explore tanzia - central serengeti migration safari

Taste of Tanzania Wildebeest Migration

This 7-day Wildebeest Migration Safari offers a balance of adventure and comfort, with selected lodges and permanent tented camps that offer great value for money without sacrificing comfort.  All tented lodges have Meru Tents and en-suite bathrooms.

Search for the “Big Five” in the scenic Tarangire, the wildlife-teeming Ngorongoro Crater and the plains of the Serengeti .

(Road Safari)


Our small group safaris offer the opportunity to explore Tanzania while enjoying the company of an intimate group of like-minded safari enthusiasts, on a set itinerary.


Itinerary

  • Day 1: Kilimanjaro Airport / Arusha

    Our friendly safari team will welcome you at Kilimanjaro Airport, and they will transfer you to Arusha.  Arusha is the hub of Tanzania's legendary Northern safari circuit and home to Mt Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks. Arusha is also one of the major coffee-growing regions in Tanzania.

    Stay: Forest Hill Lodge (Standard room)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast.

  • Day 2: Arusha / Tarangire NP / Karatu Area

    After breakfast, we meet our guide for a short briefing.  We head off to Tarangire National Park, known as the land of giants - elephants and baobab trees.  We’ll leave Arusha behind and drive to Tarangire National Park for game drive in the park. The landscape is ironically African with open Acacia woodlands and Baobab trees scattered all over the area. It has the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem. Late afternoon we travel towards the local town of Mto Wa Mbu (Maasai for Mosquito Village – the only place in Tanzania which represents all tribes – 120 ethnic groups). Bananas are the main export in the area, and there are over thirty species of banana in the village, including a red banana which we recommend you give a try!  We continue to drive up the Rift Valley escarpment to our lodge.

    Stay: Country Lodge Karatu Standard room)

    Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 3: Karatu Area / Serengeti National Park

    Our journey continues towards the misty Ngorongoro highlands, passing on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater where we will stop for your first spectacular view of the Crater.  The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands together form one of Africa's most beautiful regions.  En route, you can opt to visit a Maasai village near Ngorongoro Crater. (The Maasai charge US$30 per person - for your account).  

    After bidding the Maasai farewell, our adventure now takes us to the Central Serengeti where we enjoy the afternoon with game viewing.  The Central area encompasses the world-famous Seronera Valley, which is known for its prime wildlife-viewing opportunities.  The Serengeti is renowned for its incredible concentrations of predators and the Great Migration of more than 1,5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras. 

    Stay: Into Wild Africa Safari Camp(Tent)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 4 & 5: Serengeti National Park

    Balloon Safari - optional

    For a once in a lifetime experience, we highly recommend an early morning hot air balloon safari (will be for your account) – a unique 'bird's eye' game viewing experience, before landing in the beautiful wilderness and enjoying a full bush-style breakfast, complete with fresh coffee, tea, fruits, and champagne.

    Or enjoy two full-day game drives to explore more of what the Serengeti offers and to enjoy the greatest safari spectacle in the world – the great African wildebeest migration as massive herds of wildebeest call the Central Serengeti home during this time of the year. 

    Stay: Into Wild Africa Safari Camp (Tent)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 6: Serengeti National Park / Ngorongoro Crater / Karatu Area

    An early morning start is required today as we bit the Serengeti farewell and drive to Ngorongoro Crater to enjoy an extended game drive along the crater floor.  A steep entry track leads us 600m down to the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater floor (referred to as the Garden of Eden).  The crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes, and springs to open grassland with fantastic wildlife. A drive through the forest will allow you to feast your eyes on some of the most spectacular green vegetation you will ever see.  Late afternoon drive to the access point followed by a short drive to your lodge. 

    Stay: Marera Valley Lodge (Standard room)

    Meals: Dinner, breakfast & packed lunch

  • Day 7: Karatu Area / Kilimanjaro Airport

    Today we take it a little bit easier after a packed safari filled with endless memories and sightings. We enjoy a leisurely breakfast with some great Kilimanjaro coffee before driving back to Arusha where we stop at the Cultural Heritage Centre (for shopping of Tanzania art, memorabilia, and Tanzanites), and enjoy our picnic lunch. Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport.

    End of service

We also offer this as a private safari or can send you a tailor-made quotation similar to the above itinerary - one designed specifically for you, around your taste, budget, interests and more.

  • Airport transfers 
  • Accommodation in Arusha with Lunch, dinner & breakfast.
  • Accommodation on safari on a full board basis (breakfast, lunch & dinner) 
  • 4x4 stretched Land Cruiser safari vehicle (maximum 6 clients per vehicle)
  • 1x Ngorongoro Crater tour 
  • Unlimited kilometers on game drives during the safari 
  • Services of your professional and knowledgeable Tanzanian English-speaking driver/guide 
  • All national park entry fees
  • Comprehensive support from our operational office in Tanzania for the duration of the safari 

  • International flight.
  • Entry visa to Tanzania 
  • Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
  • Meals and drinks not specified  
  • Laundry services
  • Gratuities to the driver/guide, hotel staff & porters 
  • Maasai Boma visit fee 
  • Balloon safari
  • All expenses of personal nature.
  • Malaria – Tanzania is a malaria area

Dates & Prices

Dates:

SMALL GROUP DEPARTURE DATES:

This 07-Day Taste of Tanzania Migration Safaris depart during May on set departure dates. 

12 - 18 May 2025

Rates:

SA RESIDENTS: INTERNATIONAL:
R44,326.00 pp sharing Please contact one of our consultants
Flights from Johannesbrug: R9,100.00 pp


  • Exchange rate used (bank selling rate): R18.80 to US$1.00
  • Request a quote from our Safari Specialists for the most current rates and availability on our group departures.
  • Please treat all pricing as a guide only.
  • All rates are subject to increases beyond our control, including fuel price, government taxes and exchange rate fluctuations.
  • Maximum 18 clients per safari, with a maximum of 6 clients per vehicle.

 

National Parks

Tarangire National Park 

Tarangire is a long, thin park covering 1,360 sq. km, roughly running north south along the line of the Tarangire River. It is made up chiefly of low-lying, rolling hills on the Rift floor, its natural vegetation of acacia woodland and giant baobabs only altered by huge areas of swamp. The swamps of black cotton mud produce rich grasslands, while the watercourses are lined by huge trees, including sycamore fig, tamarind, and sausage trees. 


Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti’s endless plains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is patrolled by Africa’s big cats, elephants, buffaloes, gazelles and giraffes and is perhaps most famous for the migration of animals, specifically the Serengeti wildebeest migration. The principle players are the wildebeest, whose numbers appear to have increased to about 2 million. In addition, about 250,000 zebras make the seasonal journey to fresh pastures, first to the north, then the south after the rains. Their ancient instinct to move is so strong that no drought, gorge or crocodile-infested river can hold them back. In February the wildebeest cows drop their young in a synchronized birthing that sees some 300 000 to 400 000 calves born within two to three weeks.

Bird watching in the Serengeti is good all year round, at its very best from November to April.This is when European and North African migratory birds are present for resident species. 


Ngorongoro Crater 

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera and is regarded as the 8th wonder of the world. It is one of the most diverse and fascinating areas of Tanzania and has been given the status of a World heritage site and International Biosphere Reserve. The fertile slopes and steep forest-covered walls are home to approximately 30,000 animals including the rare black rhino. The various ecosystems found within the 260 square kilometre crater floor sustain Cape buffalo, elephants, wildebeest, zebras, elands, gazelles, hippos, numerous bird species as well as a high concentration of predators. Although birdlife is generally good throughout the year, from November to April, migratory birds from Europe and Northern Africa are present and many resident birds are in breeding plumage.