A lone wildebeest stands in the vast open savanna under a warm afternoon light.

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Camping the Northern Circuit: Six Days on a Budget

Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro on public campsites and a shared 4x4: the northern circuit's core route, priced for budget travellers.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration6 Days / 5 Nights

Group size2 – 7 travellers

Best monthsMarch – May and November for lower rates and thinner crowds; June – October for the driest camping conditions

From$1,390 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

You do not need a luxury lodge to see the northern circuit’s headline parks properly. This trip runs the same core route (Tarangire’s elephants, the Serengeti’s plains, Ngorongoro’s crater floor), on public campsites and a shared safari vehicle, with the savings going into your pocket rather than someone else’s thread count.

Expect dust, early starts, and a cook who works harder than anyone else on the trip. What you get in return is the same wildlife the $10,000-a-night camps are selling, seen from the same roads.

Park fees and rules on the Tanzanian mainland are set by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA).

Highlights

Tarangire elephant herds and baobab landscapes
Two nights inside the Serengeti on public campsites
Full crater-floor descent at Ngorongoro
Shared 4x4 with pop-up roof and a dedicated camp cook
Optional Olduvai Gorge stop
Substantial savings over lodge-based itineraries covering the same parks

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1

Arusha to Tarangire

Day 2

Tarangire to Serengeti

Day 3

Full day, Serengeti

Day 4

Serengeti to Ngorongoro

Day 5

Ngorongoro crater floor

Day 6

Return to Arusha

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha to Tarangire

A two-hour drive to Tarangire, where camp is set up on a public site inside or near the park boundary before an afternoon game drive among the baobabs and elephant herds.

Day 2: Tarangire to the Serengeti

A morning game drive, then the long push west through the Ngorongoro highlands, with a viewpoint stop at the crater rim, arriving in central Serengeti in time for a late-afternoon drive.

Day 3: Full Day in the Serengeti

A full day tracking predators and the resident herds around Seronera, with lunch eaten at a designated picnic site inside the park: a straightforward but effective way to see the same wildlife the fly-in camps advertise.

Day 4: Serengeti to Ngorongoro

A final Serengeti game drive on the way out, an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge, and arrival at a campsite near the crater rim by late afternoon.

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater Floor

An early descent onto the crater floor for a full day among the Big Five, including a fair chance of black rhino, with a picnic lunch by the hippo pool before the climb back up and the return to camp.

Day 6: Return to Arusha

A relatively short final drive back to Arusha, arriving with time to spare before onward flights.

From

$1,390

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

All park entrance and conservation fees
Budget camping equipment and public campsite fees
4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
Professional English-speaking guide and camp cook
All meals as listed
Drinking water during safari
Airport transfers

Not included

International flights
Travel insurance
Tips for guide and cook
Alcoholic beverages and sodas
Optional activities such as a Maasai village visit or balloon safari

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Before You Book

What are the campsites actually like?

Public campsites with shared toilet and shower blocks, sometimes basic, occasionally shared with other groups: not private, but functional and correctly located for early park access.

Do we set up our own tents?

No: the crew handles tents, cooking and camp logistics; your job is showing up for meals and game drives.

Is this trip physically demanding?

Not technically, but early starts, dust and long driving days add up: a reasonable tolerance for basic conditions matters more than fitness.

How does the wildlife compare with the luxury version of this route?

Identical: you are in the same parks, often on the same tracks, at the same times of day. The difference is entirely in where you sleep and eat.

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Where This Trip Goes

Lake Manyara National Park

Tanzania · National Park

A narrow park between the Rift Valley escarpment and a soda lake, known for tree-climbing lions and strong flamingo numbers.

Nyerere National Park

Tanzania · National Park

Carved from the old Selous Game Reserve, one of Africa's largest national parks, with boat safaris on the Rufiji River and walking safaris rarely offered further…

Arusha National Park

Tanzania · National Park

A small, lion-free park at Arusha's edge, built around Ngurdoto Crater, the flamingo-dotted Momella Lakes and Mount Meru, Tanzania's second-highest peak.

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Camping the Northern Circuit: Six Days on a Budget