The most dramatic days of the Great Migration
The herds on the move in the Serengeti.
From about July to October the herds reach the Mara River in the far north of the Serengeti and plunge across it, past waiting crocodiles. This safari gives you two nights in a mobile tented camp placed close to where they are.
It is also a complete northern circuit: Tarangire on the first day, the central Serengeti on the way back, the Ngorongoro Crater and a last morning in Lake Manyara.
Choose between mid-range lodges, luxury camps or the most exclusive camps. The route is the same; the comfort and the price change.
Two nights close to the crossing points
Mobile camps that move with the herds
Central Serengeti, crater and two more parks
Choice of three comfort levels
Tarangire
We collect you in Arusha and head west across the Rift Valley to Tarangire. In the crossing season it is dry, so animals crowd along the river and game viewing is usually excellent. After a picnic and an afternoon drive you continue to your lodge near Karatu.
Northern Serengeti
The longest day of the trip, and worth it. You climb past the crater rim, cross the plains through the central Seronera area and keep driving north towards the Mara River, game viewing all the way: roughly 8 to 10 hours with stops. Your tented camp is placed near where the herds are gathering.
Mara River
A full day in the north: rolling hills, rocky outcrops and riverine forest. Your guide positions the vehicle where the herds are massing. When they go, thousands of wildebeest and zebras pour down the banks and swim while crocodiles wait and lions and hyenas watch. Crossings can happen at any hour, so lunch is a picnic and you stay with the herds.
Central Serengeti
After an early breakfast you drive south, game viewing on the way, to the Seronera area, whose plains and granite kopjes are among the best places in Africa for lions, leopards and cheetahs. The afternoon is free to look for them.
Ngorongoro Crater
You leave early for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend about 600 metres to the crater floor, where the open grass makes animals easy to see: black rhino, lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos and flamingos. Picnic on the floor, then up to your lodge in Karatu.
Lake Manyara
Less than an hour's drive takes you to Lake Manyara, below the Rift Valley wall: forest, woodland and lake shore with elephants, baboons, hippos and, at times, flamingos and pelicans. After a picnic lunch you drive back to Arusha, where the trip ends at your hotel or at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Crossings depend on the herds and can never be guaranteed. Prices are for 1 to 10 guests at three comfort levels.
The line shows the order of the trip, not the exact road. Press ↻ to play it again.
| Service Tier | 1 Guest | 2 Guests | 3 Guests | 4 Guests | 5 Guests | 6 Guests | 7 Guests | 8 Guests | 9 Guests | 10 Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Range Comfort Lodges | $4,290 | $3,885 | $3,605 | $3,320 | $3,225 | $3,135 | $3,225 | $3,320 | $3,265 | $3,210 |
| Luxury Premium Camps | $6,320 | $5,710 | $5,425 | $5,145 | $5,055 | $4,960 | $5,055 | $5,145 | $5,090 | $5,035 |
| Exclusive Signature | $11,915 | $10,740 | $10,455 | $10,175 | $10,085 | $9,990 | $10,085 | $10,175 | $10,035 | $9,895 |
Private trip for your group only: the more of you share the vehicle and guide, the lower the price per person. For 7 or more people we send a quote.
How booking works: a 30% deposit confirms your trip and the balance is paid on arrival in Tanzania, before the trip starts. We reply within 3 hours. Booking terms
About July to October. The herds move with the rain, so the exact weeks change each year.
It is a long day, 8 to 10 hours with stops, but you game drive the whole way through the Serengeti. A flight can be priced instead if you prefer.
Mid-range is comfortable and good value; luxury camps are larger and better placed; the signature level uses the most exclusive camps.
The herds in the Western Corridor and the Grumeti River.
The calving season: thousands of newborn wildebeest and the predators.
Two nights with the migration herds, plus the whole north.
Tell us your dates, where you are staying and how many of you are travelling. We reply within 3 hours.
