The Great Migration Safari

Mid-Range to Luxury · 8 days

The Great Migration Safari

Arusha → Central & Northern Serengeti → Ngorongoro June – October (river crossings), December – March (calving)

8 DAYS

7 nights

MID-RANGE TO LUXURY

Travel style

JUNE – OCTOBER

Best season

PRIVATE

Your own vehicle

The journey

This is Tanzania at its most cinematic. The Great Migration is the largest movement of land animals on Earth — an ancient circuit of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle chased by lions, cheetahs and crocodiles across the Serengeti's endless plains. Our specialist guides track the herds week by week, positioning you exactly where the action happens: dramatic Mara River crossings between July and October, or the tender calving season on the southern plains from December to March.

Between game drives you will sleep in carefully chosen safari lodges and tented camps that move with the seasons — intimate, elegant and never far from the roar of the wild. Evenings end around the campfire under a sky crowded with stars, while mornings begin with hot coffee and the distant whoop of hyenas. This is a safari that stays with you for the rest of your life, planned by people who were born beneath these same skies.

Safari highlights

  • Track the Great Migration herds with expert spotters
  • Witness dramatic Mara River crossings (Jul–Oct departures)
  • Two full days in the Central Serengeti big-cat country
  • Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a natural Eden
  • Sundowners on the endless plains at golden hour
  • Optional hot-air balloon safari at sunrise

Gallery

Day by day itinerary

DAY 1

Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha

Arrival in the Shadow of Kilimanjaro

Your guide welcomes you at Kilimanjaro International Airport with cool towels and cold drinks. Transfer to your lodge among the coffee farms outside Arusha, where the afternoon is yours to relax beside the gardens, listen to a full safari briefing and watch the sun set behind Mount Meru.

The Great Migration Safari day 1
Dinner Coffee farm lodge, Arusha
DAY 2

Arusha → Ngorongoro Highlands

Across the Great Rift Valley

Drive southwest through Maasai steppe country, stopping at a viewpoint over the Great Rift Valley. After lunch in the highlands, walk the rim of a coffee estate or simply settle into the cool mountain air before your first night in safari country.

The Great Migration Safari day 2
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Highland lodge, Karatu
DAY 3

Ngorongoro Crater

The Cradle of Life — Ngorongoro Crater

Descend 600 metres through morning cloud into the world's largest intact volcanic caldera. Rhinos graze among golden jackals, flamingos paint Lake Magadi pink and prides of lions doze on the short-grass plains. A picnic beside the hippo pool is one of Africa's great lunches.

The Great Migration Safari day 3
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Highland lodge, Karatu
DAY 4

Ngorongoro → Central Serengeti

Onto the Endless Plains

Ascend through the crater highlands and pass a Maasai village before the landscape opens into the Seronera Valley — the heart of the Serengeti. Your first afternoon drive delivers big cats: this valley holds one of the highest lion densities in Africa, plus resident leopards draped in sausage trees.

The Great Migration Safari day 4
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Tented camp, Central Serengeti
DAY 5

Central Serengeti

Big-Cat Country

A full day in the Seronera region with sunrise and afternoon drives. Follow cheetahs scanning the plains from termite mounds, visit the hippo pool at Retima and enjoy a bush breakfast in the middle of nowhere. Between drives, relax at camp while elephants often wander past the waterhole.

The Great Migration Safari day 5
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Tented camp, Central Serengeti
DAY 6

Central → Northern Serengeti

Following the Herds North

Game-drive your way north through the Western Corridor or the Lobo hills, depending on where the migration herds are moving. En route, pass the palm-lined Grumeti River country. Arrive at your northern camp in time for sundowners overlooking the Mara River basin.

The Great Migration Safari day 6
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Tented camp, Northern Serengeti
DAY 7

Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)

The River Crossings

The day you came for. Position with your guide at the Mara River as zebras and wildebeest gather in their thousands on the banks. When the crossing begins it is pure drama — thundering hooves, splashing water and crocodiles lying in wait. Full day in the northern plains with picnic lunch.

The Great Migration Safari day 7
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Tented camp, Northern Serengeti
DAY 8

Northern Serengeti → Arusha → Kilimanjaro Airport

One Last Sunrise, Then Farewell

Enjoy a final sunrise drive over the plains before your scenic light-aircraft flight back to Arusha, landing as Kilimanjaro's snows appear through the window. Day room, farewell lunch and evening transfer to the airport for your onward flight — with a heart full of Africa.

The Great Migration Safari day 8
Breakfast, Lunch Day room / flight home

What's included

  • All park and conservation area fees
  • 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • 7 nights safari lodge / tented camp accommodation
  • All meals on safari, bottled water daily
  • Airport transfers in Arusha
  • Flying Doctors medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights and visas
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Hot-air balloon safari (optional extra)
  • Gratuities for guide and camp staff
  • Items of a personal nature

Travel tips

  • 01 Book 6–12 months ahead for river-crossing season — camps sell out early.
  • 02 Neutral-coloured clothing keeps you comfortable and discreet on game drives.
  • 03 Mornings are cold on open vehicles; pack a fleece and beanie even in July.
  • 04 Bring binoculars — they transform distant sightings into unforgettable moments.

Packing list

  • Light layers in khaki, olive and sand tones
  • Warm fleece and windbreaker for early drives
  • Wide-brim hat, sunglasses and high-SPF sunscreen
  • Binoculars and camera with zoom lens
  • Sturdy closed shoes and sandals for camp
  • Power bank and UK-style (Type G) adapter

Route map

The Great Migration Safari — safari routeOpen in maps

Frequently asked

The Mara River crossings typically happen between July and October, when the herds move into the northern Serengeti. We time your itinerary to the latest herd movements reported by our guides on the ground.

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