A Serengeti safari timed to the herds, then Ngorongoro, for travellers who choose the month first.
6–8 nightsSafariSerengeti · Mara River · Ngorongoro
The journey
The herds never stop moving, so this safari does not stay in one place.
Your month picks the first base: Ndutu’s short-grass plains for the calving, or Kogatende and the Mara River for the crossings, with Seronera’s cats in between. Then a long drive climbs to Ngorongoro’s rim, and you drop onto the crater floor.
The Great Migration suits travellers with six to eight nights who would rather choose a month than a fixed route. The trade-offs are bush flights, two road days at the end, and no promise of where the herds will be. For a first Tanzania safari in any month, choose Tanzania Classic.
Calving plains, river bank and crater floor, chosen by the month and shaped entirely on your terms.
Moments along the way
The month decides where you wake.
01
Fly between bases
A short flight crosses grassland that takes a long day by road.
02
A camp that moves
Some camps relocate seasonally, placing their tents in different areas as the herds move.
03
Waiting at the river
At Kogatende you watch the bank for hours; the herd decides whether to cross.
04
Cats around Seronera
Lion, leopard and cheetah live around Seronera in every month, herds or no herds.
05
Calves on the short grass
From late January the southern plains usually fill with newborns and their predators.
06
Down into the crater
A walled floor where the horizon shrinks to the rim, after days of open plains.
Where you’ll stay
Each stay adds to the story.
From an intimate Essential camp to a Private Collection lodge, each stay is chosen for where it puts you that month. Seronera camps suit almost any month; others sit near the river or the calving plains.
Select an idea to carry into your brief. Nothing is added to a booking or priced automatically.
BEFORE YOU ENQUIRE
A route with room to breathe
Here’s how it comes together.
Arusha → Kogatende → Seronera → Ngorongoro → Arusha; or Arusha → Seronera → Ndutu → Ngorongoro → Arusha. The map shows both seasonal alternatives; your month decides which route applies.
Preparing the route map…
A sense of the days
The rhythm of the journey.
Land and rest near Arusha, then fly on the next morning. In the river season the flight goes to Kogatende; in other months it lands at Seronera, and Coastal’s list also names Ndutu and Grumeti. You usually reach camp with the afternoon left for a drive. Many bush routes need two seats, so a solo traveller may be asked to pay for a second.
This is the river season. Days begin early and revolve around the water: your guide reads where the herds are each morning, and a packed lunch, if your camp provides one, lets you wait on a bank rather than return. A crossing cannot be scheduled, so other wildlife fills the gaps. Which Seronera flight is confirmed decides whether the last morning holds another drive.
Seronera works in any month because its drives do not depend on the herds. Drives fall early and late, when the cats are active, and the middle of the day is for rest at camp. It is a popular part of the park, so ask which camps sit away from the busier tracks. In April and May, tracks run heavier and a few camps shut.
Leave Seronera after breakfast and drive south across open plains, usually arriving with time to settle in before an afternoon drive. Around Ndutu, days track the herds: your guide checks where the calves and their mothers are that week, and a light rain jacket belongs in the bag. February is the usual peak for newborns; late January and March can bring fewer.
Leave your last Serengeti camp straight after breakfast and keep your seatbelt on for the long drive towards the rim, with a stop for lunch on the way. Next morning you descend with a licensed guide and stay in the vehicle inside the crater, apart from designated areas. The descent gate closes at 16:00, so go down early.
With a single night on the rim, the crater morning and the road to Arusha share the last day, so an evening flight suits better than an afternoon one. With two nights, the crater has its own day and you leave after breakfast, which can suit an afternoon flight. Allow extra time for a Kilimanjaro departure, which lies further along the road.
One night near Arusha, two or three at the river or Ndutu, two at Seronera, one or two on the rim: six to eight nights.
Clear from the beginning
What’s included.
Typically included
Park and conservation-area fees
Expert driver-guide
4x4 safari vehicle
Accommodation at your chosen level
Meals as set by each camp
Bush flights as routed
Airport and road transfers
Game drives and drinking water
Not included
International flights
Tanzania visa, inbound and travel insurance
Premium drinks
Gratuities
Balloon and other optional extras
Every journey is quoted in full, with no surprises.
Good to know
The migration circuit, in context.
The Serengeti, in northern Tanzania, is the larger, southern part of the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, and a great migration safari follows the herds through it as they chase rain and fresh grass. Tanzania’s national parks authority runs the park. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, run by NCAA, lies to the south-east and holds the crater and, by many accounts, the Ndutu plains. Light aircraft link the north and the centre; roads reach the south and the rim.
The rim lies on the route back towards Arusha. One rim night means a crater morning followed by the onward drive; two allow a less compressed departure. The enclosed crater floor also contrasts with the open Serengeti plains.
No crossing is guaranteed. Herds can wait at the bank for hours or days and turn back; July to October is the broad northern window. Keep vehicles back from crossing routes and leave animals clear entry and exit space.
Ndutu from late January to March for calving; Seronera in April, May and December; the west near Grumeti in June; Kogatende from July to October for the river. In November the herds leave the north; their dates shift by weeks.
Six to eight, including a night near Arusha. A third night at the river or Ndutu buys a spare day when the herds or the weather disagree. Under six, flights and drives take too large a share.
Flights can save a long road day. Auric’s published Arusha–Kogatende service takes 45 minutes; Kogatende–Seronera takes 30–45 minutes. Routing and minimum seats need checking. Auric allows 20 kg including hand luggage and recommends soft bags; Coastal’s standard allowance is 15 kg.
Your quote includes the agreed park and conservation fees. Charges depend on traveller category, camp location and season; Ngorongoro charges are separate. The published 2023/24 tariff is historical, so the applicable rates need reconfirming before a current quote.
Which camp area suits which month. The herds shift by weeks each year, and your interests matter as much as the calendar.
Typically drierLonger rainsMore variable
Aug / Dry season, river country
West in June, north after.
Usually dry. The west, near Grumeti, suits June; Kogatende suits July to October, with crossing dates dependent on the herds. Northern camps are busy, so secure the location before adding other stops.
Broad seasonal guidance — not a forecast, availability calendar or migration promise. Picking a month sets it in your plan.
