Visit Northern Tanzania, Tanzania

Northern Tanzania is home to some of East Africa’s most famous safari parks, such as the Serengeti - and within it - the famous Ngorongoro crater. Maasia culture is also strong in this area.

Serengeti National Park

• Add ToTravel Planner

Northern Tanzania is home to some of East Africa’s most famous parks.

The main parks in the north are the Serengeti Game Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park.

Serengeti Game Reserve

The Serengeti is notable for its million strong migratory herds of zebra and wildebeest. Ngorongoro has Africa’s densest lion and spotted hyena population as well as the rare, big tusked black rhino.

Lake Manyara has flocks of flamingos in the shallows and tree climbing lions in the surrounding vegetation whilst Tarangire is known for having dense elephant populations in the dry season.

These parks are very easy to combine and can be accessed either by light aircraft, or more commonly by driving on a guided safari.

Flamingos of Lake Natron

Trips tend to start in Arusha where international flights land and then head west taking in Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater before ending in the Serengeti. However, the north is not just home to the most famous parks, it also has a number of lesser known areas that are no less spectacular. Lake Natron, far from the beaten track is a breeding ground for lesser flamingos and has spectacular scenery with the wall of the Great Rift Valley running alongside it.

Maasai culture

West Kilimanjaro is an area of unparalleled beauty with vast plains home to both antelope and cattle. It is a Maasai stronghold and visiting here gives you an insight into traditional Maasai culture. Finally, it is possible to walk around the rim of the crater, stay on a coffee farm in the Ngorongoro highlands, take in the scenery at the foothills of Kilimanjaro or even climb to the top.

We recommend combining some of these lesser known areas with some of the famous parks for a unique safari.

Places within Northern Tanzania

Arusha

View place

• {8233189B-E4EE-42E0-AFC2-27FA832AAE4F}
• Arusha is not particularly attractive but has some good, small restaurants and some excellent curio shops. An everyday sight are the Maasai in their bold, red-coloured garments.
• -3.3658012145991
• 36.6742944717407

Karatu

View place

• {86A60EE6-851D-4D9F-83F4-B3BFEE6CC2BF}
• Karatu is a colourful bustling town and the gateway to the Ngorongoro Highlands. It's a fun place to visit to practice your bartering for souvenirs.
• -3.33846807172468
• 35.658016204834

Lake Natron

View place

• {4372098C-DB02-4136-BA54-551BEEBF5563}
• Lake Natron is also the only known breeding ground for East Africa's millions of lesser flamingos which cover the lake between August and October. The Maasai culture is also a fascinating aspect of the area.
• -2.34356473596632
• 36.0457348823547

Longido

View place

• {68B06B06-20F0-4145-B985-9214271A0B80}
• Longido sits in the remote north of Tanzania, just above Mount Meru and close to the Kenyan border. This part of Tanzania is the heart of Maasailand, and you'll often see the Maasai Morani.
• -2.7333333
• 36.6833333

Manyara National Park

View place

• {CA184964-99C7-4E10-B850-6F15F2F401F2}
• Lake Manyara is home to huge flocks of pelicans and flamingos. The park surrounding the lake has excellent game densities and is perhaps best known for its tree-climbing lions.
• -3.43871438843932
• 35.8058166503906

Mount Kilimanjaro

View place

• {C2009FDC-2FDC-4B12-BFDD-C691BF0BE01D}
• Standing at 5,895 metres tall, Kilimanjaro towers over the plains of Kenya and Tanzania. With knowledgeable guides it is possible to climb it over the course of several days.
• -3.06998116972551
• 37.3500180244446

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

View place

• {3FBD4974-AD57-41EE-B214-05E69305AE8E}
• Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and certainly one of the wonders of the world. Wildlife in the crater is prolific and photographic opportunities are superb.
• -3.20787551982138
• 35.463695526123

Ol Donyo Lengai

View place

• {883D951A-31B7-461C-8397-BFE273818970}
• North of the Ngorongoro Crater you will find the Maasai’s Mountain of God (Ol Donyo Lengai). It is a wild and fascinating area and we recommend a few nights here to gain an insight into Maasai culture.
• -2.76413445358194
• 35.9137916564941

Serengeti National Park

View place

• {C0A8D926-9221-4B3C-9419-DDEFDF5B3393}
• Subject of countless documentaries, the Serengeti is perhaps most famous for the Great Migration, which each year sees up to two million wildebeest cross the plains in search of good grazing.
• -2.41687593520522
• 34.6832370758057

Tarangire National Park

View place

• {837CA8D2-244E-48DB-93CB-A8CC48112028}
• Tarangire National Park offers the chance to see all the normal large African game, including particularly large elephant herds. Birdlife is also prolific in the park.
• -4.02955771421271
• 36.0024118423462

West Kilimanjaro

View place

• {6D98C0BD-612B-4911-A9CB-71778DB033EC}
• The land of West Kilimanjaro is leased from the local Maasai and is a true wilderness area with open plains, acacia woodland and above all, spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
• -2.94029794719966
• 37.1090698242187