8-Day Kenya & Tanzania Great Migration Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Isebania / Sirari Border → Northern or Central Serengeti → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Maasai Mara

   You leave Nairobi after breakfast and head for Maasai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game as the light softens through the afternoon. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Maasai Mara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Maasai Mara to Isebania / Sirari Border

   The morning starts in Maasai Mara, from where you continue overland to Isebania / Sirari Border. You arrive at Isebania / Sirari Border, check in and have time to settle before the next stage of the journey. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Isebania / Sirari Border.

3. Day 3

   Isebania / Sirari Border to Northern or Central Serengeti

   After breakfast you leave Isebania / Sirari Border and travel on toward Northern or Central Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Your guide works the area for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Northern or Central Serengeti.

4. Day 4

   Cross to the Serengeti

   After breakfast you leave Cross and travel on toward the Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Once you reach the Serengeti there is time to check in before heading out among vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at the Serengeti.

5. Day 5

   Ngorongoro Highlands to Ngorongoro Crater

   The day opens in Ngorongoro Highlands with a morning departure for Ngorongoro Crater, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro Crater camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

6. Day 6

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. The evening is spent at your Arusha accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

7. Day 7

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands

   After breakfast you leave Serengeti and travel on toward Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Once you reach Ngorongoro Highlands there is time to check in before heading out among a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro Highlands camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

8. Day 8

   Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

   The morning starts in Ngorongoro Crater, from where you continue overland to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.