Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari - 7 Days

• • • Accommodation You can leave all the hustle and bustle of Arusha city behind you to find this relaxing hotel close to Lake Duluti. The Arusha Serena Hotel is actually in the middle of a traditional coffee estate, surrounded by lush and well-kept gardens, making this a great home-from-home in which to stay at the beginning or end of any Tanzanian adventure. The accommodation units here are spacious, self-contained and well-appointed, ensuring that you have a peaceful visit.
   
  • An excellent restaurant and welcoming bar provide refreshments during your stay and a dedicated hotel team will tend to your every need.
• • Meal PlanDinner at your hotel.

Unless your arrival time yesterday allowed time for your safari briefing, then this will take place after breakfast. We will provide you with all the essential information, before we set off to the airport for our flight to the Northern Serengeti to begin our Migration Safari. From our arrival airport, we make the journey to our accommodation for our lunch, already enjoying some wildlife-spotting on the way. After lunch, our adventure begins with an afternoon game-drive. In late afternoon, we return to your accommodation for our evening meal and our overnight stay. Welcome to the Serengeti!

We start our journey with a short drive to Arusha airport, followed by a 2 ½ hour flight to the Kogatende Airstrip in the Northern Serengeti.

The changing landscapes of Northern Serengeti and the wildlife surprises it will almost certainly provide. There are no guarantees, but a rhino sighting cannot be ruled out!

The Northern Serengeti is a land of open woodland, extending from the Seronera in the south to the Mara river in the north, marking the frontier with neighboring Kenya. During your time here, you can get to grips with a whole new set of exotic names: Bolongonja, Kogatende, Lamai and of course, the legendary Mara river.

We are now following in the footsteps of the Great Migration, great herds of thousands of zebra and wildebeest getting ready to cross the Mara into Kenya, and back again. On a daily basis, crossings cannot be guaranteed, but our driver-guides know the most likely places to witness them, one of Nature’s most awe-inspiring sights. Patience is required! And if you’re not lucky enough to witness a crossing, there’s always tomorrow; and in Northern Serengeti, plenty more to see today.

If you’re lucky today, perhaps a rare, black rhino might cross your path…but even if not, we might witness a river crossing as wildebeest seek out the greener grasses on the other side.

As you awake for a second day in Northern Serengeti, you can contemplate that parts of this northern area can easily match the Southern Serengeti for the abundance of wildlife viewing, especially between July and October. After your breakfast, you will embark with your driver-guide on a full-day game drive, looking out for elephant and buffalo, eland and gazelle. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to spot something really special: perhaps a cheetah, or even a rare black rhino, of which a small population are resident here.

Depending on what your driver-guide found for you yesterday and this morning, this afternoon we’ll set out to see something new. If a Mara River crossing has escaped you, perhaps the conditions this afternoon will suggest that a crossing could take place. Our driver-guides have intimate knowledge of where and when they might occur. As well as the migrating herds, the Northern Serengeti is an area where you might easily see giraffe, elephant and dik-dik: with many resident species, there’s never a dull moment.

Before leaving the Northern Serengeti, we take the opportunity this morning to enjoy another game drive in this incredible location. This allows us further time to wonder at the migratory herds and the dangers and challenges they face each year in their battle for survival. As well as the herd animals, you can look to the skies, perhaps finding a majestic martial eagle or one of the other birds that populate this area. As well as the thousands of migrating animals, this area also has a good population of resident wildlife, so you will never be disappointed. In the afternoon, we take the 5-hour drive to the central part of Serengeti, where after lunch a game-drive will introduce you to this busy area. Finally, you will go to your chosen accommodation for relaxation and your evening meal.

Today, we set off from our accommodation in Central Serengeti. Wildlife is abundant here: sometimes you may think it has come to find you, rather than the other way around. Today’s highlight is unknown, as the animals don’t publish their schedule (!) We will be looking for wildlife of all species, but as this area is where bushland meets grassland, it is a favorite spot for big cats looking for prey. Cheetah, leopard and lions are all possibilities today.

Waking up in the Serengeti is something really special. Sights, sounds and smells of Africa are all around us, and ahead is a full day of adventure in the world’s most famous national park. After breakfast, we start today with the morning section of our game drive in Serengeti National Park, marveling at the stunning scenery, ever changing light and always entertaining wildlife, all explained to you by your expert driver-guide.

The Seronera River weaves its way through this area, providing waters for all species of wildlife. You will also see the distinctive rocky outcrops, the famous kopjes which characterize the Serengeti landscape. Lunch will be an unforgettable experience, enjoyed in the middle of the bush.

After our lunch, we set off again, searching for wildlife in this awe-inspiring park. Serengeti’s wonders evolve subtly as the day progresses. The myriad animals and birds are the ‘stars of the show’ and Nature’s dramas can unfold at any time. Of course, the animals don’t work to a timetable, so we may find lion or leopard, elephant and zebra, cheetah and antelope at any time on our drives. At the end of the afternoon, we return to the camp for dinner and some much-needed rest.

• • Accommodation Ngorongoro Serena Lodge enjoys a truly special location, perched high up on the crater rim. The incredible views down and across the famous crater will surely stay with you forever.

• • Despite offering all the modern amenities you would expect from a high-class safari lodge, the buildings here blend beautifully into the surroundings as if they have been here for as long as the crater itself. Spacious rooms all benefit from views down into the animal-filled crater from their verandas and are decorated with tasteful African touches.

• Enjoy great international cuisine in the dining-room, or a ‘sundowner’ drink while marvelling at the natural wonder that defines Ngorongoro.

• Meal Plan Breakfast will be provided by Serengeti Serena Lodge. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the lodge for you to take out on safari. Your evening meal will be a full, cooked dinner at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.

• Meal Plan Breakfast is served at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the Lodge for you to take out on safari and enjoyed after your morning game-drive, before we return you to the airport for your flight home. As today is your departure day, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

• Departure Instructions Please note that this 7 Days The Great Migration: Northern Serengeti, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro tour ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.30 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.40 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.