Twelve Full Days: July to October Great Migration Itinerary

This safari gives you plenty of time to enjoy your travels in Northern Tanzania. If you have always dreamed of seeing the Great Migration, this may be the trip for you.  You get to see the best of Northern Tanzania’s national parks (TarangireLake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and of course the Serengeti!) while spending three full days in the Northern Serengeti to enjoy all the details of the spectacle that is the Great Migration of the wildebeest herds.  Then relax by the water in Zanzibar and head home refreshed and full of stories!

This safari is twelve full days, where you arrive in the afternoon or evening beforehand.  (You may discover that many ‘twelve-day’ itineraries are actually eleven full days plus your evening arrival…)  You will see an amazing amount of wildlife, and, with our expert guides, enjoy a carefree and exhilarating adventure in this African wildlife safari.  Visit hidden corners, see the hotspots, and linger along the way.  You have plenty of time to see these places that many can only dream of.

  • Arrival

     

    Welcome and overnight in Arusha

    On arrival, your friendly guide will welcome you and take you to your accommodation, and help you get settled in.  He or she will make sure you are all set for supper and will go over your planned itinerary with you to answer any questions you have.  He or she will also want to hear about any special dreams you may not yet have mentioned, as all our guides want your entire experience to be superb.  Once you are settled and comfortable, your guide will leave you to enjoy the evening and the sounds and smells of the Tanzanian night.

  • Full Day One

    Arusha to Tarangire Park

    Have a wonderful early breakfast at your hotel in Arusha and let the adventure begin on the road to Tarangire National Park (famous for its elephant population and baobab trees).  If this is your first trip to Africa, you’ll learn that the journey is half the fun!  Watch for donkeys, cattle and all sorts of new flora and fauna on your way to the Park, then enjoy your first afternoon game drive inside Tarangire.  You are likely to see elephants and birds of all stripes and colors.  Likely, too, to see giraffe, zebra, impala; and possibly even lions.  Dinner and overnight at a lodge at Tarangire.

     

    Full Day One

  • FULL DAY TWO

     

    Tarangire National Park

    Enjoy a full day of game drives in Tarangire.  Watch elephants thundering down the hillside towards you, or Zebra kicking up the river water with their hooves.  Watch giraffe running through the acacia, and see if you can spot a lion, just waiting for someone to come near.  See how many different varieties of birds you can spot, as your guide is quick to point them out if you are interested.  Watch for leopards if you’re lucky.  Because you have a full day available to you, you might even choose to drive down to the Silale Swamp where you can watch elephants and hippos eating their fill in the reeds, and see more birdlife than you have probably even imagined.  Egrets, Egyptian Geese, storks, eagles, ducks, lilac-breasted rollers and many, many more birds hang out near the swamp and enjoy the lush greenery and the plentiful water.  Stop for your packed lunch whenever the mood suits, and let your guide show you all the natural wonders to be found in Tarangire.  Maybe spot the banded mongoose stretched out over termite mounds enjoying their afternoon naps.  Many guests have said that Tarangire is really their favorite of all the national parks they visit; you might just find yourself among them!

  • FULL DAY THREE

    Lake Manyara To Ngorongoro

    Leave Tarangire after a good breakfast and head up via the Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park, where you will look for the famous tree-climbing lions.  The drive itself is fascinating as you watch the scenery change along the way.  Cruise slowly along the lake and stop to stretch your legs at the hot springs, or the boardwalk.  Watch for hippos, warthogs, zebras, Cape buffalo – and the ever-present baboons!  You will find kingfishers, herons, spoonbills, storks, pelicans, bee-eaters, and many other species by the lakeshore.  If you’re lucky you may even see the amazing fishing hunt/dance of the night herons.  Enjoy Lake Manyara, and then as the afternoon goes on, head off on your way towards Ngorongoro, where you will spend the night.  Enjoy the view, evening meal and luxuries from your accommodation perched high on the rim overlooking the world-famous Ngorongoro crater.

     

    FULL DAY THREE

  • FULL DAY FOUR

     

    Ngorongoro Crater

    This day will be spectacular.  After breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day game drive and see the large numbers of animals living in this (relatively) small space, a World Heritage Site.  The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera formed when the Ngorongoro volcano exploded some 2 million years ago.  Some 25,000 animals live in the Crater, including Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebra, eland and many other species.  You may even have a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.  Visit the yellow fever tree groves, and ask your guide about them.  Watch for flamingos on the lake in the middle of the Crater, and keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of animals – large and small.  Then return to your accommodation on the Crater rim to download pictures, dream about your day, and eat a wonderful evening meal.

  • FULL DAY FIVE

    Ngorongoro to Serengeti Seronera

    Enjoy another morning game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater (last chance to find those black rhinoceros if you didn’t see them the day before!) then head out towards the Serengeti.  The drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area is an experience in itself.  Watch for Maasai villages, donkeys on the road, scenic lakes, and the dry, dry regions where any vehicle moving kicks up dust you can see an hour away!  Pass through the Naabi Hill Gate into the Serengeti itself.  There is a bit of a walking trail at the Gate if you want to stretch your legs and some amazing views from here.  Depending on the time, your guide may take you on a brief tour of the kopjes (look for lions lolling in the sun).  Then you will drive up towards the central Serengeti and your tented camp.  Note that calling it tented fails to describe the luxury you will find; this is not camping but luxury accommodations under canvas in the midst of the animals!

     

    FULL DAY FIVE

  • FULL DAY SIX

     

    Serengeti – Seronera to Mara

    After breakfast, you will start your journey up towards the Mara area of the Northern Serengeti.  As you leave camp, depending on what time it is, you may well be able to spot lions or cheetah – as well as all animals that are now becoming old friends; impala, elephant, giraffe, and zebra.  Maybe even a few wildebeest stragglers.  And you’ll start to recognize a few birds now, too.  The Serengeti is well on its way to feeling like home – although excitement still lurks around every corner.  Enjoy the Seronera area, which is always rich in game at this time of year.  Today the journey itself will be a large part of your adventure.  Your guide will drive you towards the Ikoma gate, where you will temporarily leave the Serengeti and drive through the Ikorongo Game reserve.  This road is bumpy and dusty but quite the adventure as you travel back towards the Tabora B Gate where you renter the Serengeti, now in the Northern Mara Area.  You’ll start seeing larger and larger groups of wildebeest as you move into this area.  You will likely pass the very small Kogatenda airstrip (watch for wildlife on the runway!) as you approach the Mara river and your accommodation for the next few nights.  Depending on how much stopping you did along the way, you may even have time for a late afternoon game drive.

  • Full Day SEVEN

    Northern Serengeti Mara Region

    Depending on how you feel after the drive yesterday (and whether the wildebeest chewing near your tent or lions roaring in the distance kept you up in the night!), you may choose to relax a little this morning, or, you may be so excited you want to get up early and explore.  Either way, your guide and the camp will be happy to accommodate your wishes.  When you’re ready, you will head down towards the Mara river, seeking that first exciting crossing.  You may have seen National Geographic or other videos of the great herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River.  They slowly make their way towards the river, and then a pathfinder will gradually test the waters and decide whether it is safe to cross.  Once he makes up his mind, thousands of wildebeest will follow in a great explosion of dust and thundering herds.  With the right timing, you may get to see this once-in-a-lifetime explosive crossing, with crocodiles and hippos lurking in the shadows.  Whether you see a crossing or not (or more than one!), your game drives through the Mara region will show you distinctive landscapes and an abundance of wild animals.  Watch for vultures circling to see where someone has eaten his lunch.  Watch hippos coming out of the water and walking across the grass – but stay out of their way as hippos are actually the most dangerous animals in Africa!  Look for hyrax or klipspringers in and around the kopjes, and smile at the banded mongoose who travel in groups and look like children’s toys.  Enjoy a full day of game drives in the Mara region, and return to your tent at night ready for a hot meal and sundowners around the fire.

     

    Full Day SEVEN

  • Full Day Eight

     

    Mara and back to the Central Serengeti via the Retina Hippo Pool

    Enjoy another morning game drive in the Mara area.  You may want to seek out one more crossing, or you may be more interested in exploring along the river (hippos, crocodiles and river birds galore), or you may drive up towards the kopjes and enjoy the views out over the river and maybe find a klipspringer or some hyrax in the rocks.  Either way, enjoy your final morning with the great herds of wildebeest, and then take the trip back down into the central Serengeti region.  Along the way, stop at the Retina Hippo Pool for an experience you won’t find anywhere else.  There can be multiple hundreds of hippos in this relatively small pool, and happily there is a parking area above with an outlook so you can get out, stretch your legs, and enjoy the experience for as long as you like.  Watch baby hippos bobbing, hippos getting in and out of the water, sloshing each other and sometimes play fighting or asserting their dominance.  The stench can be outrageous, but you’ll hardly notice with all there is to see.  Elephants and dik-diks often hang out around this pool as well, as do a variety of birds and – of course – monkeys, so keep your camera ready and any food in the vehicle!  As dusk draws in, you will arrive at your evening accommodation, ready for bush T.V. and drinks and a good meal.

  • Full Day NINE

    Serengeti to Arusha

    Enjoy a morning game drive as the sun rises over the Serengeti.  Watch the hot air balloons waft overhead; you may even see lions or topi or other animals that appear to be watching them go.  The balloons and the rising sun give a dreamy atmosphere to the morning.  Being back in the central Serengeti, you are likely to spot plentiful game as you drive downwards and back towards the Naabi Hill Gates where you will exit the park.  Then enjoy the drive back to Arusha, where you will spend a relaxing evening and have a chance to start processing all that you have seen in the last week.  Sharing photos and stories with friends back home can be a great way to solidify some of those incredible memories while they are still so fresh and clear.

     

    Full Day NINE

  • FULL DAY TEN

     

    Zanzibar and Stone Town

    In the morning, transfer by airplane to Zanzibar.  Your guide (who now feels like an old friend) will pick you up in the morning and take you to the airport for a small plane flight.  Watch for Kilimanjaro through the airplane windows as you fly right by it – on a clear day you can have amazing views.  Then watch through the windows as the plane descends over the Zanzibar archipelago; you’ll see changing water and brilliant greens and blues below you, with many smaller and larger islands, and you’ll know that you are truly arriving in an island paradise.  You’ll be met at the airport and taken to your accommodation in or near Stone Town.  In the afternoon, take a walking tour of Stone Town where you can admire the unique antique carved doors and the markets and artisans offering their wares.  Maybe you’ll stop at the Old Fort, or the Hamamni Persian Baths, or simply find a terrace overlooking the ocean and sit awhile and enjoy drinks or a meal.

  • FULL DAY ELEVEN

    Relaxing on Zanzibar

    Today will be arranged to suit you down to a T.   Visit a spice farm (nutmeg, cloves, vanilla!) or visit Changuu Island (an easy boat trip from Stone Town to see Giant Aldabra Tortoises) or travel to Jozani National Forest to see the red Colobus monkeys – which live only on Zanzibar – and the mangrove forest.  Or chose to spend the day at your beachfront resort simply enjoying yourself (massage?  swimming?  beachcombing?).  Feel the ocean breezes, and let the dust from your travel wash away in the wonder of the blue blue waters.  Or (choices abound!) we can arrange for you to go looking for dolphins or to go snorkelling off Mnemba Island (amazing tropical fish lurk just below the surface).  Whatever your pleasure, this will be a day full of interest and indulgence.  In the evening, relax on the beach and feel the ocean breezes while you watch the brilliant stars above.

     

    FULL DAY ELEVEN

  • FULL DAY TWELVE

     

    Zanzibar to Departure

    Enjoy one last morning relaxing on the beach – or taking photographs of the brilliant colours and the busy local life around you.  Watch fishermen going out for the day’s catch, or listen to the birds singing nearby.  Later on, we will take you back to the airport for your departure flight.  You may be sad to leave, but you’ll have safari stories to tell for years to come!

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