5-Day Serengeti Migration Safari with Ngorongoro Crater

5 Days Round trip from Arusha Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Witness the annual wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park
02 Enjoy game drives to spot lions, elephants, giraffes, and other wildlife
03 Explore the unique ecosystem of the Ngorongoro Crater
04 See Mara River migration action in the Kogatende area

Experience the natural wonders of Tanzania on this 5-day Serengeti National Park Migration Safari. Witness the annual wildebeest migration as herds cross the Mara River and journey across the vast plains of the Serengeti. Enjoy game drives through central and northern Serengeti, where you may encounter a wide variety of wildlife, including the "big 5". Explore the unique ecosystem of the Ngorongoro Crater and look out for flamingos, warthogs, elephants, and more.

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Arusha, Moshi, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arusha to Serengeti via Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Early in the morning, you will leave Moshi or Arusha town and drive toward Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After a few hours, you will stop at a supermarket and take a few minutes to shop for any personal items you may need. Later, you will arrive in Serengeti in the late afternoon.
Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km2. It is located entirely in the eastern Mara Region, with endless plains rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. You will proceed to the Lobo area, located in northern Serengeti and typified by green rolling hills in the central Serengeti ecosystem. At the Lobo area, the wildebeest migration typically occurs every year around late July/August en route to Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve, and again in late October/November en route to southern Serengeti National Park.

Day 02

Central Serengeti to Northern Serengeti and Kogatende

After breakfast, you will head toward northern Serengeti National Park, also known as the Wagakuria area, enjoying a game drive route from the Lobo area to Wagakuria. As you travel north, you may see many animals in the Serengeti, including giraffes, plains game, herds of buffalo, and elephants. From mid-July to October, herds of wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra begin their spectacular annual migration northwards, passing through the Mara River. In their wake follow predators such as lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs, with vultures circling above.
You will arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, and after lunch, enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Kogatende area. The wildebeest migration can normally be found in the Wagakuria area from mid-July to October, depending on rainfall patterns. A long stretch of the Mara River runs through northern Serengeti National Park.

Day 03

Northern Serengeti Kogatende to Central Serengeti

After breakfast, you will enjoy a game drive in the Kogatende area, where large numbers of resident wildlife can be found. This camp area is used for the Serengeti Mobile Green Camp from July until the end of November, when the migration is in northern Serengeti and hopefully crossing the Mara River. The camp is approximately 20 minutes from the Mara River and is set on a ridge under large evergreen trees, overlooking a large part of the northern Serengeti wilderness zone, where large groups of wildebeest cross the river and wildlife can be enjoyed in peace.

Day 04

Central Serengeti Game Drive to Ngorongoro

You will proceed with morning and afternoon game drives in central Serengeti, with lunch included. After enjoying the game drive in Serengeti, you can take a few hours' break at the lodge in the mid-afternoon. Serengeti means "endless plain" in the Masai language and is home to many different animals, including leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetahs.
This park is normally the scene of the annual wildebeest and zebra migration between Kenya's Mara and the Serengeti. It also includes a variety of bird species such as eagles, ducks, geese, egrets, vultures, secretary birds, ibis, storks, herons, pelicans, cranes, and guinea fowl. Serengeti National Park is arguably the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, with over 3 million large mammals. About 35 species of plains animals can be seen here, including the "big 5": elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Other common species include hippo, giraffe, eland, impala and other antelope types, baboons, monkeys, and a profusion of over 500 bird species.
After lunch, you will continue with the game drive to view more wild animals in the Serengeti. Thereafter, you will transfer to the Serengeti gate to check out of the national park, then continue with game viewing en route to Ngorongoro Crater. Dinner and overnight will be at a camp or lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Day 05

Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive and Return to Arusha

After breakfast, you will descend into the crater and enjoy a game drive for over 7 hours while looking for wild animals. Here, you will explore forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephants, and you may also see flamingos, wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, lions, and elephants. Visitors can enjoy the game drive in Ngorongoro Crater while viewing its remarkable wildlife. After a short period, you will drive back to Arusha/Moshi for the night.

The route