9 Days Great Wildebeest Migration Safari – Western Corridor (June-July)

Overview

Duration: 9 Days

This expedition will take you to a part of the Serengeti knowns as the Western corridor. Seeing the enormous herds of the Great Migration making crossings of the Grumeti between June and July is an excellent reason to visit this part of the Serengeti.

While these river crossings are less well known than the Mara river crossings to the north, where the river is more dangerous, wider, and has more viewing points, the Grumeti River, which is the first big obstacle for the herds to tackle, still offers some exciting sightings, with the added benefit of fewer tourists at the crossing points.

Wake before dawn for your chance of a sunrise game drive out on the plains of the Serengeti. The sunsets fire to the savannah as leopards, lions, and hyenas hunt an early morning meal, making for a truly stunning visual experience.

The Grumeti River flows through the Western Corridor and acts as the first major barrier for the herd as it moves north. This area sustains a very good permanent wildlife population, including all the predators, Zebra, and wildebeest. There is also a wide variety of birdlife.

At a Glance

This tour starts and ends in Moshi/Arusha at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport.
This tour offers lodge & Tented Camp accommodation with upgrades available
This tour is a private safari run exclusively for you and can depart any day
However, the package can still be customized to meet your budget and ideas
This tour accepts children of all ages and discounts apply for children 0-15 years old with further discounts available for families sharing triple and qual rooms.

Highlights

Tarangire National Park- Game drive
Travel the endless plains of the world-famous Serengeti-Game Drive
Ngorongoro crater- Game Drive
Grumeti River – Searching for Wildebeest crossing river
1 night in Arusha, 1-night Tarangire, 2-nights central Serengeti, 2-nights Western Serengeti, 1-night Ngorongoro, 1-night Lake Manyara and 1-night in Moshi/Arusha
Enjoy the lodge & Tented Camp accommodation in the heart of the Tanzania bush

Optional Safari Activities

Night Game Drive Tarangire or Lake Manyara
Empakai crater hike
Maasai Village Visit
Hadzabe &Datoga Tribe Visit
Mto wa Ambu Village tour
Ngorongoro crater Rim Walking safari
Visit to the Olduvai Gorge
Balloon Safari Tarangire or Serengeti

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival – Arusha

Arrive at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be picked up from the airport by a Summit Climb representative and conveyed to your accommodation in Moshi/Arusha where you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come, restore and enjoy your first taste of Africa. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.

Meals Plan: Bed & Breakfast

Accommodation

Location: Arusha City
Budget Hotel: Arusha Green Mountain| Venus Premier Hotel| Outpost Lodge| Mc-Elly’s Hotel
Mid-range: Ilboru Safari Lodge| Arusha Planet Lodge| Pazuri Inn| Masailand Safari Lodge
Luxury: River Tree Lodge | Mount Meru Hotel| Four Point by Sheraton Arusha| The African Tulip Luxury Boutique Hotel
Luxury Plus: Grand Melia Lodge| Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort & Spa| Arusha Coffee Lodge| Kili Villa

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National park.

Distance & Drive time: Arusha to Tarangire takes about 2.5 to 3 hours (106 km/65mi)- Tarangire to Karatu takes about 1.5hour (95km/59mi)

Pick up at 7:00 AM from your hotel in Moshi and depart for Tarangire National park with a picnic lunch for a full day game drive. Tanzania’s third largest National park is known for its majestic baobab trees that dot the landscape, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River is the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, oryx, eland, giraffe, and zebra. After a full day in the park, we will drive to the camp/Lodge where a delicious dinner awaits you, and spend the night.

Meals plan: Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

Location: Karatu
Budget Camping outside the Park: Haven nature Safari Camp and Lodge| Fanaka Safaris Campsite & Lodges| Migombani Camp
Mid-range: Marera Valley Lodge| Eileen’s Tree Lodge| Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge| Karatu Simba Lodge| Ngorongoro Farm House |
Luxury: Ngorongoro Coffee lodge | Kitela Lodge| The Retreat At Ngorongoro| Gibbs Farm| Rhotia Valley
Luxury Plus: The Manor at Ngorongoro| Oldeani Mountain Lodge| Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

Day 3: Tarangire National Park to central National park

Distance & Drive time: Tarangire to Central Serengeti takes about 5.5 to 6 hours (265 km/164mi)

After breakfast, you will travel via the cooler highlands towards the southern Serengeti and at midday, you will reach the plains of the Serengeti National park. This park is the largest in Tanzania and has a diversity of habitats and landscape-short grass plains, savannah, thick bush, swamps, and lakes. A bizarre rock formation called kopjes dots the grassy landscape where predators are often seen. the Serengeti is famous for the yearly migration when hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and Zebra trek to find fresh grass and water. you will overnight at a lodge/campsite located in central Serengeti in Seronera Area.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation

Location: Central Serengeti (Seronera Area)
Budget Camping: Seronera Public Campsites
Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage luxury Tented Camps | Embalakai Camp Serengeti | Serengeti Kuhama tented Lodge| Mbugani Migration Camp| Acacia Central Camp
Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge| Serengeti Serena lodge| Lemala Ewanjani Tented Camps| Lemala Nanyukie| Serengeti Sametu Camp| Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp
Luxury Plus: Four Season Lodge| Ole Serai Luxury Camp| Serengeti Lake Magadi Lodge

Day 4: Serengeti National Park.

Distance & Drive Time: Full-day game viewing.

After breakfast enters into the corners of plains Serengeti for a full day to explore the Serengeti with both morning and afternoon game drives. The Serengeti National Park is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania’s game parks and offers arguably the best game viewing in Africa. The setting is perfect –a sea of endless plains that stretches to the horizon, dotted with the occasional acacia tree and termite mound. This Savanna is home to huge herds of Wildebeest that every year make the mass migration North, through crocodile-infested rivers, in a frenzied mixture of mating and galloping that is driven by instinct. Pride of lion rule here, their hungry gaze sweeping the Savannah for a chance to attack the thousands of eland, impala, and gazelle. Solitary leopard stakes out their place in the high branches of the acacia tree and herds of elephants roam at will. This is the Africa that you have always dreamed about. You will overnight at the lodge/Campsite located in central Serengeti.

Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

Location: Central Serengeti (Seronera Area)
Budget Camping: Seronera Public Campsites
Mid-range: Serengeti Heritage luxury Tented Camps | Embalakai Camp Serengeti | Serengeti Kuhama tented Lodge| Mbugani Migration Camp| Acacia Central Camp
Luxury: Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge| Serengeti Serena lodge| Lemala Ewanjani Tented Camps| Lemala Nanyukie| Serengeti Sametu Camp| Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp
Luxury Plus: Four Season Lodge| Ole Serai Luxury Camp| Serengeti Lake Magadi Lodge

Day 5 & 6: Serengeti Western Corridor

After breakfast, we make our way into the park’s Western Corridor area.

The Mara River crossing may be the most well-known highlight of the Wildebeest Migration, but the Grumeti River Crossing in the Western Serengeti is no less spectacular.

Drawn towards the shores of Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria by the promise of rain and better grazing, the herd deviates into the west.

The only things standing between the herd and the large freshwater lake? The Grumeti River.

Some of the most spectacular images of the predator-prey dynamic are captured in and around the river, with both the big cats and Nile crocodiles seizing upon this opportunity to strike at the increasingly desperate members of the region, and these opportunistic predators make the most of things. Dinner and overnight in Serengeti to the standard and the type of accommodation requested from your options.

Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

Location: Western Serengeti
Mid-range: Mbugani Migration Camp| Mbalageti Safari Camp
Luxury: Melia Serengeti Lodge| Lahia Tented Lodge| Mbali Mbali Soroi Serengeti| Serengeti Simba Lodge
Luxury Plus: Serena Kirawira Luxury Tented Lodge | Singita Sasakawa Lodge| Singita Faru Faru Lodge

Day 7: Serengeti National park to Ngorongoro Crater.

Distance & Drive time: Central Serengeti to NCA takes about 3 to 3.5 hours (153km/95mi)

After breakfast, morning game drives at Serengeti National Park. On your outward journey to the park gate, you will enjoy some more game viewing before you leave the Serengeti National park in the early afternoon to continue your journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for dinner and overnight. You will overnight at the lodge located on the ridge of the Ngorongoro rim.

Meals plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Accommodation

Location: Ngorongoro NCAA
Budget Camping: Simba A Public Campsite
Mid-range: Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge| Angata tented Lodge|
Luxury: Sopa Ngorongoro| Serena Ngorongoro| Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp
Luxury Plus: Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection

Day 8: Ngorongoro Crater Tour to Lake Manyara

Distance & Drive Time: NCA to Lake Manyara takes about 1.5 hours (59 km/36.6mi)

Starting early, you have a half-day to explore the Ngorongoro Crater, The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq. km/161 sq. mi

With a depth of over 200 feet. The 5- hours of game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action. Keeping the camera ready is definitely recommended. The African elephant, buffalo, Black rhino, hippos, Hyenas, Cheetahs, and Lions are found in plenty. Post the picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo pool, and continue with game viewing before earlier evening, you will begin a steep ascent to the top exit of the crater. With a 2 hrs. drive left to your accommodation in Lake Manyara, the day will come to a close, freshly made delicious dinner is kept ready for you at your Campsite/Lodge. All these days of the safari will have you quite tired and a good rest is essential. The next day you will begin the last leg of your safari.

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included

Accommodation

Location: Karatu
Budget Camping outside the Park: Haven nature Safari Camp and Lodge| Fanaka Safaris Campsite & Lodges| Migombani Camp
Mid-range: Marera Valley Lodge| Eileen’s Tree Lodge| Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge| Karatu Simba Lodge| Ngorongoro Farm House |
Luxury: Ngorongoro Coffee lodge | Kitela Lodge| The Retreat At Ngorongoro| Gibbs Farm| Rhotia Valley
Luxury Plus: The Manor at Ngorongoro| Oldeani Mountain Lodge| Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

Day 9: Lake Manyara National Park to Moshi

Distance & Time: Lake Manyara to Arusha takes about 3.5 to 4 hours 212 km

On the last day of your safari, you will have an early start you will depart the Lodge at around 0730hrs and head to Lake Manyara National Park for your final game drive. The park is renowned for its elusive tree-climbing lions and diverse bird life. The shallow and alkaline Lake Manyara covers a large area of the park and it is the seasonal home to thousands of flamingos- an awesome(pink) sight. However, more than 400 other bird species are also found here as well as some wonderful mammals. Troops of monkeys like in the forests, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, and wildebeests on grassy plains and elephants.

After your tour around the beautiful lake and the amazing ground water forest you will be transferred back to Moshi/Arusha/Airport in the afternoon via curio shops where you can grab some souvenirs to take back home with you. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you say goodbye to your safari crew.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch. As today is the end of the safari, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

Departure Instructions

Please note that the Great Wildebeest Migration Tour – 9 Days ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.00 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.00 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day

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Included

1 night of hotel Accommodation before safari
Professional and experienced English-speaking safari driver/guide.
Park entrance fees.
Concession/ Camping Fees.
4×4 Toyota land cruiser with a pop-up roof.
All sightseeing and excursions as mentioned in the itinerary (unless labeled as optional).
All accommodation as stated in the itinerary.
Food/Meals as outlined in the itinerary.
Drinking water while on safari (1.5 litres per person per day).
Government Taxes & VAT.
Roundtrip Airport Transfer (Unless mentioned otherwise).