7-Day Southern Serengeti Migration Safari

Overview

Tour highlights

• Two nights near Lake Ndutu in the green season
• Wildebeest calving, usually around February
• Lions, cheetahs and hyenas following the herds
• A night in the central Serengeti, near the Moru Kopjes area
• Crater floor game drive and Maasai village visit
• Mid-range lodges and camps, with two upscale nights

1. Day 1 Arrival and a Country Lodge Below Mount Meru Stay Mid-range country lodge near Usa River, east of ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After you clear arrivals at Kilimanjaro International Airport, a short drive of about half an hour brings you to a quiet lodge in the farmland near Usa River, between the airport and Arusha. On clear days you can see Mount Meru and, in the distance, Kilimanjaro. Spend the afternoon by the pool or on a riverside walk looking for birds and monkeys.

2. Day 2 Afternoon in Lake Manyara National Park Stay Mid-range lodge near Lake ManyaraMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Drive west to the Rift Valley and Lake Manyara, a trip of roughly two hours. After lunch, enter the national park for an afternoon game drive. The road winds from tall groundwater forest, busy with baboons and blue monkeys, out to open floodplain where elephants, giraffes and buffalo feed and water birds line the shallow soda lake. Your lodge for the night is close to the park.

3. Day 3 Up the Escarpment to the Ndutu Plains Stay Tented lodge or seasonal tented camp in the Ndutu areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Climb through the Ngorongoro Highlands and drop down onto the wide grasslands of the southern ecosystem. Ndutu sits inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, right on the Serengeti boundary, around Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek. In the migration months the plains here can be covered with wildebeest and zebra. Spend the afternoon on a game drive, then check in to your tented accommodation for two nights.

4. Day 4 A Full Day With the Herds Stay Tented lodge or seasonal tented camp in the Ndutu areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Today is about the migration. Head out early with a packed lunch and let your guide read the plains. Where the herds go, predators follow, so watch for lion prides, cheetahs and hyenas working the edges. If you travel in the calving weeks, usually around February, you may see newborn wildebeest finding their feet within minutes. The area also has resident elephants and plenty of birdlife.

5. Day 5 Ndutu to the Moru Kopjes, Central Serengeti Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Enjoy a last morning game drive around Ndutu and a picnic lunch, then drive north into the Serengeti National Park. The central plains around the Moru Kopjes, granite outcrops where lions often rest and klipspringers move over the rocks, are your afternoon game-drive area before you settle in for a relaxed dinner. This is the most upscale night of the trip.

6. Day 6 Serengeti Morning, Crater Rim at Dusk Stay Upscale lodge or camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Make the most of a morning game drive in the central Serengeti, then begin the drive back toward the highlands, game viewing as you leave the park. By late afternoon you reach the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, where it is noticeably cooler. From the rim, the crater floor spreads out below, and you may be able to pick out herds and the soda lake with binoculars.

7. Day 7 Crater Floor, Maasai Village, Return to Arusha Meals Breakfast, Lunch

   Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast for a game drive on the crater floor, with a picnic lunch beside one of its pools. Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo and lions are common, and black rhino are present in small numbers. In the late afternoon, stop at a Maasai village for a cultural visit, then continue to Arusha or the airport, about two hours away.

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