This 9 Days Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari is a Mara River Migration Crossing Great Migration tour that is prepared to provide you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the wildebeest migration – the world’s largest migration of wildlife ever witnessed in the world.
The wildebeest migration begins in Serengeti National Park. The wildebeests tend to congregate in February when they give birth to 300,000 calves, and the reason for their concentration in the south is to give their calves the richest milk, as the soil and grass are rich in potassium, calcium, and phosphorus from the volcanic eruptions that happened two to three million years ago.
This wildebeest Migration safari takes you to the best destinations to witness this spectacular phenomenon
Highlights of 9 Days Wildebeest Migration Safari
Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Arusha
Day 2: Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Day 3: Transfer from Tarangire Lake to Manyara National Park
Day 4: Game Drive in the Ngorongoro Crater
Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Day 6: Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
Day 7: Transfer from Central Serengeti to Northern Serengeti
Day 8: Game Drive in Northern Serengeti (Mara River Crossing) and transfer to Central Serengeti
Day 9: Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport/Arusha Town
Detailed Itinerary of 9 Days Wildebeest Migration Safari
Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Arusha
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), you will be picked up by a representative of Focus East Africa Tours and transferred to the hotel in Arusha for an overnight.
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast
Day 2: Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Enjoy breakfast and depart from Arusha for a two-hour drive to Tarangire National park passing the bustling Masai Villages and the vast open plains, offering you the best picture of Africa. Once you enter the park, you will embark on a game drive across the scenic plains of the park, dotted with the legendary Baobab Trees.
You will enjoy sighting the Tarangire River, which runs through the park and is the main source of water for the animals in the region, most especially during the dry season. During the game drive, you will spot large herds of elephants, zebra, antelopes, among others.
Enjoy a picnic lunch with a view of the Tarangire River. In the evening, you will head to your lodge for check-in and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 3: Transfer from Tarangire Lake to Manyara National Park
Enjoy breakfast and head out for a great walk on Tanzania’s first Treetop Walkway, providing a great experience of the forest. The walkway is found in Lake Manyara National Park.
These 370 meters walk starts with a short boardwalk that gradually rises from the ground level up to the canopy of the forest. You will walk over a series of suspension bridges with thick netting on the sides and reach a height of 18 m off the ground. Each of the hanging bridges will end on a viewing deck situated around the tree trunks.
This thrilling experience starts with a briefing of the walk by the guides. There are a number of guides on the platforms who will tell you the interesting facts about the forest ecology and animal life. The walkway offers a great opportunity to spot all kinds of butterflies, birds, monkeys, and enjoy an eye’s view of the surroundings.
In the evening, you will head to your lodge for check-in and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 4: Game Drive in the Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, you will depart for Ngorongoro Crater, which is considered one of the 8th Wonder of the World and is the largest intact caldera in the world. The crater floor is home to over 120 species of mammals, including the fabled Big Five, and is among the best places to see endangered species. Some of the animals calling the crater home include leopards, cheetahs, jackals, hyenas, zebras, cape buffaloes, antelopes, and many more.
Ngorongoro Crater is truly one of Africa’s premier safari destinations.
On arrival, you will enjoy viewing the crater from the viewpoint, then descend to the crater floor for a full day game drive with your packed lunch. In the evening, you will ascend and head to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Have an early breakfast and head to Serengeti National Park for a full day of game drive. The adventure will begin with scenic drives towards the Serengeti, and along the way, you will pass through mist-shrouded rainforests of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and if you are lucky, you will spot cape buffaloes, leopards, and lions, among others.
You will enjoy scenic views of the endless and iconic savannah landscape and the sheer number of animals roaming in these grassy plains. You will enjoy lunch at a picnic site, then continue exploring the park. In the evening, you will head to the lodge for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 6: Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
On the 6th day of your 9 Days Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari, after breakfast, you will head on a drive across the plains and through the Kopjes heading to the central plains. Along the way, you will have an opportunity to see the diverse scenery as you pass through wooded hills, tumble on kopjes, and the wide-open savannah. During the drive, you will spot elephants, giraffes, and diminutive dik-dik, among others.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 7: Transfer from Central Serengeti to Northern Serengeti
Wake up before dawn and head out for a sunrise game drive on which you will watch the sun as it sets fire to the savannah. You will also have an opportunity to see predators in action as they take advantage of the low light and cooler temperatures to hunt for prey.
This is the ideal time to see predators, that is, lions, leopards, and cheetahs in action as they hunt for wildebeests, zebras, and other herbivores. Return to the lodge for a late breakfast, freshen up, and head on a journey to the Northern Serengeti with a packed lunch. During the drive, you will see Serengeti’s diverse wildlife to the fullest. In the evening, you will head to the lodge for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 8: Game Drive in Northern Serengeti (Mara River Crossing) and transfer to Central Serengeti
On this day, you will wake up early and head to the park for a hot air balloon experience. You will join other tourists at the landing site for a briefing as you watch the balloon being inflated. Climb into the basket, and as the balloon soars into the sky, you will enjoy the magnificent sunrise as you float in the sky. You will enjoy an eye’s view of the endless plains of Serengeti National Park and animals such as lions, elephants, leopards, and cape buffaloes, among others.
At the end of the experience, you will enjoy a champagne brunch.
With a game drive, you will continue exploring the plains of Serengeti National Park with a picnic lunch.
Meal plan: Full Board
Day 9: Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport/Arusha Town
On this last day of the safari, you will have an en-route morning game drive as you transfer back to Arusha for a drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight, marking the end of your 9 Days Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Safari
