered off
International flights, visas and travel insurance
Tips, premium drinks and personal expenses
Optional activities such as a balloon flight, unless listed above
Emergency medical evacuation cover — strongly recommended, and not something we currently provide
Practical detail
| The balloon | Weather-dependent and cancelled fairly often. Operators weigh every passenger and have upper and lower weight limits. Book it at the same time as the trip, not on arrival. |
|---|---|
| Longest drive | Day 4, five to seven hours. It is the price of not flying. |
| Altitude | Ngorongoro rim about 2,300 m for one night. |
| Child policy | Balloon operators set a minimum age and a minimum height. |
| Price | Not set. This journey is quoted on your dates, party size and camp standard. |
Ways to personalise this journey
The changes people actually ask for, with what each one does to the shape of the trip. Prices for these are quoted in your proposal, not here.
This itinerary is a draft. It is written to real logistics but has not yet been checked by a guide who works this circuit, and no price here has been approved. Treat every figure as indicative until we confirm it in writing.
Questions about this journey
Is the balloon worth it?
For most people, once, yes. It is an hour, it is expensive, and the thing it gives you that a vehicle cannot is scale — you see how far the plains actually go. If you are nervous about heights it is gentler than it sounds; the basket barely moves.
What if the balloon is cancelled?
There is a spare morning built in. If both are weathered off the flight is refunded by the operator, and we will have told you the terms before you paid.
Can we do this in five days instead?
Not by road, not honestly. Drop Manyara and you have six; drop the Serengeti and you have lost the point. If five days is firm, fly it.
If this one is not quite it
Journeys that share a region or a style with this one, and the background reading for the places on the route.
Tell us what you have in mind.
One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.
Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.