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Places of Africa Safaris

PAS-01 · Tanzania

The Classic Safari

Eight days, four parks, one guide — the northern circuit done properly.

See the packages
Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Tarangire
Game drive
Serengeti
5–12Duration days
4Packages same route
6Group max per vehicle
$1,690From per person

What a Classic Safari is

The northern circuit in a private vehicle, with one guide from arrival to departure. Not a fixed departure, not a coach tour — the itinerary the whole Tanzanian industry is built around, run properly.

What makes it classic rather than budget is the pace and the vehicle. You are not sharing a nine-seater with strangers, you are not being moved between parks at somebody else's speed, and you are not doing four parks in four nights. Every seat is a window seat, the roof opens, and the day starts when the light is right rather than when the group is ready.

Everything else we sell is a variation on this route. The luxury tier changes the beds. The private tier changes the exclusivity. The migration tier changes the timing. The road is the same road — which is why this is the one to take first.

Classic Safari

Why the Classic

Four things a cheaper trip cannot give you

Four things separate it from the cheaper trips visiting the same four parks.

The vehicle is yours
01

The vehicle is yours

Max six guests in a private Land Cruiser. Shared safaris put nine strangers in a nine-seater and somebody is always in the middle.

One guide, not four drivers
02

One guide, not four drivers

The same licensed guide throughout. Cheaper operators hand you to a new driver at each park gate. By day three ours knows what you photograph.

Two nights minimum, everywhere
03

Two nights minimum, everywhere

Never more than one park per two nights. A one-night stop means arriving at dusk, one drive, and leaving after breakfast — you see the road, not the park.

The route does not change with the price
04

The route does not change with the price

Upgrade from tented camp to crater-rim lodge and you travel exactly the same circuit with the same guide. You are choosing a bed, not a lesser safari.

Serengeti
Ngorongoro
Tarangire
Game drive
Safari

Four lengths, one route

Discover our Classic Safari packages

The Short Classic
ArushaTarangireNgorongoroCentral SerengetiArusha
THE SHORT CLASSIC

The Short Classic5 days / 4 nights · PAS-01A

ArushaTanzania
SerengetiTanzania
4 Nights
SAFARI FARE
  • Private 4x4 and guide throughout
  • All park and crater fees
  • Full board from day 1 dinner
  • Road return — no internal flight

Per guest, from:

$1,690

$422 per night

Details
The Classic
ArushaTarangireManyaraNgorongoroSerengeti × 3fly Arusha
A SAFARI OF A LIFETIME

The Classic8 days / 7 nights · PAS-01B

ArushaTanzania
SerengetiTanzania
7 Nights
EARLY BOOKING
  • Two full days in the Serengeti
  • Crater descent with six hours on the floor
  • Olduvai Gorge en route
  • Returns by light aircraft, not road

Per guest, from:

$2,850 $3,200

$407 per night

Details
The Classic, Unhurried
ArushaTarangire × 2ManyaraNgorongoro × 2Serengeti × 4fly Arusha
UNHURRIED

The Classic, Unhurried10 days / 9 nights · PAS-01C

ArushaTanzania
SerengetiTanzania
9 Nights
BALLOON INCLUDED
  • Two nights in every park — no single-night stops
  • Northern Serengeti in crossing season
  • A full rest day mid-trip
  • Balloon flight included

Per guest, from:

$3,690 $4,050

$410 per night

Details
Classic & Zanzibar
ArushaTarangireNgorongoroSerengeti × 3fly Zanzibar × 4
BUSH & BEACH

Classic & Zanzibar12 days / 11 nights · PAS-01D

ArushaTanzania
ZanzibarTanzania
11 Nights
SAFARI FARE
  • The full 8-day classic route
  • Direct Serengeti–Zanzibar flight
  • Four nights on the north coast
  • Stone Town guided afternoon

Per guest, from:

$4,180

$380 per night

Details

Arusha → Tarangire → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Arusha · approx. 1,150 km by road

The route, in four passages

Arushastart Tarangire2 nights Manyaraen route Ngorongoro2 nights Serengeti3 nights Arushafly out

Baobabs and the first big herds

Days 1–2 · 2 nights

Met at Kilimanjaro International and briefed in Arusha, then two hours south-west onto the Maasai steppe. In the dry months every elephant for miles is on the Tarangire River — herds of several hundred are ordinary here, not lucky.

Baobabs and the first big herds

Four tiers, identical route

Where you’ll stay

Four tiers, one route. Same guide, same vehicle — only the bed and the price move.

Essential
Essential

Public campsites & simple tented camps

Dome or walk-in tents, shared or basic en-suite, all meals cooked by your crew. Closest to the sound of the bush.

$250–320 pp / day
Classic
Classic

Serena, Sopa, Tarangire Safari Lodge

Permanent rooms or canvas on timber decks, en-suite, pool, full board. The tier most guests book.

$340–450 pp / day
Luxury
Luxury

Small tented camps & Manor-style lodges

Twelve tents or fewer, private veranda, excellent guiding, often inside the park boundary.

$700–1,100 pp / day
Ultra Luxury
Ultra Luxury

Crater-rim suites & private houses

Butler service, crater-edge position, private descent vehicle, or a whole house on sole use.

$1,400–2,400 pp / day

We name the exact property in your quote rather than a tier label — and if a camp we have proposed is full for your dates, we tell you before you pay, not after.

30%  CONSERVATION FEES

Tanzania is more expensive than its neighbours and almost nobody explains why. Roughly a third of your safari price is fixed government fees — park entry, conservation levies and the crater descent — collected by TANAPA and the Ngorongoro authority before a single operator is paid. We publish the split because it is the fastest way to show you what a suspiciously cheap quote has had to cut.

Park & conservation fees  30%Accommodation & meals  34%Guide & vehicle  18%Transfers & flights  9%Operations & our fee  9%

Honest fit

Who it’s for

We would rather send you to the right itinerary than sell you this one.

  • First-time safari
  • Couples
  • Families with children 6+
  • Photographers
  • Honeymooners
  • Families with under-6s
  • Returning to Tanzania
  • Under $200 pp / day

Choose the Classic if

  • It is your first safari and you want the parks Tanzania is known for
  • You would rather have two full days in the Serengeti than six parks in six nights
  • You want a private vehicle without paying private-guide rates
  • You are travelling as a couple, a family or a group of up to six
  • You want the option to upgrade the beds without changing the route

Choose something else if

  • You have done the northern circuit before — take Ruaha or Nyerere instead
  • You want river crossings specifically — that is the Migration Safari, and it is date-driven
  • Your budget is under USD 200 per person per day — our joining safaris are the honest answer
  • You want walking and night drives as the main activity — the southern circuit permits far more
  • You have only four or five days — this route does not compress well

All seven, side by side

How it compares

Rates are indicative, per person per day sharing, and include park fees. Every one of these is a real page — read the one that fits you rather than the one we happen to be showing.

Safari type
Length
Where
Vehicle
Per person, per day
Best for
Classic Safari you are here
7–9 days
Northern circuit
Max 6 / vehicle
$250–450
First safari, best value
8–12 days
Northern + fly-in
Max 4 / vehicle
$700–1,500
Comfort and small camps
7–10 days
Serengeti, seasonal
Max 6 / vehicle
$400–1,200
Herds and river crossings
10–14 days
Circuit + Zanzibar
Max 6 / vehicle
$350–900
Safari then the Indian Ocean
Any length
Anywhere
Your party only
$600–2,000
Total control of the day
8–10 days
Circuit + beach
Private vehicle
$400–1,100
Travelling with children
5–8 days
Northern circuit
Up to 7 shared
$180–260
Lowest cost, fixed dates

Private · any date on request

Upcoming departures

15 Jun 2027
Dry season opens · green plains
from $2,850
Open
06 Jul 2027
Migration entering the west
from $3,100
3 places
17 Aug 2027
Mara crossings likely
from $3,400
2 places
21 Sep 2027
Peak dry · best visibility
from $3,250
Open
09 Feb 2028
Calving season, southern plains
from $2,950
Open
04 Apr 2028
Green season · lowest rates
from $2,400
On request

Good to know

Your questions, answered

Why eight days rather than five?+
Five days on the northern circuit means one night per park and most of your time in transit. Eight gives two full days in the Serengeti and a proper day in the crater, which is where the difference in a safari actually shows. It is the shortest itinerary we are comfortable calling classic.
What is included in the price?+
All accommodation, all meals on safari, a private 4x4 with a pop-up roof, a professional guide throughout, all park and crater fees, drinking water, and airport transfers. Excluded: international flights, visas, travel insurance, premium drinks, the optional balloon flight, and gratuities.
Is the vehicle private?+
Yes. The classic itinerary runs with a private vehicle and a maximum of six guests, so everyone has a window seat and the day runs to your pace rather than a group's. If you would rather share to reduce cost, our joining safaris run the same route on fixed dates.
How much driving is there?+
Roughly 1,150 km over eight days, with the longest single leg about four hours between Ngorongoro and the central Serengeti. Day eight returns by light aircraft rather than road, which removes the worst drive of the trip. Roads inside the parks are rough; the tarmac between them is good.
When is the best month to go?+
June to October is the reliable dry season and the busiest. February is exceptional for the calving season on the southern plains. April and May are wet, quiet and much cheaper, but some roads become difficult. We will tell you where the herds are expected to be for any date you give us.
Can we add Zanzibar?+
Yes — it is the most common extension by a wide margin. Add four or five nights and fly directly from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, usually via a brief stop in Arusha. That combination becomes our Bush & Beach itinerary.
What if we want more comfort?+
The same route runs at four accommodation tiers, from honest tented camps to the crater-rim lodges. The itinerary does not change; the beds and the price do. The ledger above shows how the classic compares to our luxury and private options.
Do you take children on this itinerary?+
Yes, from age six in practice — the Serengeti sets a minimum of five for game drives and most camps we use on this route set six. With younger children we would build a shorter version with a private vehicle and more pool time. See our family safaris.

Take the classic route, at your pace.

Give us your dates and we will build this route around them, and tell you what it costs at each tier.

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Plan Your Safari

Design Your Classic Safari

Tell us your dream — we'll craft it into reality, step by step.

1Safari Type
2Destinations
3Dates & Group
4Budget
5Contact

What kind of safari are you dreaming of?

Which destinations excite you most?

Select all that apply — we'll build a perfect circuit.

When are you planning to travel?

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What is your approximate budget?

Per person, excluding international flights. This helps us match the right camps.

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