World Wildlife Fund

The Great Tanzania Migration Safari

$6,295 per person, based on double occupancy; single supplement: $895

Trip Overview

Like endless, shaking thunder, wildebeests and zebra flow like a river across the vast Serengeti savannah. Lions and cheetahs follow in their wake, finely tuned hunting machines ready to stalk and take down the weakest members of the herds. In the center of the world’s greatest ancient migration route, you'll be encompassed in a primal spectacle as the drama of predator and prey unfolds before you.

Trip Itinerary

Please note that the dates below do not include travel time to and from the destination. We suggest consulting our tour operator, Natural Habitat Adventures, to discuss the best flight options for your travels.

Sunday, March 13, 2011: Arusha, Tanzania
Upon arrival in Arusha, transfer to your lodge, which is set on 12 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens just outside the city. Spend the afternoon enjoying this relaxing respite, relaxing by the pool or on your private veranda. This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner. Arumeru Lodge (D)

Monday, March 14: Serengeti National Park
Fly in the morning to Serengeti National Park. Upon arrival, your drivers will meet you and take you to a private luxury camp just outside the northeast edge of the park, with plentiful wildlife viewing along the way. 

Designed to allow travelers the ability to immerse themselves in an Africa of the past, our tented camp offers plenty of comfort. Each tent has a full bed and bedding, attached en suite bathroom and a private verandah. The tents are set where game viewing is at its best, away from other visitors as much as possible. NHA Private Mobile Camp (B,L,D daily)

Tuesday, March 15 & Wednesday, March 16: Northern Serengeti
Over the next two days, wake early to go on wildlife drives and nature walks. Nighttime outings put you in search of nocturnal animals. Also have an opportunity to visit with local Maasai on a private reserve in order to learn more about their culture. NHA Private Mobile Camp (B,L,D daily)

Thursday, March 17 through Saturday, March 19: Southern Serengeti
Home to a profusion of wildlife year-round, the Serengeti truly bursts with thundering life during the phenomenon known as the Great Migration. From December through late March, vast herds of wildebeest trek 1,800 miles from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the southern Serengeti and back again. They migrate with thousands of zebra, whose superior vision and hearing serve as an early warning system for predators.

Our visit brings us here during their return to the southeastern region of the park in search of new grass that’s sprouted during the short rains. Ninety percent of the females drop their calves within a three week period, swelling the size of the herd. Predators follow, and we may behold stunning scenes of a lion taking down a sick wildebeest, or a cheetah overtaking an infant.

Track the migration in private, open-topped four-wheel-drive vehicles, allowing impressive mobility and proximity. Our mobile tented camp will likely be situated to allow a view of the migration spectacle as well as proximity to the Gol kopjes, an outcropping of granite boulders that’s preferred habitat for cheetahs and gazelles. Archaeological finds at Olduvai Gorge, which we visit along the way, indicate the migration may have been going on for millions of years. NHA Private Mobile Camp (B,L,D daily)

Sunday, March 20: Arusha / Depart
Enjoy a final wildlife drive on the way back to the Seronera airstrip. Then fly to Arusha and relax in a dayroom before transferring to the airport for flights home or continuing on with further travels. (B,L)

Optional Extension

Ngorongoro Crater 
March 20 – 22, 2011

Sometimes called the eighth wonder of the world, this vast crater was once a large volcano now hosts more than 30,000 animals. Because of its permanent source of fresh water, it is home to the largest established concentration of non-migratory wildlife in Africa. The region is famous for its lion, cheetah, old bull elephants, Cape buffalo, herds of wildebeest and amazing bird life. The crater also boasts the world’s highest density of hyenas, as they fiercely compete with the crater’s dominant lion population for food. If lucky, we may catch a sighting of the black rhino – a rare treat in northern Tanzania.

Spend two nights and three days exploring the region. Visit the famous Oldupai Gorge and the Cradle of Mankind. Explore the depths of the crater and experience the high density and diversity of its wildlife. Stay on the crater rim at a tented camp with sweeping views across the highlands.

Extension cost: $2,195 per person, based on double occupancy; single supplement: $595

Mountain Gorillas Extension
Pre- or post-tour dates available

Take a four- or six-day extension to track and be among endangered mountain gorillas. This is a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter like none other. You’ll trek through either Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Rwanda's Virunga Volcanoes National Park.

Extension cost: from $2,650 per person based on double occupancy for Rwanda; from $4,095 per person for Uganda; single supplement for either: from $650.