5-Day Serengeti Migration Safari with Ngorongoro Crater

5 Days Round trip from Arusha Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Witness the Great Migration in Northern Serengeti
02 Search for Mara River crossings in the Kogatende and Wagakuria areas
03 Explore the Serengeti's endless plains on multiple game drives
04 Descend into Ngorongoro Crater to look for the Big Five
05 Add optional experiences such as a hot air balloon safari, Olduvai Gorge Museum, and Maasai boma visit

Fly into Northern Serengeti for a safari focused on the Great Migration, with game drives in the Kogatende and Wagakuria areas where Mara River crossings may be seen from mid-July to October. Continue through the Serengeti's endless plains, home to abundant wildlife including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, buffalo, and a rich variety of birdlife. The journey also includes Ngorongoro Crater, one of the best places in Tanzania to spot the Big Five and critically endangered black rhinos. Optional experiences such as a hot air balloon safari, Olduvai Gorge Museum visit, and Maasai boma visit add even more depth to the adventure.

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

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

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arusha – Fly to Northern Serengeti

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning, buy Kitano Tours and Safaris guide and drive to Arusha airport for a flight to North Serengeti. After you arrive, proceed to a game drive in the wilderness, tracking the Great migration trails. 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 usually 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 challenging obstacle. Witnessing the frantic herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River is fantastic. In the evening, drive to the lodge for evening leisure and overnight.

Day 02

Northern Serengeti (Kogatende/Wagakuria Area) Full Day Game Drive

After breakfast, enjoy a full-day game drive in the Kogatende /Wagakuria area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in this park area, with a pride of lions up to 30 substantial; however, from Mid-July to October, the area turns into a wildlife paradise. The key feature is the Mara River, and it is not uncommon to see the herds cross the Mara River north on one day and then back south a few days later. Finding a crossing is complicated and sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to the river and only decide to cross or not cross until a couple of days later. This is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.
(An option of doing a Hot Air Balloon is also in this area). Serengeti Balloon Safaris: No words can do the experience of floating over the Serengeti justice.” Get a bird's eye view of the park as you rise alongside the sun and witness the millions of wildebeest crossing the Mara River. The flight lasts about an hour, after which passengers gather around a table, surrounded by the park’s lush plains, for an “Out of Africa” English-style breakfast.

Day 03

Northern Serengeti (Kogatende) -Central Serengeti

After breakfast, enjoy a full-day game drive in the Kogatende area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in this park area, with a pride of lions up to 30 substantial; however, from Mid-July to October, the area turns into a wildlife paradise. The key feature is the Mara River, and it is not uncommon to see the herds cross the Mara River north on one day and then back south a few days later. Finding a crossing is complicated and sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to the river and only decide to cross or not cross until a couple of days later. This is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Day 04

Serengeti (Central) – Ngorongoro

Proceed with morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti with a lunch and leisure break at the lodge in the midafternoon. The term Serengeti means endless plains in the Masai language. The central plains have carnivores like leopards, lions, hyenas and cheetahs. This park is usually the scene of the annual wildebeest and zebra migration between the Kenyan Mara and the Serengeti. Varied bird species include eagles, ducks, geese, egrets, vultures, secretary birds, ibis, storks, herons, kites, pelicans, cranes and cranes and guinea fowl.
The Serengeti National Park is arguably the world's best-known wildlife sanctuary, 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. In May or early June, huge herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra begin their annual spectacular migration northwards. In their wake, follow predators, lions, cheetahs and wild dogs with vultures circling overhead! After lunch, you will continue with a game view in Serengeti, heading to the gate of Serengeti to check out of Serengeti National Park; after that, you will proceed with the game on route heading to Ngorongoro Crater. Dinner and overnight at a Camp or Lodge at the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.
(An option of doing a Hot Air Balloon is also in this area)
Serengeti Balloon Safaris: No words can do the experience floating over the Serengeti justice." Get a bird's eye view of the park as you rise alongside the sun and witness the millions of wildebeest crossing the Mara River. The flight lasts about an hour, after which passengers gather around a table, surrounded by the park's lush plains, for an "Out of Africa" English-style breakfast.
NOTE THAT:
You can break up the drive with some or both of the below activities:
• Olduvai Gorge Museum: Sometimes known as the Cradle of Mankind, the Olduvai Gorge Museum commemorates some of the oldest evidence of human habitation ever found. Here you will see some of the oldest fossil evidence in the world of human habitation, visit the Olduvai Gorge Museum to learn more about the human journey, and take in the stunning views of this stark gorge country.
• Maasai boma visit: You will visit one of the famous Maasai bomas, where you'll have the opportunity to witness (and participate in) traditional Maasai dance, tour an authentic Maasai village, and even do a little souvenir shopping at the local market.
Both activities above are excluded from your Tour (additional cost is needed).

Day 05

Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha

After breakfast, descend into the crater with lunch box, enjoying the game drive for over 7 hours. Millions of years ago, a volcano the size of Mount Kilimanjaro rose from the highlands of northern Tanzania. Its eruption formed the largest unflooded caldera in the world, the Ngorongoro Crater. Now inactive and filled with wildlife, the crater is a playground where you can enjoy game drives in search of the Big Five. The natural protection of the crater’s 600 m (1,968 ft) high walls, “Ngorongoro Crater”, helps many species to thrive; it is one of the most densely crowded African wildlife areas in the world. It is home to an estimated 30,000 animals and is the best place in Tanzania to see critically endangered black rhinos.
A year-round water supply and fodder support the park; the crater supports a wide variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its vast predator population, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard crater floor. After a picnic lunch, you will have a game drive; after the game Drive, we will drive to Arusha/Moshi overnight.

The route