10 DAYS WILDEBEEST MIGRATION CROSSING MARA RIVER

10 days

Lodge Safari

Overview

Wildebeest Migration Crossing Mara River is a display of natural wonders with over two million wildebeests, zebras, and antelope travelling over 450 miles across the plain to ensure their survival, unaware that there’s the danger presented by the stalking lions and cheetahs among other predators of the wildlife.

 Witness huge crocodiles of the Mara River as they wait for the herbivorous to cross the swollen Mara River and enter into Masai Mara Game Reserve from Serengeti National Park.

The wildebeest migration river crossing in August moves north, passing through the Lobo area,

(North of Central Serengeti National Park) and the Wagakuria area (remote Northern Serengeti National Park along the Mara River) en route to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Tour Plan

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International airport, met and greet by Car, Tanzania driver-guide and get assisted through customs and immigration formalities. Thereafter, drive to Arusha at African view lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Today we head to Tarangire National Park. The park, which has its own source of water, comes into its own in the dry season as a birdlife congregation on the Tarangire River and herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and, in particular, elephants can be seen. Predators such as lions and leopards are also regularly spotted here. Our lodge is located within the park. It has a large lookout area from where sundowners can be had whilst watching the game on the sweeping plains below. Dinner and overnight at Farm of Dream Lodge: Bed, Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast and included.

We head towards the Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here is a small museum, we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that have been dated back 2.5 million years. After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje.

Dinner and overnight at KONTIK TENTED CAMP.

In December, January and February we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephants, and many large predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. We return to our special Northern Serengeti Koga Tende; After breakfast, drive to Serengeti Park with a picnic lunch. Much of the route will be a game drive before arriving at the lodge in the late afternoon. Arrive for dinner and overnight at your tented camp. Dinner and overnight at North Serengeti Contiki Tented Camp. tented camp for the night. Dinner and overnight at KONTIK TENTED CAMP. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalos. Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and leopards (if you are lucky). The only animal you won’t see in here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steep sides of the crater. In the late afternoon, we travel back to our special tented camp or lodge.

Overnight stay at Farm of Dream Lodge.

 

Northern Serengeti Koga Tende; After breakfast, we will proceed for a full day game drive viewing the great migration at the 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 the 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,

Dinner and overnight at North Serengeti Baobab Tented Camp.

We have another full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, lions and if you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of the interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Baobab Tented Camp.

Morning game drive in Serengeti; afternoon drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We have a final game drive in the Serengeti before heading back into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where we spend the night.

Dinner and overnight at Rhino lodge.

We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park; this means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife. During the drive-in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life.

After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalos. Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and leopards (if you are lucky). The only animal you won’t see in here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steep sides of the crater. In the late afternoon, we travel back to our special tented camp or lodge.

Overnight stay at Farm of Dream Lodge.

We depart from your lodge and proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. Although small in size, this park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of the park. In the backdrop is the wall of the Great Rift Valley, before which lies the groundwater, forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this area, which consists of open grassy areas, hot springs, dense woodlands, and steep mountainsides. Lake Manyara National Park is a birding paradise that has more than 350 species of birds. The park is also famed for its unique and elusive tree-climbing lions. In the afternoon, we drive back to our special safari lodge in Arusha.

Dinner and overnight at African view lodge.

Depending on your flight schedule and departure point, you will be transferred to the airport to connect to your flight back home. This end of Safari.  You’re mostly welcome.  End of safari.

  • Airport transfers
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • All meals
  • Private 4×4 safari vehicle
  • English-speaking guide
  • Unlimited game drives
  • All Park & conservation fees
  • Ngorongoro crater descent fee
  • Crater rim walking safari
  • Softy drinking water per day
  • International & domestic flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa fees
  • Optional activities (balloon, Maasai village, walking safaris)
  • Drinks at lodges & personal expenses
  • Pre/post safari accommodation (unless stated)

Tour Information

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