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Itineraries  /  the-complete-migration
TZ20 · Tanzania · Great Migration

the-complete-migration

arusha · central-serengeti · karatu · ngorongoro-crater · north-serengeti · tarangire-national-park
Duration
13 Days · 12 Nights
The route
arusha · central-serengeti · karatu · ngorongoro-crater · north-serengeti · tarangire-national-park
Style
Great Migration
Best season
Migration season Jun–Oct
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Lion
Lion
Serengeti and Ngorongoro prides.
Elephant
Elephant
Tarangire's baobab herds.
Leopard
Leopard
Seronera's river-line cats.
Rhino
Rhino
Black rhino on the crater floor.
Buffalo
Buffalo
Herds across the plains.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arusha → Tarangire

Into Tarangire

Baobabs and the first big herds.

Drive from Arusha to Tarangire, a park of giant baobabs and dense elephant herds, and take a first drive along the river.

02Tarangire

Along the Tarangire River

Elephants, baobabs, big skies.

A full day tracking elephant family groups and predators along the river that gives the park its life.

03Tarangire → Central

Into the central Serengeti

Endless plains, resident prides.

Continue by road into the central Serengeti and drive the Seronera valleys for resident lion, leopard and cheetah.

04Central

The Seronera valleys

Cats along the rivers.

Full days among the Seronera river lines — the surest big-cat country in the Serengeti — with the long midday to rest.

05Central

Out across the plains

Open grass to the horizon.

A full day further onto the plains and kopjes, routed by where the prides and herds are moving.

06Central

The Seronera valleys

Cats along the rivers.

Full days among the Seronera river lines — the surest big-cat country in the Serengeti — with the long midday to rest.

07Central → North

North to the Mara River

Where the great crossings happen.

Continue by road to the remote northern Serengeti, stage for the Mara River crossings from roughly July to October.

08North

On the river line

Waiting for the herds to move.

Full days along the Mara River as the wildebeest mass and plunge — the headline act of the migration.

09North

On the river line

Waiting for the herds to move.

Full days along the Mara River as the wildebeest mass and plunge — the headline act of the migration.

10North

On the river line

Waiting for the herds to move.

Full days along the Mara River as the wildebeest mass and plunge — the headline act of the migration.

11North → Ngorongoro

Up to the Ngorongoro highlands

A green rim above a hidden world.

Continue by road to the Ngorongoro highlands and settle on the crater rim, ready for the descent.

12Ngorongoro

Down into the crater

A day on the caldera floor.

A full day on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater — black rhino, lion, flamingo and big herds inside one collapsed volcano.

13Ngorongoro → home

Journey's end

Wheels-up over the plains you crossed.

Drive back to Arusha for your onward journey — or add Zanzibar if you're not ready to leave.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

Dec – Mar

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.

Jun – Oct

Northern river crossings

The migration pushes north and the Mara River crossings begin — the headline months, and the busiest. Book well ahead.

Wildlife you may see
Birds Cheetah Elephant Leopard Lion Rhino

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.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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