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Wildebeest herds spread across the open Serengeti plains

Midrange migration safari · Tanzania

5-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari — Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti

Five days is short for the Serengeti, so this routing spends them deliberately: straight through Tarangire to the plains, then north to wherever the herds are reported, and out over the Ngorongoro Crater on the way home. It suits travellers who want the migration specifically rather than a general northern-circuit tour. The Great Migration is a natural phenomenon and its position changes with the rains, so the exact camps are confirmed close to travel.

  • 5 days
  • Tanzania
  • Midrange migration safari
  • On Request
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The journey

A closer look at your trip.

Five days is short for the Serengeti, so this routing spends them deliberately: straight through Tarangire to the plains, then north to wherever the herds are reported, and out over the Ngorongoro Crater on the way home. It suits travellers who want the migration specifically rather than a general northern-circuit tour. The Great Migration is a natural phenomenon and its position changes with the rains, so the exact camps are confirmed close to travel.

ArushaTarangireSerengetiNgorongoro
Duration
5 days / 4 nights
Countries
Tanzania
Trip style
Midrange migration safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Arusha
End
Arusha
Price
On Request

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Tarangire's baobabs and dry-season elephant concentrations

  • 02

    Game viewing in the central Serengeti's Seronera valley

  • 03

    Northern Serengeti plains in the crossing season

  • 04

    A full descent into the Ngorongoro Crater

  • 05

    Camps positioned by current herd reports

Your route

Across Tanzania.

Arusha → Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Arusha

We will confirm the day-by-day sequence and overnight stops in your detailed proposal.

KENYATANZANIAArushaTarangireSerengetiNgorongoro

Schematic route · See the day-by-day programme for travel details.

Day by day

5 days in East Africa.

  1. Day 1

    Arusha to Tarangire National Park

    Leave Arusha after breakfast and drive south-west to Tarangire, arriving in time for lunch. Tarangire is built around a single permanent river, and in the dry months that river pulls in game from a very large surrounding area — this is where Tanzania's densest elephant concentrations are found between roughly July and October. The park is also known for its baobabs, some of them centuries old, which give the landscape a character quite unlike the open plains further north. Afternoon game drive in a 4x4 Land Cruiser. Dinner follows on arrival, with the night spent at Tarangire.

    Overnight
    Tarangire Simba Lodge
    Meals
    Lunch and dinner

  2. Day 2

    Tarangire to the central Serengeti

    An early start for the drive north-west, climbing past the Ngorongoro highlands and then dropping onto the Serengeti plains — a transition that is genuinely striking, from forested crater rim to grassland running to the horizon. Enter the park and game drive through the afternoon towards Seronera in the central Serengeti, a year-round wildlife area built around a river system that holds resident lion, leopard and cheetah regardless of where the migration is. Dinner and overnight in the central Serengeti.

    Overnight
    Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  3. Day 3

    North into migration country

    Head north today, towards where the herds are currently reported. Between roughly July and October the migration is usually in the northern Serengeti near the Mara River, and this is the part of the circuit built around whatever the latest reports say — your guide adjusts rather than following a fixed route. The northern country is more rolling and rockier than the central plains, with kopjes that are reliable places to find lion. A full day out with a picnic lunch gives the time needed to sit and wait if a herd is massing. Dinner and overnight.

    Overnight
    Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge or a seasonal migration camp
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner
    Wildebeest gathered at the edge of a river in the northern Serengeti
    Herds may mass on a bank for hours before crossing — or turn back and not cross at all.

  4. Day 4

    Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater rim

    Morning game drive as you work your way back south across the plains, with the chance of more migration activity depending on where the herds have moved. Leave the Serengeti in the afternoon, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and climbing to the crater rim, where you arrive in time to watch the light go off the caldera below. Evenings on the rim are cold — considerably colder than the plains — so warm clothing is worth having. Dinner and overnight on the rim.

    Overnight
    Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  5. Day 5

    Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

    Descend into the crater after an early breakfast for a half-day game drive on the floor. The caldera is around 260 square kilometres of enclosed grassland, swamp and soda lake holding a resident population of roughly twenty-five thousand large animals, including one of the best remaining chances in Tanzania of seeing black rhino. Picnic lunch beside the Ngoitokitok springs, then climb back out and drive to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon for onward travel or a connection to Kilimanjaro airport.

    Meals
    Breakfast and picnic lunch

Where you stay

Accommodation for your journey.

Your written proposal will name the accommodation, room or tent arrangements and meal plan for each night. Share your preferences so we can confirm suitable available options.

Suggested accommodation

  • Tarangire

    Tarangire Simba Lodge

  • Serengeti

    Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

    or a seasonal migration camp positioned for the current herd location

  • Ngorongoro

    Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What is included

Your quotation will itemise transport, guiding, entry fees, accommodation and meals where applicable. Please confirm the included services with our team before booking.

What to allow for

Ask for an itemised list of exclusions and optional activities with your quotation so you can plan your total travel budget.

When to travel

Seasonal considerations.

The Great Migration is a natural phenomenon, not a scheduled event. The herds move through the Serengeti and Maasai Mara with the rainfall, so their position shifts from month to month and year to year, and river crossings can never be guaranteed on a given date. Broadly, the calving months in the southern Serengeti fall around January to March, the western and central plains hold the herds from roughly April to June, and the northern Serengeti and the Mara are the usual focus from about July to October. We plan around the most current reports rather than a fixed calendar.

Read the full season guide →

Who it suits

Is this the right journey?

  • Travellers who want more than a sampler: enough days to settle into each area rather than moving on every morning.
  • Parties who want the vehicle and the pace to themselves; this journey is arranged privately.

Pricing

Plan with the details in view.

On Request

This journey is quoted to your dates, party size and chosen properties.

This itinerary can also be arranged privately in a 4x4 Land Cruiser on request. A private departure is quoted separately and confirmed with your dates and group size.

Request a quotation

Made for your plans

Let’s shape the details together.

Tell us what matters most: time in a particular destination, room preferences, photography or a gentler pace. We will explain the practical options and provide a revised proposal.

Discuss this trip on WhatsApp →

Your questions, answered.

Will we see a river crossing?

Nobody can promise one. Crossings happen when the herds reach a river and decide to cross, which can be days apart or several times in one morning, and the timing shifts every year with the rain. Being in the right part of the Serengeti at the right time of year gives you the best chance, and that is what this routing is built around.

Where will the herds actually be?

It depends on the month and the rainfall. Broadly: Ndutu and the southern plains for calving around January to March, the central and western Serengeti from roughly April to June, and the north towards the Mara River from about July to October. Your guide works from current reports rather than a fixed schedule.

Is the migration worth seeing outside the crossing season?

Yes. The migration is a continuous movement of well over a million animals, not a single event. The calving season in the south is spectacular in its own right and brings intense predator activity.

What vehicle is used?

A 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof. In the northern Serengeti in particular, a proper 4x4 matters — the tracks are rough and often wet.

Keep exploring

Related journeys.

Wildebeest gathered on a riverbank in the northern Serengeti

8 days · Tanzania

8-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari — Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara

Arusha · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara

Eight days is enough to stop chasing and start watching. This circuit gives the Serengeti four nights — split between the central plains and the north — which is what it takes to sit with a herd rather than drive past one, and still covers Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. It is built for travellers whose main reason for coming is the migration, with the rest of the northern circuit around it.

On Request

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