7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari

7 daysPrivate tourMid-range4.9(402 reviews)

Follow Tanzania's classic Northern Circuit. Begin with Tarangire's elephants and baobabs, spend three nights in the Serengeti positioned close to the Migration, and finish with a full day inside the Ngorongoro Crater.

7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari photo 1

7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari photo 2

7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari photo 3

7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari photo 4

From, per person sharing

$3,460

Route: Arusha → Tarangire National Park → Serengeti National Park → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Accommodation: Choose budget, mid-range or luxury lodges
Meals: Meals as listed in the itinerary

Customise & book

Day-by-day itinerary

What happens each day: travel times, morning, afternoon and evening plans, meals and where you sleep. Lodges shown are our recommended choice; you can switch to budget, mid-range or luxury at every stop when you book.

Day1
Arusha to Tarangire
Arusha → Tarangire · approx. 120 km, 2–2.5 hrs by road
Morning
Pick-up from your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro Airport. Your guide gives a full safari briefing, then you drive west through Maasai country to Tarangire National Park.
Afternoon
Afternoon game drive in Tarangire, famous for ancient baobab trees and, in the dry season (June–October), some of the largest elephant herds in Tanzania gathering at the Tarangire River. Look out for lions, giraffes and over 500 bird species.
Evening
Check into your lodge for sundowners overlooking the river and dinner.
Activities
Game drive
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Tarangire National Park · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day2
Tarangire to the Serengeti
Tarangire → Serengeti · approx. 330 km, 7–8 hrs including game viewing
Morning
Early breakfast, then drive through the farming town of Karatu and up into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area highlands, with views over the crater rim on the way.
Afternoon
Descend past Olduvai Gorge onto the endless plains of the Serengeti. Picnic lunch at Naabi Hill gate, then an en-route game drive into the central Serengeti, with cheetahs and lions often seen on the short-grass plains.
Evening
Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
Activities
Game drive en route
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Serengeti National Park · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day3
Serengeti
Serengeti · full-day game drive
Morning
Leave at dawn with a packed breakfast. Your guide heads to wherever the Great Migration herds are this month: the southern plains for calving (January–March), the western corridor (May–June) or the north (July–October).
Afternoon
Picnic lunch in the bush. Explore the granite kopjes, where lions sun themselves on the rocks, and the Seronera River valley, one of the best places in Africa to see leopards.
Evening
Return to the lodge at sunset for dinner.
Activities
Full-day game drive
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Serengeti National Park · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day4
Serengeti
Serengeti · full-day game drive
Morning
Optional sunrise balloon safari over the plains with a champagne breakfast. Otherwise, set out early on another full day in a different area of the park.
Afternoon
Continue following the herds and their predators, including lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals, with lunch in the bush.
Evening
Sundowners and dinner at the lodge.
Activities
Full-day game drive
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Serengeti National Park · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day5
Serengeti to Ngorongoro
Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater rim · approx. 145 km, 3–4 hrs
Morning
Morning game drive in the Serengeti, then begin the drive back towards the highlands.
Afternoon
Optional visit to Olduvai Gorge, the 'Cradle of Mankind', where the Leakeys discovered some of the earliest human fossils. Continue to your lodge on the forested crater rim, 2,300m above sea level.
Evening
Evening by the fireplace (it gets cool at altitude) with dinner and views over the crater.
Activities
Game drive
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Ngorongoro Crater · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day6
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater · half to full day on the crater floor
Morning
Descend 600m into the crater at 6:30am, the best time of day, before other vehicles arrive. The crater floor is home to around 25,000 large mammals, including one of the last populations of black rhino in the region, large lion prides, hyenas, elephants and huge herds of zebra and wildebeest.
Afternoon
Picnic lunch at the hippo pool by Lake Ngoitokitok, then continue game viewing, with flamingos on Lake Magadi in season.
Evening
Climb back out of the crater (by mid-afternoon, as park rules require) and return to your lodge for dinner.
Activities
Crater floor game drive
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Overnight
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Mid-range Lodge
Ngorongoro Crater · Full board
Recommended · change when booking
Day7
Ngorongoro to Arusha
Ngorongoro → Arusha · approx. 190 km, 3.5–4 hrs by road
Morning
Breakfast at the lodge and a final look over the crater.
Afternoon
Drive back to Arusha via Karatu, with an optional stop at a local craft market. Drop-off at your hotel, Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight.
Evening
End of services.
Meals included
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
No overnight: end of safari