7-Day Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Mara River Crossing

Welcome to Tanzania: Meet and greet at arrival point(usually at Kilimanjaro International Airport ,JRO) by our transfer and representative driver from Nduwa Tours who will escort you to the waiting vehicle for loading your luggage then drive you to the Hotel in Arusha town. You will meet our representative who will show up at the Airport with a sign board with your name and a warm smile on his/her face when welcoming you to Tanzania. After checking in at the hotel you will get a briefing about your next day’s 7-Day Serengeti Wildebeest Migration River Crossing in northern Tanzania then your safari guide will come to give you a brief about this safari and share with you a copy of this safari itinerary. The rest of the day can be spent relaxing at the pool or exploring the town of Arusha.

Accommodation: River Trees Country Inn on Bed & Breakfast Basis

Nduwa Tours’ personal safari guide and driver will meet you at hotel in Arusha to undertake the drive, on good tarmac road, the some 120 kilometers to Tarangire National Park where we undertake our first day of game drives. Tarangire National Park famously known for its huge elephant populations, three families numbering in the region of one thousand each, is so named for the life giving Tara River which wends its way through the park and gives sustenance from its cooling waters to a broad variety of game that come here to imbibe. We may hope to see zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name a few. It is possible we will glimpse our friend Leo panthera, the mighty lion, stalking his prey or, the leopard watching in relaxation in the trees above. An ornithological paradise, some five hundred birds have been here identified. The Park is named after the Tarangire River which runs through it.  This ‘river of warthogs’ is the only source of water for wildlife in the region during the dry season. In places, the vegetation is quite dense, including elephant grass, acacia woodlands and lush groundwater forest. The Park is well known for its elephant families, which can often be seen congregating by the river. You may also see giraffe, bushbuck and hartebeest. These animals are closely followed by a range of predators, including lions and leopards. There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet! There are more breeding species of birds found in Tarangire National Park than anywhere else on the planet! After Lunch and an extensive game drive, we head for our luxury partner lodges near Tarangire for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Maramboi Tented Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Early morning after breakfast, we depart to Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is truly spectacular. It is famous for its vast open grasslands which allow for excellent sightings of wildlife. On route you will be taken to a visit at Olduvai Gorge before proceeding to Serengeti National Park.

Olduvai Gorge Visit

Immerse yourself in ancient history at the fascinating palaeoanthropological site of Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important in the world. Set between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park, the gorge makes a good stop if you’re travelling between the two, rewarding visitors with a presentation on its history, an excellent new museum, and beautiful views – as well as the possibility of visiting an active dig. After short visit at Olduvai Gorge you will proceed to Serengeti National Park at to our luxury accommodation in the heart of Serengeti.

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. Whilst 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.Whilst 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. After Lunch and an extensive game drive, we head for our tented partner lodges for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Kubukubu Tented Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast we head towards the far northern reaches of the Serengeti National 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, plain game, herds of buffalo and elephants can often be seen. Whilst 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. During End of July to September the Migration can be found in the Northern Serengeti where they are crossing the Mara River following the greener pastures of Maasai Mara where the provide the Mara river resident Nile crocodiles with annual fist.

After Lunch and an extensive game drive, we head for our partner tented camp for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mara Mara Tented Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Early Morning after breakfast you will continue with your game drive in the Northern region. Mara river crossing is one of the must see in Serengeti and totally one of the most spectacular events in Serengeti. Many wildebeests perish trying to reach the mineral rich grass of Maasai Mara where they will spend at list 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 sight of the crossing we will be back to your accommodation in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mara Mara Tented Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Early morning after breakfast, we continue with our en-route drive inside the Serengeti National Park before we depart to Ngorongoro crater. When you first see Ngorongoro Crater, it looks like a forgotten world.  Concealed by the steep volcanic walls is a pristine wilderness including sweeping savannah, pockets of acacia woodland and glistening lakes and swamps.Arriving at our accommodation in the late evening, we will have our dinner and overnight stay at one of our carefully selected lodge.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today is often the highpoint in any visitor’s experience of a safari in northern Tanzania. Our day in Ngorongoro Crater will provide a succession of experiences of great game and of wildlife at very close quarters in a truly spectacular setting, and provide encounters with birds of varied shape, colour and size; even when set against the wonders that we will have witnessed earlier. There are predators: lions, spotted hyenas, African wolves (formerly known as Golden Jackal) each either surveying, or equally dozing among, the great herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle. There are several hundred old male “Tusker” elephants who graze in the swamps for whom the crater floor is their retirement home. Words definitely cannot begin to convey the wonder of Ngorongoro. It is a place so remarkable, so utterly unique, that being here can be both a breathtaking and humbling experience. There is a seasonal salt lake – Magadi which, by early April, should support thousands of displaying flamingos surrounded by flocks of migrant shorebirds on their way north. There are swamps and small freshwater lakes hosting hippos, Saddle-billed Storks, African Spoonbills, Jacanas, crakes and rails. There are Grey Crowned Cranes, giant Kori Bustards and of course even bigger Ostriches out in the grassland and there are African passerines in the woods. Many, often tiny, birds with confusing and somehow unrevealing names: Apalis or Eremomela, Crombec, Camaroptera or Batis.  One must be out of the Crater by six pm and then we shall drive the short distance along the crater rim to our lodge which is perched right on the rim of the giant caldera. The tall trees below the lodge are festooned with mosses , beard lichens, orchids and various saprophytic plants. When these are flowering they attract scintillating sunbirds among which the Golden-winged, the Malachite and Taccaze are perhaps the most spectacular.After Lunch and an extensive game drive, we head straight to Arusha or at the Airport to catch your onwards flight.

The day is left free to wind down after the trek before your flight home. Depending on flight times you could go and explore Arusha town and grab some souvenirs before heading to the airport.

NB: In additional Nduwa Tours also will love to prepare for you a Mountain Climbing Program at Mount Kilimanjaro or Mount Meru or if you prefer Zanzibar beaches we can also make it unforgettable for you as a private tour, honeymooners or photograph safari.