8 Days Wildebeest Migration River Crossing
- Places to visit: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti
Overview
The wildebeest migration river crossing beginning July, moves north and passes through the Lobo and the Wagakuria area en-route to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve. In September, the wildebeest herds are spread out over the northern Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve. Several large herds of wildebeest remain behind in the area and weather changes may sometimes bring the herds back into the area from the Mara. In October, the herds move south towards the central Serengeti National Park via the Lobo area of the Serengeti National Park.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha - Tarangire National Park
From Arusha, we proceed to Tarangire National Park for our game drive. One of the largest national park in Tanzania located in Manyara region, this place is characterized by the large herds of elephants, tree climbing lions, and the fascinating baobab trees also called the Tree of Life for its almost mythical powers that some cultures attach to it. This park is especially known for Tarangire river which flows all year round and the only source of water for wild animals during dry seasons.
Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge
Day 2: Serengeti National Park (Seronera)
After breakfast, we proceed to the Central part of Serengeti. This park is well-known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the “big five”, named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffaloes, and Rhinos.
Accommodation: Embalakai Tented Camps
Day 3: Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, we will set off on a full day game drive in the wilderness following the Great Migration trails. Our experienced driver tour guide will provide you with interesting facts about this highly renowned event, which makes Tanzania the top safari destination in Africa.
Serengeti, a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to around 200,000 zebras, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle, which join in the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Listen to the exotic sounds of over six million hooves pounding the open plains. This is just like you imagined Africa to be!
Accommodation: Embalakai Tented Camps
Day 4: Serengeti National Park (Kogatende)
We will proceed for a full day game drive viewing the great migration at Mara area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in the Wagakuria area. The key feature is the Mara River and there is a great chance to see the herds cross the Mara River to the north on one day and back south a few days later. Please note that it can be very difficult to witness crossing and is sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to river and only decide to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Accommodation: Acacia Migration Camp
Day 5: Serengeti National Park (North Mara)
After breakfast, we will drive to Serengeti north viewing the great migration at Mara area. The key feature is the Mara River and it is not uncommon to see the herds cross the Mara River north on one day and then back south a few days later. Please take note that finding a crossing is very challenging and is sometimes a matter of luck. There are instances where herds can be seen next to the river but then only decides to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.
HOT AIR BALLOON PER PERSON COST $546 (price are separate from the total price above)
Accommodation: Embalakai Tented Camp
Day 6: Serengeti National Park– Ngorongoro Conservation Area
In the morning, we will have another game drive in Serengeti National Park. Come afternoon, we proceed to Ngorongoro Conservation Area Olduvai Gorge museum, a famous archaeological location in East Africa. At Laetoli, located 45 km south of Olduvai gorge, you will find hominin footprints preserved in volcanic rock that dates back 3.6 millions years ago and represent some of the earliest signs of mankind in the world.
Accommodation: OLDEANI MOUNTAIN LODGE
Day 7:Ngorongoro Crater Tour
We start with an early morning game drive inside the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is an extensive highland area along the eastern arm of the Rift Valley, with the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater as its focal point. Ngorongoro was established to conserve wildlife and other natural resources. It also safeguards the interests of indigenous people and promotes tourism.
Accommodation: OLDEANI MOUNTAIN LODGE
Day 10: Lake Manyara National Park- Arusha
After breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara for the morning game drive afternoon we make our way back to Arusha or at the airport for your flight back home.
No Accommodation
- Inclusions
- Exclusions
- Park fees
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation as stated in the itinerary
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Alcohol drinks
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REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients Say
Catherine J2024-04-21Safari with Aardwolf An absolutely amazing trip with my daughter to east Africa. Vera was so easy, caring and professional to work with she delivered everything perfectly. We were given a wonderful guide Timothy whoâs was knowledgeable, patient and persevered in finding the best spots to view the animals. We definitely recommend this trip, itâs an amazing and unforgettable experience. Catherine Jacobson.bry0072024-03-02Wonderful safari Had an amazing time with Aardwolf. My travel companion had a preexisting medical condition and the team went above and beyond in making sure she was comfortable and looked afterAndrew M2024-02-19A fantastically memorable safari in Kenya We enjoyed a fantastic 5-day safari to Lake Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara organised for us by Vera at Aardwolf. Everything about the planning and the trip was perfect. Vera really got the brief right and even took the trouble to meet us on the Sunday before to answer questions. Our guide, Evans, was super friendly and knowledgable. The accommodation lodges were better than we were expecting and most importantly, we saw a staggering variety of wildlife. Trip of a lifetime. I really recommend Aardwolf. It's worth noting that they are a member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO). Also, their prices were very competitive.Fernando2023-07-02Full service from back to end Everything organized and smooth. They take care of you from Nairobi airport, take you to the local airport, arrange accommodation and game drives, pick you back and show you around Nairobi tooElise K2023-03-24A place everyone should see ð»ðð I had a unforgettable experience. The tents were comfortable as can be. Falling asleep to nature sounds was a highlight. All our servers became friends that were easy to chat and learn from. The food was delicious. We saw all the wild animals except the Rino. Each day was special.Katharina W2022-11-23Authentic Kenyan adventure What an amazing trip! From inquiry to booking to the actual trip, Aardwolf Africa delivered everything we hoped for and more. Vera was always very responsive and proposed the best and most unique accomodation - we recommend especially the Basecamp Adventure camp in Maasai Mara for a simple but stylish and very personal experience. If you like small camps in the midst of nature, great food and care about sustainability and empowering the local Maasai community, this one is for you! Our driver guide Wilson was incredibly knowledgeable and made sure we not only experienced the highlights of each park we visited on our 6 day/5 night trip to Samburu, Nakuru and Maasai Mara but also added in unique experiences off the beaten tourist track. Thank you so much Aardwolf Africa and Wilson for an authentic Kenyan adventure!Alexey K2018-10-02This company cares! We had safari with Aardwolf in Masai Mara 29 September - 2 October. When I was choosing among different companies for safari I noticed that Aardwolf has less reviews than some other companies, so I was hesitant about booking with Aardwolf. But when I firstly came into contact with Verah it was excellent communication. All questions answered professional and she was the only manager among those whom I've contacted, who wasn't trying to fit me in template schedule but was eager to help us choose the best options for us. Also what I like about her - she remembers everything you say: I've asked for binoculars, and she offered to give me one for free and didn't forget that. I've ordered food "no spicy" and didn't had to mention it any more - everyone along my route was notified about my food preferences. Excellent work for a manager! Now about our guide. Julius is fantastic guide! I had a lot of trips in my life - Amazon, Galapagoss, Indonesia, and he is surely one of the best. In 3 days we have seen everything: leopard - twice! Cheetah - twice! Lions - three times. Hunting lion - also done! Of course a lot of giraffes, antelopes, zebras. More important - he loves his job and cares about environment and people around. I will remember when he just suddenly stopped our car in the savanna where many cars passed before just to pick up a can thrown by somebody. It makes difference! Also he has a lot to tell about wildlife. Very good man, excellent guide and experienced driver. We definitely recommend Aardwolf, Verah and Julius for everybody doing safari! Alex & Natalia from Russia168inna2018-09-23Incredible trip to Kenya and Tanzania Excellent. Ordered a tour from Aardwolf on Kenya and Tanzania. Everything was organized well, on point and was very interesting. The safari turned very saturated, the hotels were good, the food was well cooked but the breakfasts were a bit poor. Kenya fascinated us with a lot of fabulous animals, we were in Ambosseli national park, Masai Mara and lake Bogoria. For those who want to see thousands of flamingos then they need to visit lake bogoria. A huge thank you to the company for our tour guide Julius, he is a very good guide and driver, he helped us a lot, he told us about a lot of things in Kenya. Overall he is a 5 star guide. If going to a safari in Kenya I would suggest going only with Julius because he is the best. The second part of our thrips was Tanzania, but there we had Aarwolfs suppliers organize our tour. The tour in Tanzania was also marvelous, definitely need to visit the volcano crater Ngorongoro. The lodges and hotels in Tanzania were a level higher than in Kenya which was very pleasing. The only bad thing is that the Tanzanian guide who turned out to be just a driver who wouldnât tell you anything unless you asked had weakens our impressions a bit because he didnât really tell us anything and just turned out to be driver. The prices that the company provided us was cheaper compared to other companies, but they were incredibly amazing.Thank you very much to Aarwolf for providing us with an amazing tour in Kenya and Tanzania and a seperate thank you to Julius for being an amazing tour guide.DLC2018-08-29Perfect! We booked our safaris to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, AMboseli and Tsavo East with Aardwolf Africa and everything was perfect. We went in august 2018 during 10 days and even during the pick season we had good rates. Thanks to Verah and our great guides Julius and Jackson we had an amazing trip. Logistics were perfecly organized, the lodges were very nice (clean, good food, very nice people), the cars were in perfect conditions to go everywhere in the reserves. We totally recommend Aardwolf Africa for your trips to Kenya! Thank you again! DMahtab I2018-07-29Ensured we were comfortable We booked our honeymoon to Kenya in July 2018 through Aardwolf Africa, and I have no complaints ! Thank you to Verah and our great guide Julius.