9 Days Serengeti Migration Photo Safari & Cultural Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

Day 3: Central Serengeti

Early in the morning after breakfast, we depart for Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is truly spectacular. It is famous for its vast open grasslands, which allow for excellent sightings of wildlife. The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest national park, and it is also one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Its climate and vegetation have remained largely untouched for millions of years. While the Serengeti boasts abundant wildlife, it is perhaps best known for the annual Great Migration. Vast numbers of wildebeest, accompanied by large numbers of zebra and antelope, move in an annual pattern, constantly seeking fresh grazing. The precise timing of the migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation
Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Day 4: North Serengeti (FOLLOWING THE MIGRATION)

After breakfast we head towards the far northern reaches of Serengeti Park, also known as the Wagakuria. We will do a game drive en route from the Lobo area to the Wagakuria area. As we head north, good sightings of giraffe, plains game, herds of buffalo, and elephants can often be seen. While the Serengeti boasts abundant wildlife, it is perhaps best known for the annual Great Migration. Vast numbers of wildebeest, accompanied by large numbers of zebra and antelope, move in an annual pattern, constantly seeking fresh grazing. The precise timing of the migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year. From the end of July to September, the migration can be found in the Northern Serengeti (Kogatende), where they are crossing the Mara River, following the greener pastures of Maasai Mara, where they provide the Mara River resident Nile crocodiles with an annual feast.

After lunch and an amazing game drive, we head for our partner camp for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation
Mara Mara Tented Lodge

Day 5: North Serengeti (FOLLOWING THE MIGRATION)

After an early breakfast, you will continue with your game drive in the Northern region. The Mara River crossing is one of the must-sees in the Serengeti and totally one of the most spectacular events in the Serengeti. Many wildebeests die trying to reach the mineral-rich grass of the Masai Mara, where they will spend at least 2 months before they start to migrate again to their ancestral birthing ground, Southern Ndutu, where it will all start again. After a full day game drive and hopefully a sighting of the crossing, we will be back to the camp in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation
Mara Mara Tented Lodge

Day 6: North–Central Serengeti

After a relaxed morning drive towards Central Serengeti, spend the day observing wildlife in the Seronera Valley. The Seronera Valley offers lots of wildlife throughout the year, including carnivores like hyenas, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, which can often be found on and around these large rocky outcrops, as they offer a great vantage point to look over the plains in search of any prey, as well as ungulates, including buffaloes, giraffes, hippos, impalas, topis, warthogs, and zebras. You will have dinner and stay overnight at our carefully chosen tented camp.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation
Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Day 7: Serengeti Via Ngorongoro Crater to Karatu

After an early breakfast, we continue with our en route drive inside the Serengeti National Park before we depart for Ngorongoro Crater. You will descend down the crater, which is almost 610 m deep.

The crater was created when a large volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself two to three million years ago. It is famous for both its geological delights and for being a natural reserve, which is home to some of the densest large mammal populations on the whole African continent. The drive down into the crater is an adventure in itself, and when you reach the crater floor, you quickly find yourself amongst large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and more than 500 bird species. The crater provides you with the best chance of seeing the endangered black rhino, which can sometimes be spotted in the open grasslands.

After lunch and an extensive game drive inside the crater, we head for our comfort partner lodges in Karatu for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals
Lunch and Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation
Farm of Dream Lodge

Day 8: Visit Lake Eyasi for Cultural Tour

This is a day we visit the Datoga and Hadzabe tribes in Lake Eyasi to explore cultural life. These are among the few people that still practice ancient traditions. You will get a chance to see the Datoga pastoralists and their traditional ways of life. Get a chance to visit their homes and practice their traditional dances. The Hadzabe, on the other hand, are a hunting community still practicing the ancient ways of getting food by hunting and gathering using their traditional tools such as bows and arrows. On your visit with the Hadzabe, you will get a chance to see them making these tools, and you can even participate in their small game hunt. Dinner and an overnight in Karatu.

Meals
Lunch and Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation
Farm of Dream Lodge

Day 9: Karatu to Arusha

After a leisurely breakfast, drive back to Arusha, arriving in time for lunch and last-minute shopping and repacking. Transfer to the airport for your flight back home or for a flight to Zanzibar.