Tanzania End to End
The journey, one day at a time
Into Tarangire
Drive from Arusha to Tarangire, a park of giant baobabs and dense elephant herds, and take a first drive along the river.
Along the Tarangire River
A full day tracking elephant family groups and predators along the river that gives the park its life.
To the shores of Lake Eyasi
Continue by road to Lake Eyasi for time with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and Datoga smiths — a rare cultural day.
Into the Ndutu plains
Continue by road to the Ndutu area on the Serengeti–Ngorongoro border, the heart of the calving season. Drive from Arusha to the Ndutu area on the Serengeti–Ngorongoro border, the heart of the calving season.
Calving on the short grass
Full days among the calving herds with off-road access to the predator action — exceptional in green season. On most of the Serengeti you must stay on the track, which means a cheetah hunt 400 metres away stays 400 metres away. In the NCAA portion of Ndutu, your guide can leave the track and position with the action — the difference between a distant smudge and a cheetah and cubs at close range. In calving season, when hunts happen constantly, that access is what makes Ndutu the photographer's choice.
Onto the southern plains
Continue by road to the southern Serengeti's short-grass plains, where the herds gather to calve from December to March.
Among the calving herds
Full days on the calving plains — vast herds, daily births and the cheetah and lion that follow them.
Into the central Serengeti
Continue by road into the central Serengeti and drive the Seronera valleys for resident lion, leopard and cheetah.
The Seronera valleys
Full days among the Seronera river lines — the surest big-cat country in the Serengeti — with the long midday to rest.
Out across the plains
A full day further onto the plains and kopjes, routed by where the prides and herds are moving.
North to the Mara River
Continue by road to the remote northern Serengeti, stage for the Mara River crossings from roughly July to October.
On the river line
Full days along the Mara River as the wildebeest mass and plunge — the headline act of the migration.
Up to the Ngorongoro highlands
Continue by road to the Ngorongoro highlands and settle on the crater rim, ready for the descent.
Down into the crater
A full day on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater — black rhino, lion, flamingo and big herds inside one collapsed volcano.
Out to Zanzibar
Fly to Zanzibar to Zanzibar — the rest of the day is for the beach, the reef and the lanes of Stone Town. Snorkel or dive the reef, wander Stone Town, or simply move between sea and shade.
A day on the coast
Snorkel or dive the reef, wander Stone Town, or simply move between sea and shade. A free day — a spice tour, a dhow cruise, or nothing at all but the Indian Ocean.
Homeward from the island
Transfer to Zanzibar airport for your flight home — or onward to the next chapter.
The season changes what you see.
Calving in the south
The herds gather on the short-grass plains of Ndutu and the southern Serengeti to calve — daily births and intense predator action.
Northern river crossings
The migration pushes north and the Mara River crossings begin — the headline months, and the busiest. Book well ahead.
Where this journey goes
Hand-picked camps & lodges
Legendary Lodge
A gracious coffee-estate lodge with private cottages and gardens — the refined way to start or end a safari.
One Nature Nyaruswiga
Contemporary tented suites on the central plains, with telescopes, plunge pools and broad migration views.
Namiri Plains
A remote Asilia camp in former cheetah-research country, prized for its big cats and uncrowded plains.
Gibb’s Farm
A historic coffee farm on the crater highlands — gardens, farm-to-table food and timeless calm.
Ziwani Lodge
A small lodge near the lake, a comfortable base for visits to the Hadzabe and Datoga communities.
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp
A classic mobile camp that moves with the herds — intimate and superbly guided in the Ndutu plains.
Make it yours.
Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.