8-Day Kenya & Tanzania Great Migration Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Isebania / Sirari Border → Northern or Central Serengeti → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Maasai Mara

   You leave Nairobi after breakfast and head for Maasai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game as the light softens through the afternoon. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Maasai Mara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Maasai Mara Safari

   Use a full day to follow current herd and resident-wildlife conditions across plains and riverine areas. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on season and conditions. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. The evening returns you to your Maasai Mara accommodation for dinner and overnight.

3. Day 3

   Full-Day Maasai Mara Safari

   Return to productive habitat or explore another sector, allowing patient time without expecting a scheduled crossing. The drives cover open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, moving between habitats as conditions change. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. Dinner and overnight are again at your Maasai Mara camp or lodge.

4. Day 4

   Maasai Mara to Serengeti

   After breakfast you leave Maasai Mara and travel on toward Serengeti. Travel through the confirmed Isebania–Sirari immigration and operating-team handover before continuing to the selected Serengeti sector. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Serengeti.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   Follow the seasonally appropriate Serengeti landscape on a full game-drive day shaped by natural movement. The drives cover vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, moving between habitats as conditions change. Keep watch for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra as you move between the different habitats. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are again at your Serengeti camp or lodge.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Serengeti Safari

   Use another day for migration context and resident wildlife, with sector choices adjusted to current information. Your route takes in vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a third night at Serengeti.

7. Day 7

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands

   After breakfast you leave Serengeti and travel on toward Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Once you reach Ngorongoro Highlands there is time to check in before heading out among a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro Highlands camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

8. Day 8

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   The morning starts in Ngorongoro Crater, from where you continue overland to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival in Arusha is usually in the afternoon, depending on traffic and road conditions on the approach. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport in Arusha.