Detailed 8-Day Migration Safari Itinerary
Experience the ultimate Great Migration safari with strategic positioning for river crossings and maximum wildlife encounters
Day 1: Tarangire National Park
Your safari will begin by 8AM in the morning with a pick up from your hotel at Moshi or Arusha. With everyone aboard, you will head towards Tarangire National Park. The 150km drive from Arusha will be covered in about 3 hours.
The national park is extremely famous and special for its diverse landscape and nine different vegetation zones. As you begin your game drive, you will be welcomed by the ancient and gigantic Baobab trees, which make even animals like the giraffe look tiny.
The game drive goes on till about late afternoon and includes a small stop for a picnic lunch. The 3,000 Square kilometers park gets its name from the Tarangire River that flows through it. The river attracts a lot of diverse animals and you should be able to spot a lot of elephants, giraffe, lions, antelopes and zebra.
Day 2: Tarangire – Serengeti National Park
The excitement for today will be quite high as you make your way into the most celebrated wildlife park in the world – The Serengeti. After finishing up a good breakfast, you will head out towards the Serengeti National Park and travel in the midst of the never ending plain grasslands.
The Serengeti, means endless plains in the local African language and watching the grassland stretch out as far as the eye can see and eventually merging with the sky at the horizon is an absolutely breathtaking view. With an overall land area of 14,763 Square kilometers, it puts our notion about distance to shame.
The Serengeti also houses the glorious "Big 5" (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard). Along with the "Big 5", a very pleasant sighting would be one of Africa's most beautiful animal – The Impala. The Serengeti ecosystem supports the greatest remaining concentration of plains game in Africa.
The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti – known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park.
Day 3: Serengeti National Park (Central Serengeti to North Serengeti)
Starting by 8AM after a filling breakfast, you will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today and move towards the northern part of the park. The enroute game drive towards the Kogatende region will offer mild action from resident game.
As you approach the northern part of the Serengeti, you will notice the terrain change from the usual plain grassland to a more hilly and broken terrain. The northern region offers a variety of resident game such zebras, topi, gazelle, buffaloes, leopards and lions.
A picnic lunch will be done during the day long drive itself. Based on the time of your arrival you will able to spend a few hours by the Mara River. The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night's rest in your accommodation.
Day 4: North Serengeti National Park
As usual, you will finish a good breakfast and begin your day by 8AM. In the months between mid-June to September the migration can be found in this region. From mid-June to September, the Mara River in this region offers the most dramatic river crossing of the great migration.
Fierce, deep and heavily rain fed the river takes an enormous toll on the migrating wildebeest. Watching the wildebeest surging through the torrential flow, some drowning and a few falling prey to lurking crocodiles is an unforgettable sight. If it's your lucky day you will be able to witness this natural wonder and watch nature take its course.
Tracing the great migration you might even move towards the Lobo valley. The pristine lobo valley is scattered with woodlands, plains, hills and famous granite Kopjes. It offers enormous amount of big cat game with lions, leopards and cheetah in plenty.
During the dry season the permanent water sources in the valley attract plenty of resident and migratory animals, resulting in excellent game viewing.
Day 5: North Serengeti National Park
Another full day dedicated to witnessing the Great Migration in the northern Serengeti. Starting early at 8AM after breakfast, you'll spend the entire day tracking the massive herds and positioning yourself for optimal viewing of river crossings.
This day allows you to fully immerse yourself in the migration experience. The wildebeest herds can number in the hundreds of thousands, and their movement is a constant drama of survival. Predators follow the herds, creating an intense atmosphere of life and death.
You might witness multiple crossing attempts at different points along the Mara River. Sometimes the herds gather for hours before making their move, building tension that eventually explodes into chaos as thousands of animals surge into the crocodile-infested waters.
The Lobo valley continues to offer spectacular big cat sightings, and the granite kopjes provide perfect vantage points for photography and wildlife observation.
Day 6: Central Serengeti National Park (North Serengeti to Central Serengeti)
Starting your day at the routine time of 8AM after a heavy breakfast, today you will head south towards the central Serengeti. The four hours' drive to the Centre of Serengeti will offer mild enroute game.
The drive south from the Mara river valley takes you through hill country, the Lobo area, woodlands and then back into the Seronera terrain. The central portion of the Serengeti – known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park.
It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti's species. As you make your way into the Seronera region, you will begin to notice the hilly and broken terrain altering into plain grasslands.
In Seronera one must really look out for the many lion prides that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion prides provide an excellent game viewing experience all year round. A picnic lunch will be done during the day long drive itself.
Day 7: Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro
Today your safari will begin by 9AM in the morning and you will head out for a short game drive in the Serengeti after a good breakfast. After completing a half day game drive along with a picnic lunch, we will branch out and head towards the Ngorongoro crater rim.
The 75 km drive to Ngorongoro Crater rim will take about 2.5 hours, with mild game action to see on the way. The crater is one of Africa's impressive geological attraction and supreme mecca of wilderness.
As you approach the crater rim, you'll be amazed by the stunning views overlooking this massive volcanic caldera. The rim sits at over 2,000 feet above the crater floor, providing spectacular panoramic vistas of what lies beneath.
The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good rest in your choice of accommodation. Get a good rest and refuel yourself, for the following day you will descend into the massive crater.
Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater tour
On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descend at around 6:30AM into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro crater is the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera.
It has a massive floor of about 260 square kilometers with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive in the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended.
The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, Hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater.
This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4hr drive left to Arusha. You will be dropped off to your preferred location in Arusha or Moshi by 6PM in the evening. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you bid goodbye to your team.
