The itinerary below is based on travelling from July to October when at this time of year the migration is moving from the central/western part to the northern part of the Serengeti. The wildebeest accumulate in the Mara River area. This means you need to travel further, all the way to the northern Serengeti .There are only a few high end tented camps in the north. We want to make sure that you have the best chance of seeing a lot of game - the migration is more than just wildebeest – it means predator action, and generally a huge congregation of all kinds of mammals!
If you are travelling at a different time of year we will recommend the most appropriate locations and camps for your dates.
Day 1
Arrival Tanzania – transfer – Onsea House
Today you will arrive at Kilimanjaro airport. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it. Make sure you have all your bags and you will head for Arusha. It takes about 45 minutes from the airport to Onsea House. A lovely dinner is still waiting for you, spend the rest of the evening relaxing before you start your safari!
Onsea House is probably the best and most personal guesthouse in Arusha – the food is excellent, there is a nice swimming pool, lovely garden and only four rooms. Stylish, small and intimate, Onsea House offers such attentive service that you’ll immediately feel at home.
Arrival Tanzania – transfer – Onsea HouseToday you will arrive at Kilimanjaro airport. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it. Make sure you have all your bags and you will head for Arusha. It takes about 45 minutes from the airport to Onsea House. A lovely dinner is still waiting for you, spend the rest of the evening relaxing before you start your safari!
Onsea House is probably the best and most personal guesthouse in Arusha – the food is excellent, there is a nice swimming pool, lovely garden and only four rooms. Stylish, small and intimate, Onsea House offers such attentive service that you’ll immediately feel at home.
Days 2 & 3
Tarangire National Park – Game drive – Walking Safari – Oliver’s Camp
This morning your driver will pick you up from Onsea House and bring you to Arusha airport. There a little bush plane will be waiting for you to bring you to Tarangire National Park. The driver/guide of the camp will take care of you. You will be picked up from the little airstrip in the middle of the national park and you will be brought to Oliver’s Camp. Tarangire National Park is a unique park, close on proximity to Lake Manyara, and absolutely fantastic at this time of year– you will most likely see many elephants, and innumerous baobabs are always a guarantee. In the dry season the wildlife in Tarangire is just phenomenal – part of the migration actually passes through this park. You will go on a game drive inside the park today for as long as you want (during the daylight). The next morning you will go on a walking safari inside the, together with a guide from the camp to protect you. The rest of the day you can go for a game drive again. In total you spend 2 nights at Oliver’s Camp.
Oliver’s Camp offers you the opportunity to walk the bush, escorted by an armed ranger and an expert walking guide, which is not allowed anywhere else in the whole of Tarangire! The camp is located at the southern end of Tarangire National Park, to the east of Silale swamp, away from the main crowds. Oliver's Camp is comfortable, run by a small, dedicated crew – a place which reflects the unspoilt wilderness of this area.Day 4
Ngorongoro Crater – game drive – Plantation Lodge
Today you will be brought to the airstrip in Tarangire National Park where you arrived 2 days ago. A small bush plane is again waiting for you to bring you to Manyara airstrip. There a new guide is waiting for you with a Landcruiser to take you for a game drive to one of the biggest highlights of Tanzania; the Ngorongoro Crater! This imploded volcano is the world’s largest unflooded complete caldera - the floor lies some 2,000 feet below the rim - not only a stunning landscape, but also brimming with wildlife. You can spend the full day game driving on the crater floor and in time for dinner your driver will bring you to Plantation Lodge. You will spend one night at Plantation Lodge.Plantation Lodge is a tranquil small lodge, set in the midst of coffee fields just outside the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a real gem - definitely one of the best lodges in the northern safari circuit! The rooms are all individually decorated, set amongst lush gardens with a nice pool. Good food, excellent hospitality with a very personal touch and a very relaxing ambience – Plantation Lodge is one of the best places for an afternoon at ease.
Days 5, 6 & 7
Serengeti National Park – Game drive – Sayari CampThis morning you will be brought to Manyara airstrip where you have a plane to catch that will bring you the Serengeti National Park. Early in the morning you will fly over the Ngorongoro Crater all the way to the most northern part of the Serengeti close to the border with Kenya. As the plains stretch out before you, you find yourself in the Serengeti - it is only when you get into it that the vastness of the place becomes real. If the migration follows its usual pattern, you will either be smack in the middle of over a million wildebeest or get very close to them! Once you have arrived at Kogatende airstrip you will be picked up by the driver/guide of the camp who will take care of you. During these three days you can go for as many game drives as you like during daylight. Every day you are able to choose between a picnic lunch or a full lunch at the camp. The camp is located in a beautiful site away from the crowds – a private wildebeest experience!
Sayari Camp offers fantastic service on a very intimate scale. The camp is run by a dedicated crew who will go out of their way to make you comfortable. The food, though prepared and served in the middle of nowhere, is very tasty. The tents are spacious and elegantly furnished - all in all a very special experience, one that truly brings you to the bush.
Day 8
Flight back to Kilimanjaro – End of the safari
This morning you will enjoy your last breakfast in the bush. Afterwards the guide of the camp will bring you to Kogatende airstrip from where you will fly back to Kilimanjaro airport in time to catch your international flight home. This is where your safari ends…
Alternatively you can fly on to Zanzibar from the Serengeti for some relaxation at the beach. There are a number of places on the island so we can recommend the most suitable options for you. You can stay for a few nights or as long as you like. For an example have a look at our beach extensions http://www.planetafricasafaris.com/safaris/beach-extensions/159-beach-extensions.html
