10 Days Exclusive Serengeti Safari (Journey for Migration River Crossing)

Depart after breakfast and then drive to Tarangire  National Park for a  full day game drive with picnic lunch and enjoy the beauty of Tarangire.  In the evening, drive to Lake Manyara to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

The park is located slightly off the main safari route, Tarangire National Park is a lovely quiet park in Northern Tanzania that is most famous for its elephant migration, birding and quiet authentic safari atmosphere. The majority of travellers to the region either miss out on Tarangire altogether or venture into the park for a matter of hours leaving parts of Tarangire virtually untouched.

After your breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive at the park and then back to the lodge for an early dinner. After dinner, you will have a night spotlighting game drive in the park and then back to the lodge for the overnight.

Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.

After breakfast you set out on an extended morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, making the most of the softer light and the activity of the early hours. The park's birdlife is a highlight, with more than 400 species recorded, and the acacia woodland inland of the floodplain is where you may look for the tree-climbing lions and elephants the area is known for.

In the afternoon you leave Lake Manyara behind and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. On arrival, you head out for an evening walk along the Ngorongoro Crater rim, taking in the views over the caldera before checking in to your lodge at dusk for dinner and overnight. The full day of game viewing in the crater itself follows tomorrow.

After breakfast, proceed to a morning game drive in Ngorongoro crater.  It’s a full day game drive with a picnic lunch. Late afternoon,  we’ll be back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

The jewel in Ngorongoro's crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest unflooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq kms in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually be seen here.

Leisure breakfast at the  Lodge and then depart for a game drive en route to  Serengeti. A hot lunch will be saved in the afternoon.   We’ll continue to  Serengeti central for the game drive in the evening, check in to the lodge for the overnight stay.

A million wildebeest… each one driven by the same ancient rhythm, fulfilling its instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests and mating; survival of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long columns plunge through crocodile-infested waters on the annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief population explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km (600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.

You begin the day with a hot air balloon safari in the early morning, rising over the Serengeti while the plains wake below you. Back on the ground, breakfast is served before you set off on a full day game drive through Central Seronera, the heart of the park.

Seronera's resident wildlife stays with you throughout the year, so the drive offers a chance to watch the plains in their everyday rhythm rather than in transit. You may come across lions resting in the shade, elephants moving between the acacia woodland, or giraffe browsing along the open ground. Towards evening you return to the lodge for dinner and another night at Four Seasons Safari Lodge, ahead of tomorrow's move north towards Kogatende and the Mara River.

Enjoy your breakfast at the camp and then depart for the northern part of Serengeti,  North  Kogatende. In the evening, enjoy the river crossing viewing of the great migration.

River crossings at Kogatende start to occur every day in August as the mega herd settles into the area.  For August, September and October, game viewing up here is superb with river crossings pretty much guaranteed every day.  There is no distinct movement as the herds tend to cross back and forth over the river, following the rains and subsequent fresh grasses.  It is not uncommon to see different herds crossing in different directions on the same day.

Early breakfast at the camp, followed by an early morning river game drive to view the great migration on crossing movement,  with picnic lunch. In the evening back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

The park is well known for its healthy stock of other resident wildlife, particularly the "big five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: Lion: the Serengeti is believed to hold the largest population of lions in Africa due in part to the abundance of prey species. More than 3,000 lions live in this ecosystem. African Leopard: these reclusive predators are commonly seen in the Seronera region but are present throughout the national park with a population of around 1,000.

Breakfast at the camp and then game drive at Mara region of Serengeti to view the great migration and then transfer to the Kogatende airstrip for your flight back to Arusha. Upon arrival, you will transfer to the lodge for lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge and then drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight back home.