7-Day Great Migration Safari

Overview

1. Day 1 Arrival in Arusha – Welcome to Tanzania Stay Kibo Palace Hotel – ArushaMeals Dinner

   Your Tanzania Tourism Safaris driver-guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport. After a short briefing, you drive to your hotel in Arusha. On a clear day you may see Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro on the skyline as you go. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and rest before the safari.

2. Day 2 Arusha – Tarangire National Park Stay Marera Valley Lodge – KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch (picnic), Dinner

   After breakfast you leave for Tarangire National Park, known for its huge baobab trees and big elephant herds. The Tarangire River, which gives the park its name, pulls in animals all year, and most of all in the dry season. You spend the full day on game drives, looking for giraffes, zebras, oryx, kudu and plenty of birds.

3. Day 3 Karatu – Serengeti National Park Stay Acacia Central Camp – SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Today you head deep into the Serengeti. You pass Ngorongoro Crater on the way and stop at the rim for photos of the view. The road to the Central Serengeti climbs over green highlands and then drops onto the open plains. Once inside the park, you start game drives in the well-known Seronera Valley. Lions, leopards, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes live here, and herds of wildebeest and zebra move through.

4. Day 4 Central Serengeti – Northern Serengeti (Mara River Region) Stay Serengeti Acacia Migration Camp – Northern SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After breakfast you drive to the Northern Serengeti, where the Great Migration spends part of each year. On the way, the land changes and the herds of grazing animals get bigger. The main event here is the Mara River crossings, when wildebeest jump into water full of crocodiles. Today’s game drives follow the herds and the predators that hunt them.

5. Day 5 Full Day in Northern Serengeti Stay Serengeti Acacia Migration Camp – Northern SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   A full day of game drives in one of the quietest parts of the Serengeti, and one of the richest for wildlife. Around Lobo and along the Grumeti River you can find animals that live here all year: elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and cheetahs. If you like birds, look for fish eagles, kingfishers and herons by the rivers.

   Optional: Take a sunrise hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti (extra cost). Seeing the plains from above is something guests often talk about for years.

6. Day 6 Northern Serengeti – Karatu (via Central Serengeti & Ngorongoro Highlands) Stay Marera Valley Lodge – KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   You start with a game drive at sunrise, then come back to camp for breakfast and pick up lunch boxes. The drive takes you south through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Highlands, where green farms replace the dry grass plains. You reach Karatu by late afternoon and have a quiet evening.

7. Day 7 Ngorongoro Crater – Return to Arusha / Departure Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   After an early breakfast you drive down into the Ngorongoro Crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has one of the highest numbers of animals anywhere, including all of the Big Five. Look for black rhinos, lions, elephants and the flamingos on the soda lakes. After a picnic lunch on the crater floor, you drive back up and on to Arusha, or straight to the airport for your flight home.