9 Days Special Northern Wildebeest Migration and Cultural Tour

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival – Tarangire

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be met by your driver and transferred to Maramboi Tented Lodge, located in between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Park. This lodge offers beautiful views over the distant Rift Escarpment and Lake Manyara in the background. Settle into your hotel ready for the game drive in Tarangire the following day.

Day 2: Tarangire National Park

Today start your safari. After an early breakfast, you drive to Tarangire National Park with packed lunch for a game drive. This lovely park boasts the largest concentrations of elephants in the world and the highest number of breeding bird species. Especially during the dry season, Tarangire National Park is packed with wildlife. Big cats like lions, cheetahs, and leopards, but also the seldom seen Kudu, Oryx, and Gerenuk. The Tarangire River draws huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, as well as predators who prey upon them. Later in the afternoon, you drive for dinner and overnight to Serena lodge in Lake Manyara.

Day 3: Lake Manyara National Park/Nature walk

After early breakfast, you set off towards Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive. This park is known for its huge soda lake filled with pink-hued flamingos, a large population of baboons, incredible birdlife, and breathtaking views. You can see giraffes, elephants, hippos, buffaloes, zebras, flamingos, and if you are lucky you spot a tree-climbing lion. After your picnic lunch, you will depart for a 2-hour nature walk in the park, guided by an armed ranger. This is a great opportunity for you to learn about different plants with their medicinal uses, animal tracks, insects, etc. In the late afternoon, you will continue to Lake Eyasi Safaris lodge in for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Lake Eyasi – The bushmen/Coffee tour

You will depart early in the morning carrying a picnic breakfast with you and drive to Lake Eyasi. This day will be full of culture, with interesting encounters with local tribes. This is an untouched and scenically beautiful area where you can get a real insight into the way of life of the rural tribes like the Datoga and Hadzabe Bushmen. The Datoga are farmers and silversmiths who make iron knives and spears. The Hadzabe hunt on wild animals with bow and arrows, eating roots, honey, and wild fruits. Visit their habitat and experience their culture first hand. Later you will return to your lodge for a late lunch. After lunch, you will do a guided coffee tour in the nearby Shangrila farm. Coffee is one of the main cash crops in Tanzania and here you get detailed information about coffee growing. This is the best place for you to buy your arabica coffee should you want some. You will then return to Ngorongoro Serena lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater

Today you set off towards the Ngorongoro Crater for a beautiful game drive. It shelters close to 30.000 animals including the Big Five. The crater teems with zebras, buffaloes, lions, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons, elephants, flamingos, ostriches, hippos, cheetahs, and a small population of the rare black rhino. The beautiful colors and dancing clouds make the crater almost surreal. Because of its natural beauty, the Ngorongoro Crater is chosen as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. After your picnic lunch, you will return to the lodge and spend the afternoon enjoying the pool at this boutique luxury lodge. Free optional Karatu town market tour can be arranged on request. Dinner and overnight will be at Neptune Serengeti Serena lodge.

Day 6: Serengeti National park

After breakfast, you will collect your picnic lunch from the hotel drive to Serengeti National Park, which has the largest concentration of big game in the world. If you want to spot the Big Five – lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo- all in one park, then Serengeti is the best place to do so. The abundance of wildlife in this park is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Depending on which time of the year you visit this park, you can also witness the famous Great Migration. It’s an impressive experience to see all those hoofed mammals, followed by iconic predators, migrate in a clockwise circle every year. Late in the afternoon, you continue to Kubukubu Tented Lodge for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7: Serengeti North (Kogatende)

We will proceed for a full day game drive viewing the great migration at Mara area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in the Wagakuria area. The key feature is the Mara River and there is a great chance to see the herds cross the Mara River to the north on one day and back south a few days later. Please note that it can be very difficult to witness crossing and is sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to river and only decide to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

DAY 8: Serengeti National Park (North Mara)

After breakfast, we will drive to Serengeti north viewing the great migration at Mara area. 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. Please take note that finding a crossing is very challenging and is sometimes a matter of luck. There are instances where herds can be seen next to the river but then only decides to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

DAY 9: Northern Serengeti (Wagakuria area) – Arusha

After breakfast at the lodge, we depart to Arusha by driving or join a scheduled flight from Kogatende airstrip to Arusha airport. Upon arrival to Arusha airport, meet our driver and transfer to Arusha town. You will be taken to your hotel for lunch and overnight, which ends our safari services.