Exploring northern Tanzania

The Serengeti covers 11,500 square miles, so it’s nearly 20 times bigger than Greater London. It has richly diverse habitats of forests, rivers, hills and those wonderful unending plains. Animals, especially big lion prides are everywhere. You could devote 10 days just to the Serengeti! However our advice is to go where the Great Migration happens to be and build your safari around that epic event. We track the migration and know the best camps in each part of the Serengeti. Three nights minimum!

The Ngorongoro Crater is 8,000 feet high, 10 miles across and 2,000 feet deep. Around 20,000 animals roam the 100 square mile crater floor. Everybody wants to experience it! We can make your safari as private as possible by selecting small exclusive accommodation on or very near the crater rim. We wake you early and get you down into the crater floor at the earliest opportunity in your private vehicle. Then when it gets busy we take you off to explore other amazing areas nearby.

This 3,700 mile long valley dotted with lakes is so dramatic it’s best appreciated from space. We can’t arrange that just yet, but gazing at it as you descend the eastern slope of Ngorongoro comes a good second best. Lake Manyara is serenely beautiful and the National Park is a haven for tree climbing lions and amazing birds. Nearby Tarangire is a realm of rich forests beside the winding Tarangire river. Between June and October 3,000 elephants migrate joining leopard, ostrich, giraffe and a host of other animals. We can arrange walking safaris on a private reserve adjoining Tarangire.

We have one super-fit family (including an Olympian) who did it in 3 days! But for normal mortals you need to allow a week. As ever, there’s a busy way and a private way. We use less frequented routes and provide a private guide and team of porters carrying everything from an entire camp to a few dozen eggs. If you have less time, try Mount Meru next door. At 15,000 feet it’s a challenge, it’s quieter and you can see wildlife on the lower slopes. It offers great views of Kilimanjaro. Ol Donyo Lengai is another spectacular hiking challenge. It’s a perfectly conical volcano in the Ngorongoro Highlands.