Best 7 days (Mara river crossing) Serengeti Migration Safari in Tanzania 2024

Day-by-day Itinerary for the 7 days Tanzania Mara River Crossing Migration safari in 2024

• DAY 0: Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha

  Upon arrival at Arusha/Kilimanjaro airport, your Tanzania Widerange African Safaris guide will pick you up and transport you to your hotel in Arusha or Moshi Tanzania. Set up your lodging, relax, and get acclimated to the African environment. The next day, you'll be ready to begin your 5-day Great Tanzania Eastern Serengeti Migration safari (east of the Grumeti River & NAABI HILL).

  Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania and the headquarters of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Arusha, located below Mount Meru on the eastern border of the Great Rift Valley’s eastern branch, has a temperate climate. The Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Arusha National Park on Mount Meru are all close to the city.

• DAY 1: Arusha to Tarangire

  On this day, you will depart Arusha, Tanzania's safari capital, for a magnificent, drive through the Tarangire National Park via the Arusha-Dodoma route. You will pass by a supermarket (if desired) for any last-minute purchasing of personal effects, then travel through the magnificent Masai Steppe to arrive at Tarangire in 2 hours. Your driver will handle the paperwork at the park's entrance before taking you on your first game drive.

  The Tarangire National Park boasts the largest density of elephants and big baobab trees that dot the grassland in North Tanzania, and you can see these animals all year in herds that can number in the hundreds. The Tarangire River contains water all year, and many animals from the surrounding areas come to drink during the dry season, which runs from July to October. If you visit the park during the dry season, you will be able to see amazing animals such as lions, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, and zebras, as well as other species of antelopes and gazelles, and with luck, a python! During the dry season, this location is a refuge for bird lovers, with over 550 distinct species, including the world's largest bird, the Masai Ostrich. After lunch, you'll stop at a suitable picnic spot before continuing your wildlife watching in the afternoon. You will be taken to your camp or lodge in Manyara (MtowaMbu) for the night before nightfall

• DAY 2: Lake Manyara to Central Serengeti

  We depart early after breakfast from Manyara (Mtowambu) and travel across the Great Rift Valley’s floor, up the escarpment, and through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in what will ultimately be a pleasant and enjoyable scenic drive as you take in the beautiful scenery and breathtaking visitors on our way to the Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park is known for its boundless plains that stretch as far as the eye can see. We’ll head to the Lobo neighborhood, which is slightly north of Seronera (central Serengeti National Park). Every year around July/August, the wildebeest migration passes through the Lobo area en route to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve, and again in late October/November en route to the southern Serengeti National Park.

  Arrive at the Serengeti late in the afternoon for an evening game drive until evening, when you will settle into a camp/lodge, have dinner, and sleep. Lunch is served at one of the picnic areas, most likely near the Naabi Hill Gate, where you may stretch your legs while your guide completes the necessary registration and paperwork. Serengeti dinner and overnight All meals are provided.

• DAY 3: Full Day Game Drive Central Serengeti

  Enjoy a full-day game drive in the park after breakfast. Throughout the year, the area near Lobo and the Grumeti River contains plenty of resident games. Elephants, buffalo, gazelle, zebra, lion, leopard, and cheetah are non-migratory species that can be seen all year. The game watching is excellent, and you may follow wildlife for extended periods without seeing other vehicles — truly one of the Serengeti Plains' lost corners. Along the riverbanks, magnificent riverine trees can be found, as well as bird species such as kingfishers and fish eagles.

• DAY 4: Full Day Game Drive (Eastern Serengeti) Back to Central Serengeti

  Enjoy a full day of game viewing in the Eastern Serengeti after breakfast. Wildebeest normally stay in the Serengeti's northern reaches until December, when they move south. During the wet season, the Gol Kopjes on the Eastern Plains have the highest number of cheetahs in Africa. The majority of Serengeti cheetahs are migratory, following the Thomson's Gazelle migration to the eastern short grass plains during the rainy season and then returning to the Central Serengeti (plains/woodland border) during the dry season.

  The eastern grasslands of the Serengeti and throughout Africa offer the best cheetah views during the rainy season. Several groups of cheetahs are likely to be encountered during a full-day game drive to the GOL kopjes. Cheetahs are primarily diurnal (daytime) hunters, and if you're lucky, you'll get to see the world's fastest land mammal in action.

  During the green season, the eastern plains are home to the highest densities of hyenas, in addition to cheetahs. Hyena clans of up to 30 members have been sighted routinely from Naabi Hill east through the Gol Kopjes and Lemuta Hill. Hyenas, the most abundant predator in the ecosystem, are semi-nomadic and 'commute' to the Eastern Plains from their den sites in the Central Serengeti during the rainy season. During the wet season, lion numbers are also high on the eastern plains.

  The majority of lions in the Serengeti are resident, although a considerable minority (about 20%) are nomadic, and they do accompany migratory animals to the plains during the rainy season. Lions, on the other hand, are infrequently observed east of Lemuta and are much more common inside the Serengeti proper, notably the Gol Kopjes area. After lunch, you will continue with your Serengeti wildlife viewing before traveling to Central Serengeti for the night. Serengeti Camp or Lodge for dinner and sleep. All meals are provided.

• DAY 5: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro

  Proceed to the Serengeti for morning and afternoon game drives, with a mid-afternoon lunch and leisure break at the lodge. In the Masai language, Serengeti means “endless plains.” Carnivores such as the leopard, lion, hyena, and cheetah can be found in the central plains. The yearly migration of wildebeest and zebra between the Kenyan Mara and the Serengeti usually takes place in this park. Eagles, ducks, geese, egrets, vultures, secretary birds, ibis, storks, herons, kites, pelicans, cranes, and guinea fowl are among the many bird species spotted here.

  The Serengeti National Park is possibly the best-renowned wildlife sanctuary in the world with over 3 million large mammals. The “big 5” – elephants, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, and Buffalo – are among the 35 species of plains animals that can be observed there. Hippo, giraffe, eland, impala, and other antelope species, as well as baboons, monkeys, and over 500 bird species, can all be found here. Huge herds of wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra begin their annual spectacular migration northwards in May or early June. Predators such as lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs trail them, with vultures circling overhead! After lunch, you will continue with game viewing in Serengeti, making your way to the Serengeti National Park gate to check out, and then continue with game viewing on the way to Ngorongoro Crater. Dinner and an overnight stay at a Ngorongoro Crater rim camp or lodge.

• DAY 6: Ngorongoro Crater To Manyara

  After breakfast, descend into the crater with a lunch box and enjoy a 7-hour game drive. A volcano the size of Mount Kilimanjaro emerged from the northern Tanzanian highlands millions of years ago. The Ngorongoro Crater, the world's biggest unflooded caldera, was produced by its eruption. The crater is now inactive and teeming with wildlife, making it a great place to go on game drives in search of the Big Five. The natural protection provided by the crater's 600 m (1,968 ft) high walls allows many species to survive. It is one of the world's most densely populated African wildlife habitats, home to an estimated 30,000 animals, and the best spot in Tanzania to witness critically endangered black rhino.

  The crater hosts a diverse range of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and enormous African elephants, and the park is supported by year-round water and fodder. Another major attraction of this beautiful national park is its large predator population, which includes lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the elusive leopard crater floor. After a picnic lunch, you will go on a game drive, and then we will return to Manyara for the night.

• DAY 7: Lake Manyara (game drive) back to Arusha

  We're going to Lake Manyara National Park today for a full day of game drives. This is a smaller park in Tanzania, yet it nevertheless provides a rewarding and diverse safari experience. Elephants, hippos, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, and some of Africa's largest baboon troupes abound at Lake Manyara National Park, an untouched wonderland of groundwater forest fed by underground springs. Manyara's lakeshore is teeming with birdlife, and while looking for birds, you might catch one of the elusive tree-climbing lions, which draw visitors from all over the world to see these iconic predators reclining in the branches. There are a surprising number of other huge creatures, and the Rift escarpment's spectacular cliffs provide a dramatic backdrop. We return to Arusha or Moshi for the night after the game drive.

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