The Great Migration Encounter — 6-Day Serengeti Safari
6 Days / 5 Nights Tanzania

The Great Migration Encounter — 6-Day Serengeti Safari

Experience Overview

Experience Overview

The Great Migration is the largest movement of land mammals on Earth: more than a million wildebeest, joined by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, circle the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem all year in search of fresh grass and water. This six-day safari puts you among the herds with a guide who knows where they are moving.

Where the herds are, month by month

The migration never stops, so we plan your route around your travel dates. From December to March the herds gather on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu, where hundreds of thousands of calves are born. From April to June they move through the central and western Serengeti, and the first river crossings take place on the Grumeti. From July to October they reach the northern Serengeti, where the dramatic Mara River crossings happen, before turning south again in November.

More than the migration

Your safari begins with Tarangire's elephant herds and baobab woodland, gives you two days with the Serengeti's herds and predators — including a sunrise hot-air balloon flight with a bush breakfast — and finishes with a full game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater and a visit to a Maasai boma. Nights are spent in comfortable lodges and tented camps chosen for their location.

Highlights

The moments this migration safari is built around.

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Two days with the Great Migration herds, guided to where they are that month

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Sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Serengeti with a champagne bush breakfast

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Big cats following the herds: lion, cheetah, leopard and hyena

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Tarangire's elephant herds among ancient baobab trees

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A full game drive on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater

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Cultural visit to a Maasai boma in the Ngorongoro highlands

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Expert Maasai guide with more than 15 years of experience

Itinerary

An editorial journey through each day of the safari, with destinations, imagery, and places you will stay.

Day 1

Arrival in Arusha

Welcome to Tanzania. Your private guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to your lodge on the outskirts of Arusha, a green town in the foothills of Mount Meru.

After time to settle in and rest after your flight, your guide joins you for a safari briefing over dinner: where the migration herds are this month, what to expect on each game drive and how to get the best photographs from the vehicle.

Overnight: lodge in Arusha (Full Board)

Arrival in Arusha
Day 2

Arusha to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, drive two hours south-west across the Maasai steppe to Tarangire National Park. In the dry season this park holds some of the largest elephant gatherings in Tanzania, with herds coming down to drink in the Tarangire River beneath giant baobab trees.

Spend the day on game drives along the river and through the acacia woodland, with a picnic lunch in the park. Look for lion, leopard, giraffe, buffalo and fringe-eared oryx, and for some of the park's more than 550 bird species, including the yellow-collared lovebird.

As the light softens in the late afternoon, continue game viewing on the way to your lodge.

Overnight: lodge or tented camp in the Tarangire area (Full Board)

Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Day 3

Tarangire to the Serengeti

Leave early and climb through the Great Rift Valley and the farmland of the Karatu highlands into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Stop at the crater rim viewpoint for your first look into the caldera, then descend past Maasai grazing land to the Serengeti plains.

After a picnic lunch at the park gate, your guide heads towards the area where the migration herds are currently grazing, stopping for the predators that live in the central Serengeti: lion prides on the kopjes, cheetahs on the open grass and leopards in the riverine trees around Seronera.

Arrive at your tented camp in time for a sundowner as the plains turn gold.

Overnight: tented camp in the Serengeti (Full Board)

Tarangire to the Serengeti
Day 4

Full Day with the Migration — Sunrise Balloon Flight

Wake before dawn for your hot-air balloon flight, included in this safari. Drift silently above the plains as the sun rises and the herds below begin to move, then land for a champagne breakfast in the bush.

The rest of the day is dedicated to the migration. Depending on the month, your guide takes you to the calving grounds in the south, the herds moving through the central and western Serengeti, or the northern river crossing points. Watch long columns of wildebeest and zebra on the move and the predators that shadow them, and take your time at each sighting with a picnic lunch in the field.

Return to camp in the late afternoon for dinner under the stars.

Overnight: tented camp in the Serengeti (Full Board)

Full Day with the Migration — Sunrise Balloon Flight
Day 5

Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater

Enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti before driving east into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world's most important sites for the study of human origins, on the way.

In the afternoon, descend 600 metres onto the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. This enclosed caldera of around 260 square kilometres is home to lion, elephant, buffalo, spotted hyena, hippo and one of Tanzania's last populations of black rhino, making it one of the best places in Africa to see the Big Five in a single game drive.

Climb back up to the rim for the night at your lodge.

Overnight: lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rim or in Karatu (Full Board)

Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater
Day 6

Maasai Boma Visit and Return to Arusha

After breakfast, visit a Maasai boma in the Ngorongoro highlands. Families welcome you into their homestead, explain how their cattle-herding way of life works alongside the wildlife, and share songs and traditional dances.

Continue through the green Karatu highlands and the Rift Valley back to Arusha for a farewell lunch, then transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight, or to your hotel if you are extending your stay.

End of safari.

Maasai Boma Visit and Return to Arusha

Where You Will Stay

A curated look at the camps and lodges stitched into this itinerary.

What's Included & Excluded

A clear view of what is covered and what to plan for separately.

Included

All park entrance fees
Private 4x4 safari vehicle
Professional English-speaking guide
All meals and premium beverages
Luxury tented accommodation
Hot-air balloon flight
Airport transfers
AMREF Flying Doctors insurance
Complimentary binoculars

Excluded

International flights
Visa fees
Travel insurance
Personal items
Gratuities

Ready to Plan Your Journey?

Download the full itinerary to share with your travel companions, or start customising this safari to match your dates, group size, and preferences.

Guest Reviews

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E

elisa s

Super Safari, inoubliable avec un super guide nommé Bonaventura qui a su nous faire découvrir la faune et la flore de son pays avec générosité et passion. Nous avons pu voir les big Five. Nous le recommandons fortement! Ce fut une expérience riche en couleurs, aussi, bien d'un point de vue humain, que d'un point de vue découverte des animaux et des paysages. Elisa, Regis, Livio et Vasco dit Monsieur oiseau

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written November 1, 2025

L

Luc D

Nous avons vécu un moment inoubliable en famille lors de notre safari ! Nos guides ont rendu ce voyage exceptionnel du début à la fin grâce a leur générosité de partage et nous faire découvrir leur terre et nature ! D'u e grande connaissance de la faune et de la nature, toujours gentils et attentifs, Euge se missionnait pour trouver tous les animaux que nous désirions voir et Erick nous commentait toutes les lois de la nature ! Ce sont eux qui ont donné un véritable sens à ces jeux avec les animaux ! Avec grand respect ! Chaque moment était remplis d'émotions et les big five tous cochés ! Un immense merci pour cette expérience magique que nous n'oublierons jamais. Nous recommandons à 100 % cette agence et surtout nos guides Euge et Erick

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written October 27, 2025

K

Katty S

Flemalle, Belgium

Nous avons été ma fille et moi prisent en charge par Hussein et Francis. Ce guide était juste parfait, il nous a donné des explications très intéressantes et surtout les deux ont fait découvrir la vraie nature. Le parc TARANGIRE et tous ces éléphants. Le parc du lac MANYARA et ses singes, et la visite du village MTO WA MBU. Et le dernier parc, le NGORONGORO où il y avait des animaux à voir de tous les côtés. Nous avons grâce à valider 4 animaux du big five : lions, éléphants, rhinocéros et les buffles. Nous avons vu des troupeaux d'éléphants, de gnous, de zèbres, de lionnes, de buffles, de gazelles et bien d'autres animaux. C'était magnifique, magique, incroyable, époustouflant. Merci à vous deux

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written October 27, 2025

E

Enri000

We were fortunate to be accompanied for 7 days by Jones, our French-speaking guide, on safari through Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Tarangire. Traveling as a family spanning three generations, we were all amazed by his exceptional knowledge of wildlife, perseverance, and infectious enthusiasm. Thanks to him, we were able to observe all the iconic animals in perfect conditions, often feeling as if we were alone in spectacular landscapes. A special thank you also to Georges, who accompanied us in another vehicle for the luggage and brought good humor and positivity every day. Thanks to Jones and Georges, this safari will remain a magical, authentic, and emotional experience. We highly recommend them to anyone dreaming of an unforgettable safari in Tanzania. Hakuna Matata!

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written October 24, 2025

M

Mylene P

Super. David est à l écoute de nos demandes. Il connaît son métier par coeur. Il est dévoué. Et surtout il est au top. Il prépare les pic nique et non des box et il est même équipé de une nappe. Il est attachant, on a pas envie de le quitter.

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written October 20, 2025

Traveled Couples

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Camille M

Incroyable safari en compagnie de notre super guide Boni qui parle français ! Merci pour ses explications détaillées. Au-delà d'avoir été notre guide, Boni est une très bonne personne ! Au programme du safari : Parc de Manyara, Ngorongoro et Tarangire et rencontre avec les tribus Datoga et Hadzabes avec de très bons plats à chaque pique-nique du midi. Merci à Boni, Lomo Tanzania Safari et Terra Africa pour l'organisation. Asante sana

Review of: Lomo Tanzania Safaris

Written October 17, 2025

Traveled Couples

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