10 Days of Great Migration in the Mara River

LAKE MANYARA, SERENGETI AND TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

Highlights

Embark on an unforgettable 10-day safari across Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destinations, experiencing the Great Migration, breathtaking landscapes, and diverse wildlife. This tour takes you through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti, ensuring prime game viewing opportunities, including Big Five encounters and dramatic river crossings in the Serengeti. Experience the Great Migration in the Serengeti – witness thousands of wildebeest and zebras crossing the Mara River. Explore the Ngorongoro Crater, a wildlife haven home to lions, rhinos, elephants, and more. Also, you will discover the beauty of Tarangire’s giant elephant herds and baobab-dotted landscapes as well as spotting tree-climbing lions and vibrant flamingos at Lake Manyara.

Day 1: Arrival – Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be met by your driver and transferred to the lodge in Arusha for dinner and overnight. Settle into your accommodation, ready to start your safari proper in the morning. If time permits, a complimentary town tour can be arranged.

Day 2: Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast, you drive to Manyara National Park for a nature walk at the edge of the lake. This is a great opportunity for you to learn about different plants with their medicinal uses, animal tracks, insects, and flowers and to see flamingos in Lake Manyara and other animals. It awakens your senses, as you become part of the wilderness. After a few hours, you hop into the safari vehicle and continue with a game drive. In this small, but beautiful park with a dense forest, you can spot lots of monkeys, giraffes, elephants, impalas, hippos, and flamingos, and if you are lucky, you may spot the rare tree-climbing lions. In the late afternoon, you drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Lake Manyara – Central Serengeti (Seronera)

Depart this morning for a game drive in the central part of the Serengeti. This part is famous for the abundance of lions and leopards that can usually be seen quite easily. Game viewing in this central area is spectacular all year round. Enjoy the views of endless plains and stunning wildlife like cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, ostrich, aardvarks, pangolins and many more.

Day 4: Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)

After breakfast, you drive to the northern part of the Serengeti for a game drive along the Mara River. Depending on rainfall, the spectacular crossings of the Mara River can begin as early as June or as late as August. The wildebeest and zebras must survive the Nile crocodiles and fast-flowing water before facing the lions waiting on the other side. This time of the year game viewing is sensational, impressive, and dramatic.

Day 5: Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)

Rise early for a morning game drive along the Mara River. It is truly an amazing experience to see all those hoofed mammals in search of water and greener pastures, followed by iconic predators. A journey full of danger where only the strongest survive. You may also see hippos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and if you are lucky the endangered black rhino. After the afternoon game drive, you head back to your lodge or camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)

Another day of morning and afternoon game drives in the North Serengeti along the Mara River. Dust exploding, lions stalking a moveable feast, gigantic crocodiles, and fast-flowing wild rivers await the herds as they head north. The river crossing of thousands of wildebeest and zebra is absolutely one of the most breathtaking natural wonders in Africa. Return to your lodge or camp in the afternoon for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Ngorongoro crater

After breakfast, you will do a game drive towards central Serengeti, then continue to Ngorongoro for dinner and overnight at a lodge located in the Ngorongoro area on the rim of the crater.

Day 8: Ngorongoro crater – Tarangire

Today, you set off towards the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive with a picnic lunch. It shelters close to 30.000 animals, including the Big Five. The crater teems with zebras, buffaloes, lions, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons, elephants, flamingos, ostriches, hippos, cheetahs, and a small population of the rare black rhino. The beautiful colors and dancing clouds make the crater almost surreal. Because of its natural beauty, the Ngorongoro Crater is chosen as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. In the late afternoon, you drive to camp or lodge in Tarangire for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Tarangire National Park

Enjoy a game drive in the Tarangire National Park with a picnic breakfast. This lovely park boasts the largest concentrations of elephants in the world and the highest number of breeding bird species. Especially during the dry season, Tarangire National Park is packed with wildlife. Big cats like lions, cheetahs, and leopards, but also the seldom-seen Kudu, Oryx, and Gerenuk. If you are lucky, you can even spot the tree-climbing python. Return to the lodge for dinner. In the evening, you depart for a night game drive in the park. Discover nocturnal animals like porcupines, pangolins, aardvarks, and others.

Day 10: Departure

On this last day of your safari, you drive back to Arusha for lunch and then continue to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your departure flight..

FULL 10 DAYS SAFARI ITINERARY