9-Day Great Migration Calving Season Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ndutu / Southern Serengeti → Central Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Arusha

   Meet the team for a safari briefing and rest before travelling into the northern circuit. Arusha is northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner and overnight are at your hotel in Arusha.

2. Day 2

   Arusha to Ngorongoro Highlands

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Arusha for the drive to Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Ngorongoro Highlands.

3. Day 3

   Highlands to Ndutu / Southern Serengeti

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from the Ngorongoro Highlands to Ndutu / Southern Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, depending on movement and conditions on the day. 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. The evening is spent at your Ndutu / Southern Serengeti accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Full-Day Ndutu / Southern Serengeti Safari

   Follow current herd movement across Ndutu or the southern Serengeti, with no guarantee of a birth or predator encounter. 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. Dinner and overnight are again at your Ndutu / Southern Serengeti camp or lodge.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Ndutu / Southern Serengeti Safari

   Use another full day for the changing green-season landscape and its wider resident wildlife. Much of the day is spent among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, depending on season and conditions. 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 Ndutu / Southern Serengeti camp or lodge.

6. Day 6

   Southern to Central Serengeti

   After breakfast you leave the Southern Serengeti and travel on toward Central Serengeti. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes 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. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Central Serengeti.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Central Serengeti Safari

   Explore central valleys and plains for resident wildlife beyond the seasonal herd narrative. You travel through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, depending on season and conditions. 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. The evening returns you to your Central Serengeti accommodation for dinner and overnight.

8. Day 8

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater

   The morning starts in Serengeti, from where you continue overland to Ngorongoro Crater, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Ngorongoro Crater.

9. Day 9

   Ngorongoro Highlands to Arusha

   After breakfast you leave Ngorongoro Highlands and travel on toward Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. The drive brings you back into Arusha in the afternoon, where the safari comes to a close. 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.