Main attractions: Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro
Best for: Big Five, mountains, lakes
Access: Kilimanjaro International Airport; Arusha (domestic flights)
With its parks all within easy reach of Arusha, the Northern Circuit provides a popular introduction to safari. This circuit can become extremely busy at peak times, but careful planning can easily enable you to visit without the crowds.
John Addison of Wild Frontiers suggests travelling in an anti-clockwise direction: “Most people do the Northern Circuit clockwise. Doing