Compare Migration Quest by Zama Tours & Safaris vs Classic Northern Tanzania safari by Audley Travel

Day 1: Arusha

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Arumeru River Lodge

Activity: Transfer to Arusha

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met by our office representative and transferred to Arusha for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Oremiti Lodge

Activity: Game drive in Manyara

After breakfast, depart for Lake Manyara National Park with lunch box en-route. Nestling at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is recognized for its incredible beauty. You can see many game animals such as buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippo and others. Enjoy an afternoon of game viewing in search of the famous but rare tree climbing lion. From a sea of pink flamingos as far as the eye can see to bull elephants at close range, Lake Manyara showcases a superb variety of herd animals and birdlife. Dinner and overnight in a tented lodge.

Day 3: Lake Manyara Area – Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Pakulala Safari Camp

Activity: Game drive in the Ngorongoro

The road from Manyara leads you through the Crater Forest and over the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Short stop at the viewpoint with breath-taking views over the crater, before descent onto the crater floor to emerge into this fishbowl of wildlife. On the grass steppe and in the acacia tree woods, you will find almost all species that are found in the East African savannah; with the exception of topis, Masai giraffes and impalas. Quite often you can observe the “Big Five” (lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinoceros and leopards) within a couple of hours. After an extensive wildlife tour and a picnic for lunch, just before sunset return close to the crater rim for dinner and overnight in a tented camp.

Day 4: Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ndutu/Seronera/Bologonja

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Depends on the season

Activity: Game drive in Ndutu or Serengeti

Time to chase the migration of wildebeest and zebra’s! Leaving the Ngorongoro area, the vast extensions of the Serengeti plains before you will impress you and wanting you to explore this area in deep. In general you will find impala, giraffe, hippo, hyena and often lions and other big cats such as leopards and cheetahs. The migration, consisting of around 2 million animals, is on the move all year round. Usually the wildebeest and the zebras during the short rainy season in October and November are to be found moving from the hills in the north of the Serengeti, to the plains in the south. During the longer rainy season of April, May and June they return north. With fluctuations of annual rainfall the exact location of the animals varies from year to year. Your guide however will know the location of the herds and also where to get the best views. Naturally it also attracts a mass of predators and you may be able to see a band of lionesses gather for a hunt. Your accommodation will be in a tented camp in the south, central or north of the Serengeti, depending on the time of the year.

Day 5 and 6: Ndutu/Seronera/Bologonja

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Depends on the season

Activity: Game drive in Ndutu or Serengeti

Two full days of exploring the Serengeti, trying to follow the tracks of the migration and be immersed in crowds of thousands and thousands of animals. Lunch in the camp or bush, dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Ndutu/Seronera/Bologonja

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Activity: Bush flight back to Arusha

After breakfast, we leisurely game drive to the respective airstrip for our charter flight back to Arusha.

Day 1 : International outbound flight

Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Kilimanjaro Airport.

Day 2 : Arusha

On arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you're met by your driver-guide, who assists you with your bags before driving you the 45 minutes to Arusha. Along the way, if the weather is clear, you may have views of Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance. Settle into your accommodation, ready to start your safari proper in the morning.

Day 3 : Karatu

You set off early this morning with your private guide and 4x4 vehicle for the three hour drive to Lake Manyara National Park. The route takes you through small farming villages where you may see traditionally dressed Maasai herding their cattle. You could stop at one of the markets for a glimpse of everyday life in this area. Spend the rest of the day game viewing around the lake shores. The flamingos on the lake are a classic East African sight, and you may spot hippo wallowing in the mud. After a picnic lunch, you head up the Rift Valley escarpment and into the Ngorongoro Highlands to Karatu, around an hour away.

Day 4 : Karatu

After breakfast, you're driven for around an hour up to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, gaining your first views of this incredible natural wonder. You then descend into the crater for some game viewing from your private vehicle, taking a picnic lunch to enjoy on the crater floor. There are a handful of rare resident black rhinos in the crater that you may be lucky enough to see, along with large prides of lion, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and hyena. Your guide will help point them out and tell you more about each species. After returning to Karatu in the afternoon, you're free to relax at your lodge or explore the town.

Day 5 : Serengeti National Park

This morning you're driven from Karatu to Serengeti National Park by your private driver-guide. The journey takes around three hours, passing around the crater rim en route. Once you pass through the park gates you can enjoy a game drive on the way to your camp, looking out for the Big Five. After settling into your camp, you head back out on an afternoon game drive. The vast open plains of the Serengeti are world-renowned, broken up only by rocky kopjes and the Gol Mountains in the distance.

Day 6 : Serengeti National Park

Spend all of today on safari in the Serengeti - you can explore the very different regions of this vast park with your driver-guide according to what wildlife you've already seen on your safari so far. Taking a full day rather than just a morning or afternoon game drive means you have the time to venture further afield to less-visited areas. The Serengeti is big cat country, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for lion, cheetah and the elusive leopard.

Day 7 : Serengeti National Park

Spend your final day on safari making the most of the sweeping open plains of the Serengeti and trying to see as much wildlife as possible. Other than the Big Five, species to look out for include wild dog, giraffe, wildebeest and spotted hyena. The birdlife in the Serengeti is also spectacular, with over 500 species recorded here, including a variety of different bustards, lilac-breasted rollers and starlings with distinctive shimmering wings.

Day 8 : International return flight

You have time for one last game drive this morning on your way to the Seronera Airstrip in central Serengeti. Here you board your light aircraft flight to Kilimanjaro, flying for around an hour and a half as you enjoy wonderful views over the Serengeti. You land back at Kilimanjaro Airport in time for your onward flight.

Day 9 : International return flight

Arrive home today to complete your journey.