7 Days Serengeti Migration Safari
Arusha · Lake Manyara National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti National Park
Duration
7 days / 6 nights
Starts
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Ends
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Safari style
Luxury
Group
Private — your own vehicle and guide
Best time
Late January to March for calving; July to September for the river crossings
Safari overview
Between roughly late January and March, half a million wildebeest calves are born on the short-grass plains around Ndutu in the space of about three weeks. Every predator in the ecosystem knows it. It is some of the best wildlife viewing of the Tanzanian year — and it draws a fraction of the crowds that the Mara River crossings do.
This itinerary puts two nights at Ndutu itself rather than day-tripping in from Ngorongoro, which is the difference between being on the plains at first light and arriving at ten.
Outside the calving window we run the same shape with the nights repositioned — north to Kogatende from July, west along the Grumeti in June. The route follows the animals.
- Usa River — 35 km, 30 minutes
- Lake Manyara — 120 km, 2 hours
- Ndutu — 113 km, 2 hours plus game viewing
- Central Serengeti — 67 km, 1 hour plus game viewing
- Crater rim — 145 km, 2 hours plus game viewing
- Kilimanjaro International Airport — 154 km, 3 hours after the crater
Safari highlights
Day by day
Every day below can be moved, lengthened or dropped. This is how we would run it.
A short transfer to an old farmhouse on the Usa River below Mount Meru — one of the nicest arrival nights on the circuit, and only half an hour from the airport.
- Airport meet-and-greet
- Safari briefing
- Walk in the river gardens
- Drive
- 35 km
- Travel time
- 30 minutes
- Overnight
- Usa River
- Meals
- Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Classic
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Dolly Farm & River Camp, depending on availability.
West to the Rift escarpment and into Manyara, which opens in genuine groundwater forest — figs, mahogany, blue monkeys and very large baboon troops — before flattening out to the lake edge where elephant and buffalo graze with flamingo behind them.
- Game drive through the groundwater forest
- Lake edge and flamingo
- Canopy walkway
- Drive
- 120 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours
- Overnight
- Lake Manyara
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Lodge · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge, depending on availability.
Up over the highlands and down onto the short-grass plains. Ndutu straddles the boundary between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti, and off-road driving is permitted on the conservation side — which matters enormously when a cheetah starts hunting two hundred metres from the track.
Two full days here. In February the plains are covered in wildebeest and newborn calves, and lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal are all working the edges of the herds. It is relentless, and it is the best two days of the year to be holding a camera.
- Off-road game driving on the calving grounds
- Dawn and late-afternoon drives on both days
- Predator tracking with your guide
- Balloon flight over the plains
- Drive
- 113 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours plus game viewing
- Overnight
- Ndutu
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Nyumbu Luxury Collection, depending on availability.
North into the Serengeti proper, game driving the whole way. The Moru Kopjes are on this route — granite outcrops that hold lion through the heat of the day, plus Maasai rock paintings and a gong rock that still rings.
- Game drive through the Moru Kopjes
- Maasai rock paintings
- Afternoon drive in the Seronera valley
- Drive
- 67 km
- Travel time
- 1 hour plus game viewing
- Overnight
- Central Serengeti
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, depending on availability.
A last morning drive in the Serengeti, then east and up onto the rim, arriving in time for the light to go over the caldera.
- Morning game drive
- Crater rim at sunset
- Drive
- 145 km
- Travel time
- 2 hours plus game viewing
- Overnight
- Crater rim
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Tonight · Lodge · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp, depending on availability.
Down at opening for a full morning on the crater floor, then out and east. A stop at a Maasai homestead on the way if time allows, and the airport by late afternoon.
- Crater floor game drive
- Maasai community visit
- Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport
- Drive
- 154 km
- Travel time
- 3 hours after the crater
- Overnight
- Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Where you stay
These are the camps we would book. If any are full on your dates we substitute something of the same standard — and we tell you what changed and why.
Rivertrees Country Inn
An old farmhouse on the Usa River below Mount Meru, with big gardens and river-facing rooms. One of the nicest arrival nights…
Manyara Secret Lodge
A small lodge above Lake Manyara on the escarpment, looking out over the Rift Valley floor.
Lake Masek Tented Lodge
On the shore of Lake Masek in the Ndutu area, right on the calving grounds from January to March.
Asanja Moru
A small tented camp among the Moru Kopjes in the southern-central Serengeti, in rhino and lion country.
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Built into the crater rim itself, with rooms looking straight down onto the floor. The location is the whole point.
Prices
| Season | Solo | 2–3 guests | 4–5 guests | 6+ guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 01 April – 31 May The long rains. Lowest prices, greenest landscape, some camps closed. | US$3,850 | US$3,095 | US$2,655 | US$2,436 |
| Shoulder season 01 March – 31 March Also 01 November – 19 December. | US$4,195 | US$3,370 | US$2,895 | US$2,655 |
| High season 01 June – 30 June Also 01 January – 28 February and the month of October. | US$4,580 | US$3,680 | US$3,160 | US$2,900 |
| Peak season 01 July – 30 September Also 20 December – 02 January. Book nine to twelve months ahead. | US$4,925 | US$3,960 | US$3,400 | US$3,120 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Supplements & child rates
| Single supplement For guests travelling alone or wanting a room to themselves. | US$830 per stay |
|---|---|
| Child sharing with two adults Children under 3 travel free of our costs; park fees may still apply. Ages 3–11 | US$1,755 per person |
| Room upgrade — luxury tier Upgrade the safari camps to the next comfort level throughout. | US$1,025 per person |
What is and is not included
Included
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof and a guaranteed window seat
- Professional English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide throughout
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- All accommodation as listed, or a camp of the same standard
- All meals on safari, on a full-board basis
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Airport meet-and-greet and all ground transfers
- Unlimited game drives within park operating hours
- All government taxes and levies
- Emergency evacuation cover (Flying Doctors) for the safari days
- 24-hour contact with our Arusha office for the whole trip
Not included
- International flights to and from Tanzania
- Tanzanian visa — currently obtained on arrival or online in advance
- Travel and medical insurance, which we require you to hold
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Alcoholic and soft drinks unless stated
- Laundry, telephone and other personal expenses
- Optional activities such as balloon flights and cultural visits
- Anything not specifically listed under what is included
Questions we get asked
Yes. You have your own vehicle, your own guide and your own schedule. We do not put unrelated guests together unless you specifically ask us to, in order to share costs.
That is rather the point. Every itinerary on this site is a starting draft. Add nights, drop a park, change the comfort level, start from Zanzibar instead — tell us what you want and we will rebuild it and re-cost it.
A Toyota Land Cruiser adapted for safari: pop-up roof, charging points, a cool box, and enough space that nobody sits in a middle seat. Windows open fully on both sides.
For July to September, nine to twelve months if you want the better camps. For the green season, three to four months is usually enough. We can occasionally do much shorter notice — ask.
It is customary but not compulsory. As a guide, most guests give their driver-guide around US$20–30 per vehicle per day, and leave something in the camp staff box.
Not on this routing in calving season — the crossings happen in the north from about July. If crossings are what you want, tell us and we will move the nights to Kogatende and adjust the dates. Even then, no one can promise a crossing on a given day.
For predator action, in our view yes — and it is far quieter and cheaper. For sheer spectacle, a Mara crossing is hard to beat. It depends which you are after, and we are happy to argue both sides.
Request this safari
Tell us your travel dates and group size. We will adjust the itinerary and send you an exact quote.
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