Safari Summary
Overview
Designed around the migration season
This journey begins in the north for a reason.
During the Mara River season, large herds of wildebeest and zebra may gather in Northern Serengeti as they continue their movement through the ecosystem. The river can become one of the most dramatic points in that journey, but no crossing happens on schedule.
That’s why we give you two nights in the north.
There’s time to wait, observe, change direction and follow what is actually happening on the ground.
From there, the journey moves into Central Serengeti, where the migration is no longer the only story. Resident wildlife, river systems and kopjes make this one of the strongest areas for predators throughout the year.
Then the landscape changes again.
You’ll descend into Ngorongoro Crater, before finishing among the elephants and baobabs of Tarangire National Park.
We don’t build this journey around one promised sighting.
We build it around the season, the landscape and enough time to let the wild decide what happens next
Important Facts
Tour Features
Private Tour
This safari is arranged privately for your group.
Solo Travelers
Suitable for solo travelers.
Customizable
This itinerary can be customized.
Start Date
This safari can start on any day.
Safari Overview
Highlights
Welcome to Tanzania
Into migration country
Give the Mara River time
Into big cat country
Read the Serengeti
Into Ngorongoro
Elephants and baobabs
One last look at Tanzania
Route Overview
Your Safari Map
Day 1
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Day 2
Kogatende
Day 3
Northern Serengeti
Day 4
Central Serengeti
Day 5
Central Serengeti
Day 6
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Day 7
Tarangire National Park
Day 8
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Day by Day
Safari Itinerary
Your journey begins at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where your Nature in Spirit guide will meet you.
After you’ve collected your luggage, we’ll make the drive towards Arusha.
The first hour or two is a quiet introduction to Tanzania: villages, open landscapes and everyday life along the road. On a clear day, Kilimanjaro may still be visible behind you as you leave the airport.
There’s no need to fit too much into the first evening.
At The African Tulip, you’ll have time to settle in, rest after your international journey and meet your guide properly before the safari begins the following morning.
Accommodation
The African Tulip Hotel
After breakfast, you’ll transfer to Arusha Airport for your flight to Kogatende Airstrip in Northern Serengeti.
Flying north saves many hours on the road and puts you directly into the part of the ecosystem that matters most for this stage of the journey.
During the river-crossing season, wildebeest and zebra may gather in large numbers in Northern Serengeti as they move through the landscape around the Mara River.
Once you land, the safari begins immediately.
Your guide will use the latest information about herd movement, recent sightings and what is happening on the ground to decide where your time is best spent.
You may find the migration.
You may find elephants, giraffes or predators moving around it.
The day isn’t built around reaching camp quickly.
It’s built around what is worth stopping for.
Overnight
Kenzan Migration Camp
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Kenzan Migration Camp
Full day in Northern Serengeti
Today is deliberately open.
You’ll spend the day around the Mara River and Northern Serengeti, following the migration according to what the herds are actually doing.
You may see thousands of wildebeest gathering near the river.
You may see them approach the banks, hesitate and turn away.
You may witness a crossing.
But we won’t promise one.
The river crossing is a natural event, not a performance arranged for the safari vehicle.
The herds decide when to move.
Your guide’s job is to read the situation, position you well, know when to wait and know when it’s better to move elsewhere.
Even without a crossing, the day can be full: wildebeest, zebra, crocodiles, lions, hyenas and other resident wildlife all share this landscape.
The point of the day isn’t to force the moment. It’s to be there when nature decides to give you one.
Overnight
Kenzan Migration Camp
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Kenzan Migration Camp
Northern Serengeti → Central Serengeti:
After breakfast, you’ll begin the drive south towards Central Serengeti.
This isn’t simply a transfer.
The landscape changes gradually as you move from northern plains towards the kopjes, river systems and open grasslands of the Seronera area.
Central Serengeti is strong predator country.
Lion prides use the kopjes as vantage points.
Cheetahs scan open ground.
Leopards often stay closer to riverine woodland.
Your guide will pay attention to tracks, alarm calls, movement and the small clues that often lead to the best sightings.
After lunch and some time at camp, you’ll head out again in the afternoon.
There’s no reason to rush the final hours of light.
Overnight
Kenzan Central Tented Camp
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Kenzan Central Tented Camp
Full day in Central Serengeti:
Today there’s nowhere else you need to be.
That matters.
An early start gives you the cooler morning hours, when predators may still be active.
Your guide will look for tracks, fresh spoor, alarm calls and movement around the plains and river systems.
You may spend time with lions.
You may follow cheetahs across open ground.
You may wait beneath a tree for a leopard to move.
Or something entirely different may take over the day.
You’ll carry lunch with you, so there’s no need to return to camp simply because the clock says so.
If something is worth staying with, you stay.
Overnight
Kenzan Central Tented Camp
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Kenzan Central Tented Camp
Central Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater:
After breakfast, you’ll leave Serengeti and travel towards the Ngorongoro highlands.
Then the landscape changes completely.
At the rim, the crater opens below you.
You’ll descend onto the crater floor, where grasslands, wetlands and woodland support a dense concentration of wildlife.
Throughout the day, you may see lions, buffalo, hippos, elephants, hyenas and, with luck, black rhino.
The experience feels very different from Serengeti.
There, the horizon seems endless.
Here, the crater walls remain around you.
You’ll have lunch inside the crater before ascending in the afternoon and continuing to your lodge.
Overnight
Kudu Lodge
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Kudu Lodge
Ngorongoro → Tarangire National Park:
After breakfast, you’ll continue to Tarangire National Park.
The first thing you notice is the landscape.
Baobabs rise above the woodland.
The Tarangire River cuts through the park and becomes increasingly important to wildlife as conditions dry.
Elephants are one of the park’s defining animals, but they’re not the only reason to be here.
Buffalo, giraffes, antelope, lions and a wide variety of birdlife all use the same landscape.
You’ll spend the morning and afternoon exploring, stopping for lunch along the way.
Again, the route isn’t built around ticking animals off a list.
Your guide will follow what is happening.
Overnight
Conserve Safari Camp – Tarangire
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation
Conserve Safari Camp – Tarangire
Tarangire → Arusha → Kilimanjaro International Airport:
After breakfast, you’ll leave Tarangire and begin the drive back towards Arusha.
If timing and arrangements allow, there may be an opportunity to visit a local school along the way and learn more about education and community life.
In Arusha, you’ll stop for lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge.
After lunch, you’ll visit Shanga, where artisans with disabilities create jewellery, glassware and homeware using recycled materials.
It’s a fitting final stop because the safari ends with people rather than wildlife.
After the visit, we’ll transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight.
Meals
Breakfast & lunch
Accommodation details are available on request for this part of the itinerary.
What is Covered
Includes & Excludes
• All park fees
• Accommodation and meals as described in the itinerary
• Private safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
• Internal flights
• Arrival and departure transfers
• Experienced Nature in Spirit safari guide
• Mineral water, soft drinks and beer stocked in the safari vehicle
• Government taxes
• AMREF Flying Doctor emergency rescue cover
• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Tanzania visa
• Gratuities
• Drinks at the lodges
• Personal expenses
• Anything not specifically listed under “What’s included”
Travelers Feedback
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