9-Days Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari – Mara River Crossing Tour

Overview

Embark on a captivating 9-day Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari adventure across the Serengeti National Park, designed to monitor the breathtaking wildebeest migration. This expedition takes us to the heart of this amazing natural phenomena, allowing us to gaze at the vast Serengeti landscape. Spend several days in the northern Serengeti, where the Great Migration unfolds in all its magnificence.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha.

Our driver guide will meet you at the airport and transport you to your accommodation in Arusha. Here, you may relax after your flight, absorb up the local environment, and prepare for the exciting wildlife adventure that awaits. This evening provides an excellent time to unwind and adjust before embarking on our Serengeti adventure.

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park.

Begin your day in Arusha, where your own driver guide will pick you up and transport you to Tarangire National Park. The ride takes you over smooth asphalt roads through the gently sloping Maasai plains, studded with acacia trees. Along the trip, you’ll see Maasai people dressed in brilliant traditional clothes, herding animals, riding bicycles, and directing donkey carts.

Tarangire National Park, known for its large elephant population, is home to a diverse range of species. From the open top of your safari jeep, you can see seasonal wetlands, wide savanna, and the crucial Tarangire River. Keep a lookout for zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, elephants, and giraffes. You may even see lions on the prowl or leopards lazing in the woods.

After a full day of wildlife viewing, you will return to your lodge for supper and a well-deserved night’s rest, ready for more adventures.

Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park.

After breakfast, you will go to the verdant highlands where the Iraqi people grow wheat and corn. We will go through the foggy woods of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Keep a look out for animals concealed in the lush forest; you could spot baboons, secretive leopards, or even elephants among the trees.

As we travel through this conservation area, you’ll be treated to a breathtaking glimpse of the Ngorongoro Crater, a geological wonder that provides a dramatic background to our journey. We’ll arrive in Serengeti National Park about lunchtime. This national park, Tanzania’s biggest, features a diverse range of landscapes, including broad grasslands and marshes, lakes, savannas, and steep highlands.

Spend the afternoon on an extended game drive among the Serengeti’s various ecosystems. As the sun sets, we’ll travel to your lodge for a full meal and a pleasant night’s rest, laying the groundwork for future safari excursions.

Day 4: Game drives across the Northern Serengeti.

In the morning, we continue our trek north across the Serengeti on an amazing game drive. This region, which stretches about 100 kilometers from Seronera, has gently sloping landscapes interspersed with streams, occasional hills, and granite outcrops known as kopje. The Northern Serengeti is home to a diverse wildlife population and has a tapestry of natural beauty, including the stunning Lobo Kopje.

Unlike the busier southern parts, this northern expanse offers a more peaceful and less crowded safari experience. The annual migration normally arrives in this area in August, and we may be fortunate enough to watch the magnificent spectacle of wildebeest and zebras heroically crossing the Mara River, braving violent currents and escaping crocodiles.

After an exciting day of exploring and wildlife encounters, we will return to our hotel. Nestled in the center of the Serengeti’s Endless Plain, you may have a great supper while relaxing beneath the awe-inspiring African night sky.

Day 5: Witness Serengeti. Mara River crossing.

Starting the day with an early breakfast, you will go for an exciting morning in the wilderness. If chance is on your side, you may be able to see one of nature’s most dramatic events: the Mara River crossing. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest gather along the riverbank, staring longingly at the beautiful grasslands on the other side but hesitant to cross the hazardous, crocodile-infested waters.

In a moment of daring, one wildebeest may jump into the stream, causing a tide of followers to follow suit. Those that survive the treacherous crossing over the river will find themselves grazing on the lush, green grasslands of the Masai Mara, a well-deserved reward for their intrepid expedition.

Day 6: North to central Serengeti.

After breakfast, we will return to Seronera, giving us more time to see the Serengeti’s incredible animals and landscape. Beyond the migratory herds, this location allows visitors to witness the park’s permanent predators, such as leopards, cheetahs, and lions, as they go about their everyday lives, representing nature’s dramatic cycle.

Following an intensive game drive, we will return to our lodge for a delicious meal and a pleasant evening by the fire. As we rest, we may tell stories and look up at the vast African night sky, its stars throwing a wonderful glow over the Endless Plain.

Day 7 : Central Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Following breakfast, your experience continues with another beautiful game drive across the Serengeti, providing further opportunity to see the region’s plentiful wildlife in its native environment. As the day continues, you will head towards the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique ecology and breathtaking vistas.

By afternoon, you will arrive at the crater’s edge, where a spectacular vista of lush grasslands, glistening streams, and a plethora of species awaits you, providing a sample of the delights to come the next day. Tonight, you’ll stay at a resort positioned on the crater’s rim, where you can relax and take in the scenery while planning tomorrow’s adventure.

Day 8 : The Ngorongoro Crater

After an early breakfast, we will descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for an exciting day of animal discovery. This ancient caldera, built millions of years ago by a volcanic explosion similar in size to Kilimanjaro, is 610 meters deep and covers around 260 square kilometers. Its unusual terrain produces a self-contained environment in which a diverse range of animals move freely throughout unfenced areas, providing unsurpassed possibilities for undisturbed wildlife viewing.

Ngorongoro gets its name from the melodic sound of Maasai cowbells resonating throughout the crater’s wide expanse. Renowned as one of Africa’s best places to see the classic Big Five—lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinoceros. The crater teems with wildebeests, gazelles, and over 500 bird species.

After a delicious picnic lunch beside the hippo-filled lake, we’ll spend the afternoon hiking the steep crater walls and admiring the panoramic views before spending the night in the adjacent village of Karatu.

Day 9: Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha.

After a hearty breakfast, we will set off on the final stage of our incredible safari experience to Lake Manyara National Park. This tiny yet diversified park, located 120 kilometers west of Arusha, is well known for its namesake shallow salt lake, which varies in size depending on the season. The lake is home to thousands of flamingos and more than 500 other bird species.

As we tour the park, we anticipate to see monkeys, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes, elephants, and, if we’re lucky, lions reclining in the trees. Lake Manyara National Park is famous for its various landscapes, which include broad grassy plains, woods abounding with monkeys, and spectacular cliffs covered with old baobab trees.

Following a delicious lunch, we will return to Arusha in the late afternoon, ending our safari with memories of the park’s natural beauty.

Inclusions

• Transportation with a 4 x 4 safari vehicle with a pop-up canopy
• Accommodations and food are as stated.
• Entrance fees for all national parks
• En route lunches
• Bottled water.
• Professional English-speaking driving guidance.
• English Driver Guide

Exclusions

• Visa Fees and Flights
• Optional activities.
• Tips for Guides
• Laundry and alcoholic beverages.
• International Vaccinations and Tests
• Health exam requirements:
• Personal Travel Insurance
• Items of personal nature.