8-Day Tanzania Migration Safari with Mara River Crossing

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Day 01

Tarangire – Manyara/Karatu

• Early in the morning, you will be picked up by a driver and head toward Tarangire national park. It takes almost 150km distance and 3hrs to reach Tarangire National Park.
• Tarangire National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania it is also known as a wonderful birding destination and also features large numbers of games due to the high number of scenic baobab trees, discovers hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo, and Tarangire is famous for having herds of up to 300 elephants. The Tarangire River has water all year round, and during the dry season, between July and October, many animals from the surrounding areas come to the river for drinking. If you visit the park during the dry season, you will witness an unforgettable natural wonder as you can observe wonderful creatures such as lions, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, and zebras.

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Day 02

Lake Manyara – Full-Day Game Drive

• A visitor should drive to Lake Manyara National Park early in the morning after breakfast. This park offers a wilderness experience in diverse habitats, from its Rift Valley soda lake to dense woodlands and steep mountainsides. Apart from a spectacular setting, the park is famous for its unusual tree-climbing lions and the vast elephant herds it was established to protect. The wildlife found in Manyara like elephants, hippos, giraffes, buffaloes, and antelopes. Visitors should enjoy a full game drive at Manyara national park by seeing and viewing the wild animals.

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Day 03

Manyara/Karatu – Ngorongoro

• After viewing Manyara National Park, you will proceed with the game drive at Ngorongoro Craters. It takes almost 30 minutes to arrive at Ngorongoro, and then you will descend over 600m to view the wildlife. This park is the largest park that has 30000 animals which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Its dense population of predators includes lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard. We will also visit Lake Magadi, found in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. Many flamingos, hippos, and other water birds are usually seen here.

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Day 04

Ngorongoro – Serengeti (Central Seronera)

• Early in the morning, after breakfast at Ngorongoro, you will continue a game drive at Serengeti (CENTRAL SERONERA). This park is normally the scene of the annual wildebeest and zebra migration between the Kenya mara and Serengeti it includes a variety of bird species like eagles, ducks, geese, egrets, vultures, secretary birds, ibis, stork, herons, pelicans, cranes, and guinea fowl. The 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 there, including the “big 5”, Elephant, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, and Buffalo. Other common species found here include hippo, giraffe, eland, impala and other antelope types, baboons, monkeys, and a profusion of over 500 species of birds.

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Day 05

Serengeti (Central Seronera)

• After breakfast, a visitor should enjoy a full game drive in the park, in the area around Lobo and Grumeti Rivers. Non-migrating animals like elephants, buffalo, gazelle, zebra, lion, leopards, and cheetahs can be seen here all year round. The game viewing is very good, and you can follow the game for long periods without seeing other vehicles – truly one of the forgotten corners of the Serengeti Plains. Magnificent riverine trees can be found along the river lines, and bird species such as kingfishers and fish eagles can be found here.

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Day 06

Serengeti (Central) – Northern Serengeti (Kogatende Area)

• After breakfast, we head towards the far northern reach of the Serengeti National Park, also known as the Wagakuria. We will do a game drive en route from the Lobo area to the Wagakuria area. As we head north, good sightings of giraffes, plain game, herds of buffalo, and elephants can often be seen.
• We arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, and after lunch, we will enjoy an afternoon game drive in the 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 the northern Serengeti National Park, and the Mara River provides the migration with its most difficult obstacle. Witnessing the frantic herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River is amazing.

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Day 07

Northern Serengeti (Kogatende)

• After breakfast, a visitor enjoys a game drive to the Kogatende area resident many numbers of wildlife are found there. This camp is used for the Serengeti Mobile Green Camp from July till the end of November when the migration is in the Northern Serengeti and hopefully crossing the Mara River. The camp is approximately 20 minutes from the Mara River and set up on a ridge under large evergreen trees overlooking a large part of the Northern Serengeti wilderness zone, where a large group of wildebeest crosses the river and can enjoy wild animals in peace.

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Day 08

Northern Serengeti (Kogatende) – Arusha

• Early in the morning, after breakfast, a visitor proceeds and enjoy the game drive at Kogatende (northern Serengeti); around mid-morning, join a scheduled flight from Kagatende airstrip to rush airport. After arrival at Arusha airport, you will meet our driver, who will drive back to Arusha town. Upon arrival, you will have lunch and be taken to the hotel.