10 Days Tanzania Great Migration Safari

Your Tanzanian adventure begins the moment you step off the plane. Your dedicated Wildflip Safaris driver will be waiting to meet and greet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport, before transferring you in comfort to the elegant African Tulip Hotel in Arusha, the safari capital of northern Tanzania. Depending on your arrival time, you'll be welcomed with a hot lunch at the hotel. After lunch, take an unhurried walk around the leafy streets of Arusha to start soaking in the rhythm of East Africa, browse local craft markets, and shake off any jet-lag. Return to the hotel for a beautiful dinner and a restful first night under the African sky, a gentle prelude to the wild days ahead.

After breakfast you'll set out for the legendary Serengeti National Park, with a packed picnic lunch enjoyed en route. By afternoon you're already inside the park on your first Serengeti game drive, and what a debut it is. The Serengeti's endless plains roll out in every direction, dotted with immense herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra trailed by the predators of their annual migration. Lions, cheetah, hyena and jackal follow the herds from one permanent water source to the next, creating a timeless, unequalled spectacle that has captivated wildlife lovers for generations. Settle into your tented camp as the African night arrives with a million stars overhead.

Today you have a full day to drink in the magic of the Serengeti, rising early to make the most of the cool light and active wildlife. Your guide will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year, perhaps the Hippo Pool where you can watch hippos laze in cool water alongside crocodiles, a kopje where a big lion pride is in residence, or the open plains where you'll be in the very middle of the migration: sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by the zebras that travel with them. You'll journey from wide open grasslands to the kopjes, volcanic rocky outcrops that provide protection and shelter for a dazzling variety of animals. Climb to a vantage point and gaze out across the boundless Serengeti. It is a moment most travellers describe as one of the great experiences of a lifetime.

Another full day in this wonderful park, and an entirely different one, because in the Serengeti no two days are ever the same. The diverse landscape provides the ultimate game viewing: with luck you'll see all of the plains game, including elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and lions. If fortune smiles, you may even spot the elusive leopard draped in an acacia or a sprinting cheetah on the open grasslands. Bird life here is just as spectacular: from the elegant secretary bird stalking through the grass to the flightless ostrich, lilac-breasted rollers, kori bustards and countless raptors. Return to camp at dusk for sundowners, dinner under the stars, and the unforgettable nighttime soundtrack of the African bush.

The safari adventure now turns south as you travel onward to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and once one of the seven wonders of the world. The journey covers approximately 180 km / 6 hours of varied, scenic driving, with a picnic lunch en route. In the afternoon, you'll drive up to the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the largest intact volcanic craters in the world. The crater floor is a self-contained Eden, sustaining a permanent population of more than 30,000 animals, and is one of the only places in Africa where you stand a very good chance of seeing the Big Five, including lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard and elephant, all in a single day.

After breakfast you'll descend 600 metres into this magnificent crater for a full day of game viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely populated wildlife areas anywhere in Africa, home to an estimated 30,000 animals, including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Supported by year-round water and rich grazing, the crater sustains immense numbers of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and giant African elephants. Another of its great draws is its huge population of predators, including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard. You'll enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor, surrounded by wildlife on all sides, an experience that few places in the world can offer. In the afternoon you'll return up to the crater rim and on to your lodge.

This morning you'll drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day of game drives. Although one of Tanzania's smaller parks, Manyara delivers an outstanding and richly varied safari experience. It is one of the country's most dramatically located reserves, with a vast but shallow soda lake covering two-thirds of the park, set at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. The park's mosaic of habitats attracts an astonishing variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants as well as huge flocks of flamingos drawn by the algae in the lake. The lakeshore teems with birdlife, and as you scan the trees you may spot one of Manyara's elusive tree-climbing lions. There are surprising numbers of other large mammals too, all set against the striking backdrop of the Rift escarpment.

After breakfast, you'll drive to Arusha National Park, the little-known jewel of Tanzania. At its heart rises the 4,566-metre Mount Meru, popular with mountaineers seeking an alternative to the well-trodden paths of Kilimanjaro. Arusha NP is far less visited than the more famous Serengeti and Ngorongoro, but it is an outstanding choice if you want beautiful landscapes and a remarkable variety of flora and fauna, with far fewer people. The park has an awe-inspiring blend of habitats, including swamp, grassland, montane forest, and the slopes of Meru clothed in tropical rainforest. It's a unique ecosystem that draws thousands of animals and birds. Today combines an unforgettable walking safari for an up-close encounter with wildlife on foot, plus a glorious afternoon game drive across the park's dramatic landscapes, making it the perfect "Forgotten Pearl" finale before your last evening in Tanzania.

After breakfast at the hotel you'll be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home, with packed lunch boxes for the journey. It has been an extraordinary trip, and you'll leave with a phone full of pictures, a heart full of memories, and a wealth of stories to share with friends back home. No doubt, you'll also leave with the feeling that Tanzania has only shown you its first secret and is already calling you back.