9 Days (Western Serengeti Migration) – Tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Day 1 - Arusha to Tarangire

Pick up at 7:30 AM from your hotel in Arusha and depart for Tarangire National Park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. Tanzania’s third largest National park is known for its majestic baobab trees that dot the landscape, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you.

Day 2 - Tarangire

Your day will begin after a breakfast by about 8AM with a full day game drive in Tarangire National Park ahead of you. The national park is extremely famous and special for its diverse landscape and nine different vegetation zones. As you begin your game drive, you will be welcomed by the ancient and gigantic Baobab trees, which make even animals like the giraffe look tiny. The 3,000 Sq Kms park gets its name from the Tarangire river that flows through it. The river attracts a lot of diverse animals and you should be able to spot a lot of elephants, giraffe, lions, antelopes and zebras. The Tarangire National Park has the highest concentration of elephants, which offers a unique chance for you to observe interactions between elephant families. Don’t forget to capture this beautiful scenery with your camera ready at hand. Post the game drive, you will head back to your camp/lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you. Have a good night’s sleep for tomorrow's adventure.

Day 3 - Lake Natron

Your day will begin after breakfast by about 8:00 AM. We depart with packed lunch boxes towards Lake Natron. Located about 3.5 hours drive away from Mto Wa Mbu/Manyara, Lake Natron is a surreal destination and unique natural spectacle. Its waters are highly alkaline and are unusually shallow, averaging just one meter in depth. After checking into your lodge and a short break, put your walking shoes on as a Maasai tribesman takes you on a walk around the shores of Lake Natron on the lookout for birds, especially the lesser flamingos. Lake Natron is the most important and regular breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa hosting up to 2 million of them during the breeding season. The majority of egg-laying and hatching takes place from September to January. After the hike, you will head back to your camp/lodge for a well deserved dinner and rest.

Day 4 - Lake Natron to Central Serengeti

Your day starts early. Around 6:00 AM, accompanied by a Maasai guide, enjoy some light hiking to the nearby Ngare Sero waterfalls and relax in the cool spray of water cascading down the rocks of this scenic ravine. Make sure to bring your shoes! We return to accommodation by 8:30 AM and finishing up a good breakfast, will head out towards the Serengeti National Park. This road trip takes through variety of sites: towns and villages, savannah and forest, and you’ll be able to spot animals like antelope, wildebeest and zebra. We enter Serengeti in the afternoon and drive towards Central Serengeti. You will have an afternoon game drive in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. A picnic lunch will be done during the day long game drive itself. The eventful day comes to an end with dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 5 - Central Serengeti

You can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full day game drives around 9:00 AM with packed lunch and return back to lodge late afternoon around 6:00 PM. Or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today. The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti - known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. During the off season of the migration, one must really look out for the many lion pride that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion pride provide an excellent game viewing experience all year round. Along with a picnic lunch during the full day game drive, the day will come to a close by around 5PM. The long day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 6 - Central Serengeti to Western Serengeti

You can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for game drives around 8:30 AM with packed lunch or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and depart to Western Serengeti with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park today and move towards the western part of the park. During May/June wildebeest herds are spread around the western corridor of Serengeti(consisting of Grumeti, Kirariwa regions), on their way from their birthing grounds in Ndutu (Southern Serengeti) to their breeding grounds in the Mara region (North Serengeti). The en route game drive towards the Grumeti region will also offer mild action from the resident game. The western region offers a variety of resident game such as zebras, hippo, gazelle, elands, topi, buffaloes, leopards, lions, black and white colobus monkeys. A picnic lunch will be done during the day-long drive itself. Based on the time of your arrival you will be able to spend a few hours by the Grumeti river which attracts thousands of mammals. Buffalo and hippopotamus rarely stray far from water and are also home to Nile crocodiles. The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 7 - Western Serengeti

You can either have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full day game drives around 9:00 AM with packed lunch and return back to lodge late afternoon around 6:00 PM. Or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. In the months between May to mid-June, the migration might be found in this region. Fierce, deep and heavily rain fed the river takes an enormous toll on the migrating wildebeest. Watching the wildebeest surging through the torrential flow, some drowning and a few falling preys to lurking crocodiles is an unforgettable sight. If it’s your lucky day you will be able to witness this natural wonder and watch nature take its course. During the full day game drive, you will have a stop where you can have your picnic lunch. The day comes to an end with a tasty dinner and a good rest in your accommodation.

Day 8 - Western Serengeti to Ngorongoro

After breakfast, you will have a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park. Later proceed with enroute game drives in the direction of Ngorongoro Conservation Area with picnic lunch. Ngorongoro Crater is the largest collapsed volcanic crater in the world and fourteen kilometers of isolated natural beauty. Ngorongoro Crater is surrounded by a ring of extinct volcanoes and the floor, dotted with watering holes, shelters some 30,000 animals. The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation.

Day 9 - Ngorongoro Crater Tour  to Arusha

On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start. Finishing up with a quick breakfast you will make an early descent at around 6:30 AM into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq kms with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, Hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, you will begin a steep ascend to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4hr drive left to Arusha. You will be dropped off to your preferred location in Arusha by 6:00 PM in the evening. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you bid goodbye to your team.

Meals

Day 1 - Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9 - Breakfast & Lunch

Transfer Times

Day 1 - Arusha to Tarangire takes about 2.5 to 3 hours (106 km)
Day 2 - No transfers
Day 3 - Tarangire to Lake Natron takes about 3.5 to 4 hours (162 km)
Day 4 - Lake Natron to Central Serengeti takes about 5.5 to 6 hours
Day 5 - No transfers
Day 6 - Central Serengeti to Western Serengeti takes about 1.5 to 2 hours (72 km)
Day 7 - No transfers
Day 8 - Western Serengeti to NCA takes about 4.5 to 5 hours (223 km)
Day 9 - NCA to Arusha takes about 4 to 4.5 hours (154 km)

Note: These are estimated drive times. Because of the traffic, location of the accommodations, and several other factors, actual drive times may vary. Driving distances are approximate and do not account for exact places.

SAFARI INCLUDE:

• Full board (breakfast, lunch & dinner) accommodation.
• All game drives viewing in a custom built 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser
• All park and entrance fees
• Transportation with 4×4 vehicles with viewing roofs
• Professional English-speaking driver/guide or other language as specified during the safari.
• Bottled water in safari vehicles
• Ngorongoro Crater car supplement fee if itinerary includes crater.
• Current Government taxes and levies
• 24-Hour support during the safari from our office in Bomangombe near to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

SAFARI NOT INCLUDE:

• Internal or International flights
• Transfers to and from the airport (Unless mentioned otherwise).
• Balloon excursion (US$600 pp)
• Entry visa to Tanzania.
• Travel and health insurance
• Gratuities to your guide, hotel staff, and porters
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour (Unless mentioned otherwise).
• Any other items of a personal nature, laundry, telephone and postage
  Item of personal Nature