8-Day Serengeti Safari from Arusha: Wildebeest Migration

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/8

Duration8d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · DE +3

PickupAt your hotel

The Mara River crossing happens in front of you, not on a screen.

An 8-day safari from Arusha through Tanzania's Northern Circuit, traveling by vehicle with a professional guide through Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Serengeti National Park to track the annual wildebeest migration. Park fees, accommodation at mid-range lodges, and all transport are included; the guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French or another language of your choice. Minimum age is 18; international flights are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival in Arusha

Picked up from airport
Transfer to accommodation
Overnight and relax

Day 2 — Tarangire National Park

Collected from accommodation after breakfast
Drive to Tarangire National Park
Game drive in Tarangire
Lunch at picnic site
Drive to accommodation in Karatu

Day 3 — Serengeti National Park

Breakfast at accommodation
Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Stop at Ngorongoro Crater viewpoint
Drive to Serengeti National Park south
Game drive in Serengeti
Drive to accommodation

Day 4 — Northern Serengeti National Park

Breakfast at accommodation
Drive through Serengeti to northern region
Game viewing of migration

Day 5 — Northern Serengeti National Park

Breakfast at accommodation
Explore hills, forests, and plains
Observe Mara River crossing
Wildlife viewing of predators and prey

Day 6 — Northern to Central Serengeti

Breakfast at accommodation
Game drive returning to Central Serengeti
Search for migrating animals

Day 7 — Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater

Drive through Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Arrive at Ngorongoro Crater by lunchtime
Drive down into crater
Afternoon game drive in crater
Drive to accommodation in Karatu

Day 8 — Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

Drive to Lake Manyara National Park
Game drive in Lake Manyara
Picnic lunch inside park
Drop off at chosen location

The Experience

The safari starts with airport pickup and a night in Arusha to settle in. The next morning the guide collects you after breakfast and drives two and a half hours on tarmac to Tarangire National Park, where the Tarangire River is the only water source for wildlife in the dry season. Elephant families gather at the river; you'll also see giraffes, bushbuck, hartebeest, and predators including lions and leopards. The park holds more breeding bird species than anywhere else on the planet, and ancient baobab trees—some over a thousand years old—stand across the landscape. Lunch is a picnic inside the park before the afternoon game drive, then you drive to accommodation in Karatu.

Day three takes you through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area toward the Serengeti, with a stop at Ngorongoro Crater itself. The crater floor sits 2,000 feet below the rim and holds its own ecosystem: wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, over 500 bird species, and a genuine chance to see the endangered black rhino in the open grasslands. You reach the Serengeti by evening. The next two days are spent in the northern Serengeti, where the wildebeest migration usually congregates at this time of year. Over two million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra and antelope move in search of fresh grazing and water. The Mara River cuts through this region, and during the crossing, Nile crocodiles wait in the water while lions, hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs wait on the far bank. The landscape here is different from the south—hills, riverine forests, rocky outcrops, and plains replace the open grasslands.

The return journey moves you slowly back through Central Serengeti with an en route game drive, then through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area again (giraffes are common on the lush slopes) to reach the crater by lunchtime for an afternoon game drive. The final day takes you to Lake Manyara National Park, 120 kilometers west of Arusha. It's one of Africa's narrowest parks but dense with wildlife: the Great Rift Escarpment towers over its western edge, the shallow salt lake hosts thousands of wading birds including flamingos, and the park is famous for tree-climbing lions. You'll see baboons and elephants in the thick evergreen forest. Lunch is a picnic inside the park, and afterward you're dropped at your choice of destination—Arusha, Kilimanjaro International Airport, or Arusha Airport.

What’s included

All park entry fees.
accommodation at mid-range lodges (Ilboru Safari Lodge in Arusha, Eileen's Trees Inn in Karatu, Land of Nature Camp in Central Serengeti, and Heritage Mara Camp in the north).
all transport by vehicle with a professional driver/guide.
picnic lunches inside the parks on days two, three, four, five, six, and eight.
airport pickup and final drop-off at your choice of location.
all taxes and VAT.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Lion King Adventures

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to track the wildebeest migration across multiple Serengeti zones and prefer watching wildlife from your vehicle rather than hiking.