5-Day Serengeti Migration Safari in Ndutu and Ngorongoro Crater

• Begin early in the morning with a pick-up from your hotel in Arusha. Once everyone is aboard, you will head towards the Ngorongoro National Park area, with today's destination being the Ndutu region, about a 3-hour drive from your accommodation in Manyara/Karatu.
• After about an hour on the road, you will enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), where you will notice the landscape changing from hilly forests to open, green grasslands as you drive further.
• Once you reach Ndutu, you will begin your game drive, with a convenient stop for your picnic lunch. The sweeping grasslands of Ndutu gradually fade into the Serengeti and form part of the route for the annual migration of more than 2 million wildebeest, along with thousands of zebras, antelope, and gazelle. During the right season between December and April, the fertile plains become calving grounds and nurseries for the great migration. This calving season attracts hordes of predators preying on vulnerable young wildebeest. Crowned by Ndutu Lake and Lake Masek, these waterholes offer plenty of wildlife viewing during the dry season. Ndutu is also home to six species of big cats - leopard, lion, cheetah, caracal, serval, and wildcat. This action-packed game drive will end late in the evening, around 5 PM.
• Head towards your choice of accommodation, where a freshly prepared dinner awaits you. Be sure to get some good rest and recharge for another eventful day.

• After the previous day's migration sightings, today gives you another chance to witness this beautiful wildlife spectacle. The Ndutu region forms part of both the glorious Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). After breakfast, head out for a full-day game drive, following the migration depending on its location in either the NCA or Serengeti. During the right season between January and March, the fertile plains become calving grounds and nurseries for the great migration. This season attracts hordes of predators preying on vulnerable young wildebeest. Watching the circle of life take its course will be an unforgettable experience. The action-packed game drive will end late in the evening, around 5 PM, after which you will head to your choice of accommodation, where a freshly prepared dinner awaits you.
• Ensure you get some good rest and recharge yourself for another eventful day. Overnight at a tented camp in Ndutu.

• The excitement for today will be high as you make your way into the most celebrated wildlife park in the world - the Serengeti. After a good breakfast, you will head out towards Serengeti National Park and travel through its never-ending plain grasslands. Serengeti means "endless plains" in the local African language, and watching the grassland stretch as far as the eye can see, eventually merging with the sky at the horizon, is an absolutely breathtaking view.
• With an overall land area of 14,763 sq km, the Serengeti puts our notion of distance to shame. It is also home to the glorious Big 5 - elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard. Along with the Big 5, you may also enjoy sightings of one of Africa's most beautiful animals - the impala. The Serengeti ecosystem supports the greatest remaining concentration of plains game in Africa. You should also look out for the Serengeti kopjes, massive granite boulders standing in a sea of grass, which provide ample shelter to a large variety of flora and fauna. A picnic lunch will be taken during the day-long game drive. The eventful day comes to an end with a hearty dinner and a good night's rest at a public camp, tented camp, or lodge in Central Serengeti.

Optional Serengeti Balloon Excursion:
Those with advance reservations will have the opportunity to balloon across the plains during one of your mornings in the Serengeti. A pre-dawn wake-up call gives you time to drive to the balloon launch site in order to catch the most dramatic light. Then take to the skies just as the sun rises. Glide over the plains and acacia treetops, taking in spectacular views of the Seronera River Valley and the surrounding plains. After your descent, enjoy a magnificent champagne breakfast right in the midst of the Serengeti wilderness.

• In the morning at 7 AM, you will head out for a short game drive in the Serengeti after a good breakfast. After completing a half-day game drive and enjoying a picnic lunch, you will branch out and head towards Ngorongoro.
• The 75 km drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim will take about 2.5 hours, with mild game-viewing opportunities along the way. The crater is one of Africa's most impressive geological attractions and the supreme mecca of wilderness. The day comes to an end with a hearty dinner and a good rest at your choice of accommodation. Get a good rest and refuel yourself, because the following day you will descend into the massive crater.

Overnight at a public camp, tented camp, or lodge at Ngorongoro.

• On this day of your safari, you will have an early start. After a quick breakfast, you will descend into the crater floor at around 6:30 AM. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq km and a depth of over 2,000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will reveal plenty of animal action, so keeping your camera ready is definitely recommended. African elephants, buffalo, black rhinos, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, and lions are found here in abundance.
• After a picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo Pool, you will begin the steep ascent to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4-hour drive remaining to Arusha. You will be dropped off at your preferred location in Arusha by 6 PM. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time to bid goodbye to your team.