Serengeti Migration Magic Safari

For those arriving from abroad, an Africa Flash McTours representative will receive you at Kilimanjaro International Airport.  For those already in Tanzania, they will greet you at your hotel.  After briefing you on what to expect during the tour, you have the rest of the day at leisure and can enjoy dinner and a good night’s rest at your hotel.

Tanzania is located just south of the equator on the east coast of Africa.  Long considered a premier safari destination, the country is synonymous with the Great Wildebeest Migration of the Serengeti and some of the finest predator viewing on the continent.  Additionally, it has a near-pristine coastline, where visitors can pair their safari experience with a tropical beach holiday.  The country is politically stable and safe for tourists to visit.  The country is culturally and historically rich, adding colour and depth to any visit.  English is widely spoken, particularly in the popular vacation destinations.

Lying at the foot of Mount Meru, Arusha is the country’s safari capital, with thousands passing through on their way to the parks of the country’s Northern Safari Circuit.

Whether or not you’ve been to East Africa before, the first destination of the itinerary should be on everyone’s bucket list.  

After breakfast, you’ll depart from Arusha for your destination in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  The scenic drive should take around 3.5 hours, arriving at your lodgings for the night in time for lunch.  Then, you’ll board your safari vehicle, descending into a land that time forgot: the Ngorongoro Crater, for an afternoon of game viewing.

The Ngorongoro Crater was formed millions of years ago, when a massive volcano imploded during an eruption.  Separated from the surrounding landscape by sheer 600-metre-high slopes, the crater floor within is an isolated ecosystem teeming with life.  The crater covers 260 square kilometres (100 sq. mi.).  

Ngorongoro is said to have the highest density of lions on Earth, and your chances of seeing predators, such as cheetah, hyena and leopard, are very good.  It is also one of the few places in Tanzania where visitors regularly see the other members of the Big 5: elephant, Cape buffalo and rhino.  Another highlight is Lake Magadi, home to thousands of flamingos, waterbirds and hippos.

Leaving the crater, you’ll return to your lodge for dinner and bed.

Departing your lodge after breakfast, our next destination is reached on a scenic drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  As we near your accommodation for the next 4 nights, you’ll begin to understand how the Serengeti got its name.  The word is from the Maasai language, meaning ‘endless plains’, a true reflection of the seemingly endless rolling grassland.

Serengeti National Park covers nearly 15,000 square kilometres (5791 sq. mi) of rolling grasslands, crisscrossed by rivers and interspersed by thickets and rocky outcrops.  The climate in the Serengeti is pleasant year-round, thanks to the altitude.  While it doesn’t get too hot, temperatures drop significantly overnight.

Your first lodge is in the Lobo Area, in the north-central Serengeti. Typically, the wildebeest migration heads northwards through this area in July-August.  A month later, the herd again traverse the area in October-November, en route to the southern plains for calving season.

The Great Migration is effectively an ongoing mass movement of herbivores driven by their need for fresh grazing and water.  The bulk of the migratory herd is made up of over a million blue wildebeest.  

We will arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti National Park.

Today’s schedule involves a full-day game drive, focusing on the area around Lobo and the Grumeti River.  One can expect good wildlife sightings throughout the year here, with non-migratory animals like elephants, buffalo, various antelopes, zebras and predators regularly seen.  Within this vast area, one can go hours without seeing another vehicle; it is truly a ‘forgotten’ corner of the Serengeti, marked by ancient rivers fringed with towering trees.

Lions are the most numerous large cats in the Serengeti National Park.  Several large prides of Africa’s largest carnivores rule the plains with an iron paw.  From the raw power of the shaggy-maned lions to the mischievous snarls of the cubs, they are a consistent delight.

The park’s open terrain provides cheetahs with a near-perfect habitat. Capable of speeds exceeding 100 km/h, they can truly use their speed advantage to devastating effect on the endless plains.  Less frequently sighted, but equally beautiful, leopards are most often found in thickets or draped on the high branches of the flat-topped acacia trees that dot the plains of the region.

After an exhilarating day in the field, you’ll return to camp in time for dinner and bed.

Today, you’ll be taken to the far northern reaches of Serengeti National Park, to an area known as Wagakuria.  On the game drive en route, you can expect great sightings of giraffes, plains game and large herds of buffalo and elephants.

We should arrive at your next lodge in time for lunch, before departing on an afternoon game drive to familiarise you with the area’s inhabitants.

During the migration, the great herd of wildebeest, zebra and other antelope species are normally found in the Wagakuria area from August to October, depending on the preceding rainfall.  This area is bisected by a long stretch of the Mara River, widely regarded as the most challenging obstacle of the migration.

Swollen by rains, the river becomes a turbulent brown torrent, in whose depths lurk massive crocodiles.  Faced with no choice but to continue, the herd gathers on its banks as the tension builds.  Inevitably, first one and then dozens of wildebeest will take the plunge, hoping to reach the far bank before being trampled, swept away or dragged under by the hungry crocodiles.

After another action-packed day, you’ll return to camp to share stories with other guests over dinner.

On the penultimate day of your Serengeti adventure, we will continue our exploration of the Wagakuria area.  With luck, we might witness the herd crossing the Mara River, although visitors are advised that this is a highly unpredictable event.  On some occasions, the herd may wait on the riverbank for hours before giving up to try another day.

On the plus side, the density of wildlife in this water-rich area is excellent.  Due to the abundance of game, the lion prides often contain as many as 30 members, ranging from the massive dominant males to tiny, fluffy cubs.

The only challenge lions face – besides other lions – comes from spotted hyenas.  Like lions, they are highly social, living in structured matriarchal societies.  Although much smaller than lions, they are masters of chaos, using mob tactics to challenge lions and other predators for even the smallest antelope carcass.

We encourage you to savour these last few hours in the Serengeti.  In the words of conservationist Bernhard Grzimek, “There is a peace and timelessness in the Serengeti that is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It is a place where you can feel the pulse of the Earth.”

Enjoy a final dinner under the African night sky, before retiring to bed.

All too soon, your Serengeti Migration safari is reaching its conclusion.  After breakfast, we’ll take you on one last game drive as we make our way to the Kogatende Airstrip.  As we go, take a moment to appreciate the small things you see.  The flash of colour flash of vibrant colour as a bird takes off.  The elephant’s deft use of its trunk.  The whispering lullaby of the breeze in the grass.  Beyond the spectacle of the migration, there are billions of moments that, combined, have earned Serengeti the acclaim of staging ‘the greatest show on Earth’.

Reaching the airstrip, we will board a light aircraft for the return flight to Arusha Airport.  As the plane banks over the endless plains, ponder the words of author Francesca Marciano, “When you leave Africa, as the plane lifts off, you feel that more than leaving a continent, you’re leaving a state of mind.”

Touching down in Arusha, our time together concludes with a delicious farewell lunch.  Afterwards, it’s time to say our goodbyes as you depart for home or your next adventure.  At Africa Flash McTours, it is standard practice to invite you to return: we’d love to show you more of Africa’s fascinating wildlife, landscapes and culture.