7-DAy Migration Safari
TANZANIA
Witness one of nature’s most amazing events, the Great Migration – over 2 million wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes. This 7-day safari is suitable for anytime from July – October, when the migration herds are typically in northern Serengeti. Although the timing is never certain, you will be in the right place at the most likely time to witness the perilous Mara River crossings of the migration herds with hungry crocodiles, lions, hyenas, leopards, and drowning as the risks. In addition, this safari gives you time for game viewing in Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and central Serengeti. As there are no basic campsites near the Mara River, accommodations for this safari are in tented camps and lodges.
Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) transfer to hotel in Arusha
At Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be met by our Dotcom Safaris representative. He will assist you with your luggage and drive to your hotel in the city of Arusha, help you with your hotel check-in, and brief you on your itinerary.
Day 1: Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, with a picnic lunch. We will explore the park until late afternoon when we will travel to our accommodation for relaxation, dinner, and overnight rest. Note that for logistic reasons, the accommodation will not be inside of a wildlife area for this night.
Day 2: Central Serengeti (Seronera)
After breakfast we travel west, crossing Ngorongoro Conservation Area (but not through the famed crater this day). Reaching the western border of the conservation area brings us inside of Serengeti National Park. We may pause to enjoy a picnic-style lunch at the park gate, or perhaps inside the Serengeti, depending on our travel progress and appetite. As we travel to central Serengeti (Seronera) the game viewing gets progressively better. The afternoon will be spent game viewing until early evening when we arrive at our accommodation inside the Serengeti for relaxation, dinner, and overnight rest.
Day 3: Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)
The entire day will be spent inside the Serengeti as we travel from central to northern Serengeti. There should be good game viewing during the entire route. We will pause for a picnic-style lunch when our stomachs dictate the timing. Reaching the Kogatende portion of the Serengeti, we should be able to see the migration herds. Whether they are gathering en mass at the Mara River Bank, or grazing, it will be an amazing spectacle. In the evening, we will go to our tented camp for relaxation, dinner, and overnight rest inside the Serengeti.
Day 4: Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)
We have a full day in the Kogatende portion of the Serengeti for game viewing and relaxation at the accommodation according to your desires. Today would be a great opportunity for an early morning hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti plains (additional charge). Lunch can be picnic-style while on a game drive, or you can enjoy it at the accommodation. The evening and night will be spent at the same accommodation as the previous night.
Day 5: Central Serengeti (Seronera)
Another full day inside of the Serengeti. By the end of the day, we must reach the Seronera portion of the Serengeti, but there is no rush. We will travel according to the game viewing with a pause for a picnic-style lunch. Dinner and overnight rest will be in the Seronera portion of the Serengeti, most likely at the same accommodation as we used on Day2.
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater
After an early breakfast we travel east, leaving the Serengeti and returning to Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). Reaching the famed Nogorngoro Crater, we will descend the 600m (2,000ft) crater wall along a winding road into one of the best safari destinations Africa. The beauty of the crater alone makes the trip worthwhile, but the fact that all of the “Big Five” – elephants, African buffaloes, rhinos, lions, and leopards are present inside the crater makes this a “must see” destination. The density of the animals is amazing but this detination is not big, just 20km in diameter. So after 3 – 4 hours, all will be seen. At that time we ascend out of the crater and travel east, outside of the NCA to a lodge for dinner and overnight rest. This night is not inside a wildlife area.
Day 7: Cultural Tour - return to Arusha
This day you will have an option – either a very early departure to visit the Hadzabe tribe and follow them on a hunt, learning about their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, or going on a walk visiting a small coffee plantation, learning about the cultivation and processing of the coffee beans, or you can opt for a village walk through the town of Mto wa Mbu seeing local daily activities including visiting a rice farm and the local market. In the afternoon, we will return to Arusha/ Kilimanjaro Airport/ Moshi for the end of the tour.