7 Days Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari

When your plane arrives at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, a friendly representative from Chalema Tanzania Safaris will be waiting to meet you and bring you to the first destination on your Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari: Arusha Planet Lodge. Arusha itself serves as something of an informal gateway to Tanzania’s famed northern safari circuit, and this pleasant hotel is nestled right on the outskirts of the city. There’s no better place to relax and wash away the stresses of travel. Spend the afternoon at your leisure, spotting endemic birds in the lush hotel gardens, enjoying a drink by the poolside, or simply catching up on your sleep.

We’ll get an early start today to make the three-hour drive to Tarangire National Park. No trip on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit would be complete without visiting this unspoiled wildlife refuge, where enormous herds of elephants roam amongst mysterious baobab forests and muddy rivers course their way between rolling bush-covered hills. The park serves as the perfect midway point on our journey to the Serengeti, and we’ll enjoy a rewarding game drive here to search for lions, buffalo, and—of course—elephants. Later this afternoon, we’ll turn north, skirting the edge of the magnificent Lake Manyara to reach the highland town of Karatu. It’s here that we’ll find Eileen’s Trees Inn, where we’ll unload our bags and savor the luxury of tonight’s grand treehouse-style lodge accommodations.

After breakfast this morning, it’s time to make good on the central premise of our Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari. We’ll enter the world-famous Serengeti National Park from the southeast, stopping for a half-day’s detour along the way to visit the incredible geological formation of Ngorongoro Crater. This two-million-year-old volcanic caldera is one of the best places in Tanzania to search for lions and hyenas—not to mention the exceedingly rare black rhinoceros. After exploring the crater, we’ll move on to the Serengeti. Our first stop in this one-of-a-kind park will be in the central Seronera region, which has long served as the home base for important wildlife research. From here, we’ll be well-positioned to explore the length and breadth of the park, finding the wildebeest migration at its most active. For the next two nights, our accommodations will be at the sublime Tanzania Bush Camp, where you’ll enjoy the relaxing ambience of the African night while sleeping in traditional canvas safari tents.

Our second day in the Serengeti National Park will be dedicated to an even more far-ranging exploration of this incredible ecosystem. The Serengeti is much more than just a backdrop to the Great Migration; it’s a living place where predators and prey have played out the eternal rhythms of life since time immemorial. We’ll visit hippo pools in search of half-submerged behemoths, peer beneath the shade of acacias in the hopes of glimpsing a tree-climbing lion or leopard, and scour the open plains on the hunt for the park’s fastest predator: the cheetah. Throughout the course of our full-day safari, the chaotic clamor of the migration will be our constant companion. We can even watch the wildebeest and zebra while we stop for a picnic lunch right in the bush. Later this afternoon, we’ll return to Tanzania Bush Camp for a second night under canvas.

Our Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari continues today as we drive north through the Serengeti plains, drawing nearer to the border with Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. Our accommodations will be at the mobile Mara River Camp, which operates seasonally and allows us to get a front-row seat to the very best of the Great Migration. Depending on the time of year, the wildebeest and zebra will make the dangerous crossing of the Mara River as they move northward in search of greener pastures. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll witness a river crossing for yourself, this is one of the best spots to watch the migration—and the Serengeti wildlife in general. We’ll spend the next two nights here at Mara River Camp to make the most of this wonderful opportunity.

With another full day’s safari at our disposal, we’ll set out into the bush at sunrise to watch the park’s wildlife at their most active. We’ll have a good chance to spot predators on the move, hunting and patrolling their territories before the heat of the day sets in. We’ll also continue to marvel at the sheer spectacle of the migration itself, as our winding dirt road weaves in and out of the massive herds of wildebeest, zebra, and other antelopes caught up in the drama and excitement of this epic passage across the plains. For lunch, we can return to camp or enjoy another picnic-style affair beneath the pleasant shade of an acacia tree. Later this evening, we’ll enjoy your drink of choice for a

Our Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari may be drawing to a close, but we’ve still got some excitement ahead of us. We’ll make a morning game drive on the way to the Serengeti’s Kogatende Airstrip, just south of the Mara River. From here, we’ll board a specially chartered light aircraft to enjoy a scenic flight over the vast expense of the Serengeti as we make our way back to Arusha. You’ll have the rare opportunity to view the Great Migration from an aerial perspective, gaining a new appreciation for the massive scale of this natural phenomenon. When we touch down in Arusha, we’ll make the short transfer to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your international flight. Thank you for choosing Chalema Tanzania Safaris for your Mara River Wildebeest Migration Safari!