5 Day Northern Tanzania Wildlife Circuit: Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro and Manyara

Tanzania's northern safari circuit is one of the most diverse wildlife routes on the African continent, linking four entirely distinct ecosystems within a relatively small geographic area. This five day route has been designed to let you experience each one properly rather than rushing between viewpoints.

Tarangire National Park opens the journey, a park that surprises first-time visitors with its sheer density of elephants. Hundreds of these magnificent animals congregate along the Tarangire River during the drier months, and the park's resident lion population is one of the more reliable in northern Tanzania. Ancient baobabs punctuate the landscape like sculptures.

From Tarangire you head west into the Serengeti, the heart of the route. Two full days here allow you to explore different sections of the park and dramatically increase your chances of witnessing a predator encounter. The Seronera River valley is exceptional for leopards and the open plains around it are prime cheetah country. Wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move through in enormous numbers, keeping the big cats well fed and active.

The Ngorongoro Crater on day four is arguably the single most dramatic wildlife destination in East Africa. The sheer walls of the ancient caldera enclose a world unto itself: black rhinoceros, lion prides, enormous buffalo herds, elephants, hippos and the flamingo-streaked shores of Lake Magadi. A full morning on the crater floor rarely disappoints.

Lake Manyara National Park closes the circuit on day five with a very different mood. The park follows the western escarpment of the Rift Valley, its groundwater forest sheltering baboon troops, blue monkeys and the park's famous tree-climbing lions, which drape themselves in the branches of fever trees and figs. The alkaline lake itself draws pelicans, storks and vast numbers of flamingo. It is a serene and often underestimated finale to a remarkable journey.