9 Day Wildebeest Migration Safari

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, our VIP visa specialist will meet and welcome you to East Africa and guide you through the Tanzania visa process, helping you skip long immigration queues. With Serengeti Joy Tours you are escorted from arrival to departure, making your arrival in Tanzania completely worry-free. Outside the airport, a Serengeti Joy Tours representative holding a sign with your name will transfer you to Arusha (45 minutes) and the serene Kili Villa Retreat, set on a picturesque coffee plantation with beautiful views of Mount Meru, the ideal place to settle in to Africa.

Stay: Kili Villa Retreat

Depart Arusha at 08:30 in your 4x4 vehicle and drive to Tarangire National Park, a unique place that is absolutely fantastic at this time of year. View some of Tanzania's largest elephant populations and enjoy the diverse scenery, including the dramatic baobab trees so typical of the park. Enjoy a picnic lunch near the Tarangire River, then continue game viewing until the end of the day before driving to Tarangire Tree Tops Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Stay: Tarangire Tree Tops Hotel

An African morning brings calm to Tarangire, with haze rising through the 300-year-old trees, yet the bush is eventful. Antelopes stop and listen for predators, elephants push through the trees and giraffes feed silently. Morning is the premier time for a game drive, when big cats are on the move and the grass betrays their camouflage. Just ten meters away a cheetah may be concealing itself among the green, and on some mornings you watch a whole stalking and hunting scene unfold. The day continues with a bush walk through the Tanzanian woodland, a sundowner with cocktails and a night game drive, before dinner and overnight at Tarangire Tree Tops Hotel.

Stay: Tarangire Tree Tops Hotel

After breakfast with a fine view, leave the camp with a game drive en route to the Tarangire gate, then drive the short distance to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day of game viewing in this unique park with its alkaline lake and breathtaking views. Enjoy a picnic lunch under the acacia trees, the habitat favored by the park's famous tree-climbing lions, leopards and giraffes. The park can claim one of the greatest elephant concentrations in East Africa, and colorful flocks of birds gather on the saline lake to feed; over 300 bird species have been recorded here. After an afternoon game drive, continue to the lush andBeyond Lake Manyara Lodge for cocktails, dinner and overnight.

Stay: andBeyond Lake Manyara Lodge

After an early breakfast, explore the famous Ngorongoro Crater on a game drive with a picnic lunch. Often described as one of the wonders of the world, it is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera and a natural sanctuary for some of Africa's densest animal populations. It is one of the few places where the rare black rhino can be seen in its natural setting. As very few animals migrate in and out of the crater with its 2,000 ft high walls, you can expect lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, flamingos, jackals, rhinos, antelopes and many birds. With a bit of luck, the Big Five can be spotted in a single game drive. Return for a bush dinner, cocktails and overnight.

Stay: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

After breakfast, drive toward Serengeti National Park, stopping at Olduvai Gorge, often referred to as the Cradle of Mankind and one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world, with a cultural visit to a Maasai village along the way. Continue into the Serengeti with its endless plains rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. Head through the central Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, where the Seronera River provides a valuable water source and attracts wildlife representative of most of the Serengeti's species, before reaching Taasa Lodge for the night.

Stay: Taasa Lodge – Suite Chalet

Walking in the bush, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of Africa, is a completely different and more personal experience than a drive in a safari vehicle. Learn about medicinal plants, how to start a fire with sticks and the wildlife you might encounter, and look out for the small oribi, which thrives here but is extremely scarce elsewhere in northern Tanzania. After a sunset drive and sundowner, load into an open-sided Toyota Land Cruiser with warm blankets and head out under starlit skies. Your Maasai tracker sweeps a floodlight for the reflective eyes of predators, and you may see striped hyena on the prowl or lions on the hunt. Dinner and overnight at Taasa Lodge.

Stay: Taasa Lodge – Suite Chalet

Start your day with a sunrise safari at 06:00, followed by a late breakfast. Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti's northern corridor, witnessing the migration of wildebeest and zebras along with lions, cheetahs and an array of other wildlife. End the day with a magical sundowner at Taasa Lodge, where luxurious en-suite tents feature private verandas, cozy sitting areas and spacious bathrooms. A cultural experience around the campfire and a festive farewell bush dinner create unforgettable memories in the African bush.

Stay: Taasa Lodge – Suite Chalet

Begin with an early morning game drive to spot nocturnal predators returning from their hunts and animals in the soft morning light, or enjoy breakfast at the lodge. Take a final drive through the Big and Small Marsh Plains, then transfer to Lobo Airstrip for your 09:30 flight with Regional Air to Arusha Airport, arriving at 12:15. A driver will take you for a farewell lunch at Butter & Scotch, Sable Square, before transferring you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure.