About
Follow the Great Migration North
There are few wildlife scenes more powerful than thousands of wildebeest gathering along the banks of the Mara River. Herds hesitate at the edge, dust rises behind them, crocodiles wait below, and then, sometimes without warning, the movement begins.
This 7-Day Great Migration River Crossing Safari takes you from Tarangire into the Serengeti and north toward the Mara River during the season when migration herds are generally moving through this part of the ecosystem.
Because river crossings are wild events rather than scheduled performances, the itinerary gives you multiple days in Northern Serengeti. More time means more opportunity to follow the herds, explore different crossing areas and experience everything else this remote part of the Serengeti has to offer.
Safari at a Glance
Duration: 7 Days / 6 Nights
Destinations: Tarangire · Central Serengeti · Northern Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Safari Style: Private Seasonal Safari
Starting / Ending: Arusha
Best For: Migration seekers, photographers and serious wildlife enthusiasts
Recommended Season: Approximately July–October
Main Focus: Northern Serengeti migration herds and Mara River crossing opportunities
Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha → Tarangire National Park
Your journey begins in Arusha, where your Balo African Safaris guide meets you for the drive south toward Tarangire National Park.
The park offers a wonderful opening chapter to your safari. Enormous baobabs rise above the landscape while elephants move through woodland and along the Tarangire River.
Depending on the season and conditions, you may encounter zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, buffaloes, impalas and warthogs, along with predators including lions and leopards.
Spend the day game driving through the park with a picnic lunch before continuing to your lodge or tented camp for dinner and your first night in the wild.
Destination: Tarangire National Park
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 2: Tarangire → Central Serengeti
After breakfast, you begin the journey toward Serengeti National Park.
The scenery transforms as you travel through Tanzania’s northern landscapes and eventually emerge onto the immense Serengeti plains.
Central Serengeti, particularly the Seronera region, supports abundant resident wildlife throughout the year. Its mixture of grassland, river valleys and rocky kopjes creates excellent habitat for lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and many other species.
Your transfer becomes a game drive as you move deeper into the park, stopping whenever the wildlife gives you reason to.
By late afternoon, arrive at your accommodation in Central Serengeti for dinner and a night surrounded by one of Africa’s greatest ecosystems.
Destination: Central Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 3: Central Serengeti → Northern Serengeti
After an early breakfast, you begin travelling north through the Serengeti.
This is no ordinary transfer.
The route passes through changing landscapes and wildlife habitats, allowing your guide to turn the journey into an extended game drive. Depending on seasonal movement, migration herds may begin appearing in increasing numbers as you travel toward the north.
Eventually, you enter the landscapes of Northern Serengeti, where rolling hills, open plains, woodland and river systems create a noticeably different environment from central Serengeti.
During migration season, the region can host enormous concentrations of wildebeest and zebra as they move through the ecosystem in search of grazing.
You continue game viewing into the afternoon before reaching your northern Serengeti camp or lodge.
The Mara River is now within reach.
Destination: Northern Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 4: Northern Serengeti & Mara River
Today is dedicated entirely to the Great Migration and Mara River region.
After an early breakfast, you head out with your guide to search for the migration herds. Their location can change from day to day, which is why flexibility is essential.
You may find thousands of wildebeest gathering across the plains, moving in long columns or accumulating near the riverbanks.
A river crossing can happen quickly, slowly or not at all.
Sometimes herds approach the water and retreat. Sometimes they remain nearby for hours. And sometimes one animal makes the first move and thousands suddenly follow.
If a crossing occurs, the scene can be extraordinary: wildebeest plunging into the river, steep banks crowded with animals and crocodiles waiting in the water.
But the day is about more than crossings. Northern Serengeti is excellent wildlife country in its own right, supporting lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, leopards and other resident species.
Return to your accommodation after a full day in this remarkable wilderness.
Destination: Northern Serengeti / Mara River
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 5: Full-Day Northern Serengeti Migration Safari
One of the greatest advantages of this itinerary is simple:
You have another day.
Wildlife does not work according to an itinerary, and migration herds certainly do not cross a river because a safari vehicle arrived.
Your second full day in Northern Serengeti gives your guide another opportunity to locate the herds, revisit productive areas or explore different sections of the Mara River.
Perhaps yesterday brought a crossing. Perhaps today will.
Or perhaps the most memorable moment has nothing to do with the river: a pride of lions beneath an acacia, a cheetah moving through the grass, elephants crossing the plains or thousands of wildebeest filling the horizon.
The itinerary leaves room for exactly that kind of unpredictability.
Enjoy another full day of game viewing before returning to your camp as evening settles over Northern Serengeti.
Destination: Northern Serengeti / Mara River
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 6: Northern Serengeti → Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, begin your journey south.
It is a longer travelling day, but almost the entire route passes through extraordinary wildlife country. Your guide continues game viewing as you travel through Serengeti, giving you one final opportunity to encounter its predators, plains game and perhaps sections of the migration.
The northern landscapes gradually give way to the familiar plains of central Serengeti before you continue toward the highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
By evening, arrive at your accommodation near Ngorongoro.
The migration has been the heartbeat of the journey so far. Tomorrow, Tanzania has one more completely different wildlife world to show you.
Destination: Northern Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lodge / Tented Camp
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
After an early breakfast, descend into the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater for your final game drive.
The crater floor supports an exceptional concentration of wildlife within its grasslands, woodland and wetlands. Wildebeest and zebras graze across the plains, buffaloes move in herds, hippos occupy pools and lions patrol their territories.
Elephants can also be encountered, while the endangered black rhino remains one of the crater’s most prized possible sightings.
Spend the morning exploring with your guide before enjoying a picnic lunch in the crater.
Later, climb the crater wall and begin your journey back to Arusha.
Seven days after setting out, your safari ends having crossed some of the most remarkable wildlife landscapes in northern Tanzania.
Destination: Ngorongoro Crater → Arusha
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Inclusives
- All Park fees
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Professional safari guide
- Game drives as outlined in the itinerary
- Accommodation during the safari
- Meals as stated in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water during safari
- Roundtrip Airport transfers
- Government taxes and levies
- International flights
- Visa fees and travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Alcoholic and soft drinks unless stated
- Personal expenses
- Optional activities not included in the itinerary
- Balloon safari, cultural visits, or other add-ons unless specified
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info@baloafricansafaris.com
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