tanzania: northern safari

That depends on your date, because the Serengeti camp is chosen by where the herds should be.

As planned for 2027, the two January departures spend all three nights at Ndutu in the south for the calving. The late February date has two nights there and one in the central Serengeti.

The July, August, September and October departures have one night in the central Serengeti and two in the north near the Mara River, where crossings happen mostly between late July and October.

Nobody can promise one: herds can mass on the bank for hours or days and then turn back. Two nights is a real chance, but shorter than the three or four nights often advised for anyone set on a crossing, so tell us if that is why you are travelling.

The March, June, November and December 2027 dates use the permanent central camp, where resident lion, leopard and cheetah are the draw and the herds usually pass through around June and again late in the year. The December 2026 date is the exception, with all three nights at Ndutu in the south.

Never more than seven guests, in one 4x4 Land Cruiser with a guide who stays with the group from Arusha to the end of the safari. The trip runs with as few as two.

The vehicle has a raised roof, enlarged windows and roof hatches that open all the way round, so even with seven on board everybody can stand up to a clear view. That matters most where you cannot move the vehicle for a better angle, such as a busy sighting on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, which is crowded all year.

One vehicle also means one set of decisions: the guide can stay an hour with a leopard or leave early for the crater without waiting for anybody else. The youngest age taken on these shared dates is 16, and children travel with an adult or guardian.

The route runs all year because the Serengeti camp changes with the herds, so it depends what you want to see.

Our ratings put the July, August, September and October dates top at every stop: Tarangire's elephants are gathered on the river, the crater grass is short and the Serengeti nights reach the Mara River area. They are also the busiest.

February is our other top month for the Serengeti and the crater, for the calving at Ndutu, though Tarangire is quiet then and the late February date runs into early March.

January, November and December are in-between months, with showers, green country and fewer vehicles, and the November and December dates carry the lower price. June is the start of the dry months, a little early for Tarangire.

The late March date falls in the long rains, which we rate as challenging in Tarangire, where the game spreads out and tracks can be heavy. In exchange the parks are at their emptiest, the dust is washed from the air and storm clouds give photographers dramatic skies.

Almost everything on the ground from the moment you land.

The price covers:

• The airport transfer and the first night at Rivertrees with breakfast
• The guide and vehicle throughout
• All game drives
• The Ngorongoro Crater visit
• The homestead visit and bush lunch above Lake Manyara
• Park, camp and concession fees
• Bottled water in the vehicle
• All meals on safari from the picnic lunch on day two

At the Serengeti camp, house wine, local beer and soft drinks are included too. Drinks at Tarangire and Karatu are not listed as included, so expect to settle those yourself. On the July, August, September and October departures the flight from the northern Serengeti back to Arusha is part of the price.

Not included: international flights, your visa, travel insurance, which is compulsory on these departures, tips, premium drinks, dinner on the first night and the optional balloon flight over the Serengeti.

By road in one 4x4, plus one flight on some dates.

Rivertrees is thirty to forty minutes from Kilimanjaro airport, and Tarangire is about two hours from Arusha. Tarangire to Karatu takes two to two and a half hours, broken by the bush lunch above Lake Manyara.

The fullest day is day five: a morning in the crater, then a gravel road on into the Serengeti, commonly put at three to four hours to the central area and sometimes longer. On the July, August, September and October dates there is a further move north, commonly put at four to five hours if driven straight and in practice a day's game drive.

From the north you fly back to Arusha, because the road is too long for one day. Light aircraft here typically limit luggage to 15 kilograms in soft bags, hand luggage included. From the central Serengeti or Ndutu the return is by road, six to eight hours with game viewing, or by an optional flight at extra cost.

A proper bed and your own bathroom, with canvas walls and no concrete anywhere.

The Serengeti tents are large and en suite, each with a flushing loo, a gravity-fed hot shower, a dressing area and a verandah screened against insects. Lighting is solar, and every site has a separate dining tent, a lounge tent, a small bar and a fire.

There is no pool and no air conditioning, and at night you hear the animals with nothing lit for miles. The standard is the same whichever of the seasonal sites your date uses.

The other stops are more solid: Tarangire is a permanent tented lodge with polished concrete floors and a pool, and Karatu is a cottage with a fireplace, which the cool highland evenings justify. Pack a warm layer for the early start at the Ngorongoro Crater, where the rim is cold at dawn all year and can touch freezing.