10-Day Tanzania Wilderness Safari with Tented Camps and Migration Tracking

• Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Then do a private transfer from the airport to the hotel in Arusha. We will be staying at the Moivaro Coffee Lodge, which is beautifully located on the coffee farms and is a perfect place to prepare for your adventure.

• Gather in the evening at 5:30 pm for a pre-safari briefing and an equipment check. We will also confirm that you have the appropriate mandatory medical coverage and travel insurance.

Dinner and overnight at Moivaro Coffee Lodge: Half board.

• Drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day of game drives. This is one of Tanzania's smaller parks, but it still offers a rewarding and diverse safari experience. The lake shore at Manyara teems with birdlife, and while you are looking for the birds, you might spot one of the elusive tree-climbing lions. There are a surprising number of other large mammals, and the striking cliffs on the Rift escarpment form a dramatic backdrop.

• In the late afternoon, make a short journey from the park to our special wilderness lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Marera Valley Safari Lodge: Full board.

• Head towards Serengeti National Park.

• En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world's most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here, there is a small museum where we can see evidence of our ancestors dating back 2.5 million years.

• After lunch, continue with a drive into the Serengeti itself, and spend the rest of the afternoon game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, February, and March, we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffe, buffalo, and elephant, and many large predators such as lion, cheetah, and leopard.

• Return to our special tented camp for the night.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Tented Camp: Full board.

• Enjoy a full day in this wonderful park, so rise early to make the most of our time. Your Tanzanian guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year. We can spend time at the Hippo Pool, watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water while living happily alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, and be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest and sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide open plains to the kopjes. These volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals, and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing. We will hopefully see all of the plains game: elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and lions, and if you are lucky, the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich.

• Return to our special tented camp for the night.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Tented Camp: Full board.

• After breakfast, we will take our packed lunch with us and proceed with the game drive in Serengeti National Park. The migration can be seen in a long chain approximately 40 km long, heading in the southwestern direction.

• At around 12:30 or 13:00, break for lunch.

• After lunch, we will proceed with our game viewing, following the movement of the migrants in the southwest of the park. Approximately 1.3 million wildebeest, 250,000 gazelles, and 200,000 zebras have been recorded sharing the short grass here.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Acacia Tented Camp: Full board.

• After breakfast, we will start at 8:30 am for a full day in the Ndutu area. A striking characteristic of this area is the stunning acacia woodland, which is immediately surrounded by the short grass plains. Within this wooded area is Lake Ndutu - one of the Rift Valley's soda lakes. At the height of the wildebeest migration, and when heavy rains have fallen, lines of wildebeest can often be seen crossing the lake. Accompanying the wildebeest are large numbers of zebra and Thomson gazelles. Tanzania is spoilt because of the migration. No other African country has game like it. In the dry season, the game around Ndutu is much like game viewing in any of the southern African countries. In some cases, it is still better, and you can never take away the feeling of space and wonder that the Serengeti evokes.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Ndutu Tented Camp: Full board.

• Start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park. This means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people, who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife.

• During the drive in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life.

• After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see herds of wildebeest or buffalo.

• Descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and leopard, if you are lucky. The only animal you won't see here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steep sides of the crater.

• In the late afternoon, travel just outside the Crater to our special tented camp.

Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.

• Drive to Tarangire National Park for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park that offers some excellent sights. Generally, in the dry seasons, Tarangire comes alive as wildlife and birdlife congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water.

• Spend the night in our lodge, beautifully set inside the park with stunning views and a unique atmosphere.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge: Full board.

• After breakfast at Tarangire Safari Lodge, spend the rest of the day freely, relax, and/or explore the nearby Maasai cultural places, such as going on a walk to visit the Datoga tribes. The Maasai live in the area as well as the Datoga. Learn about their history and enjoy fascinating breathtaking views from several hilltop peaks in the area.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Roika Tented Lodge: Full board.

• This lovely lodge is located near the airport, and your accommodation will be in one of the 40 charming bungalows set among the gardens. The open-air bar has a magnificent view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Relax for the remainder of the day by the pool, or soak in the view from your bungalow. A late dinner buffet for those flying in late is provided.

Dinner and overnight at Kia Lodge: Half board.