Best Tanzania safari journey from April – June 2026 and offering migration tour experience to visitors going to Tanzania bush and beach safari packages: 09 DAYS WILDEBEEST GREAT MIGRATION SAFARI
Our 09-day Tanzania safari combines a focus on the Great Migration with visits to some other true Northern Circuit highlights as we begin at beautiful Lake Manyara and end at huge, diverse Tarangire, both amongst Tanzania’s finest national parks… Sandwiched in between are two of our country’s other ‘unmissables,’ namely the world-renowned Serengeti with its endless plains and seemingly endless animals and the incomparable, awe-inspiring Ngorongoro Conservation Area with its extraordinary volcanic crater.
Tour Duration:
09 Days 08 Nights (1 Night in Arusha, 1 night in Lake Manyara, 2 nights in West Serengeti, 2 nights in Central Serengeti, 1 night in Ngorongoro & 1 night in Tarangire).
Tour Itinerary:
Day1: – Arrival Day and Welcome to Tanzania
Whatever your arrival time at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Tortilis Camps driver-guide will be waiting for you with a warm welcoming smile. Kick back and relax in your comfortable vehicle as he takes you to your hotel in Arusha, Tanzania’s self-styled ‘safari capital.’ On your journey to the hotel, you will get a brief impression of this large, bustling, commercial city.
Meal Plan Dinner at your hotel at Arusha Comfort: Kibo Palace Hotel under half Board
Day2: – Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park
Journey: Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
Our 130km/2-hour journey takes us westwards from Arusha. Along the route, your eyes will be opened to all the colours and character of Tanzania: perhaps some Maasai herdsmen driving their flocks of goats to new pastures. You’ll get to know your driver-guide, amazed at his depth of knowledge as he effortlessly answers all your questions.
Day’s Highlight
Your game drive in wonderful Lake Manyara, with the Rift Valley escarpment and the lake itself as the wonderful, natural backdrops.
Safari (Game Drive) in Lake Manyara National Park
After our lunch, we jump in our vehicle to cover the highlights of this park. Set against the rugged Rift Valley escarpment, and characterized by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquillity as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park ‘home’. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell!
Meal plan
Breakfast is served at the Arusha Hotel. Lunch will be prepared by the camp team. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the camp Comfort: Lake Manyara Tortilis Camp under Full Board
Day3: – Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
Journey: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
With Serengeti as our destination, and with your head full of magical memories of Manyara, we set off to the north and west, a 4.50-hour journey of around 205km, following the famous Rift Valley. On the journey, you will be enchanted by the colors of everyday Tanzanian life, the different faces of the tribesmen, their herds, the bustle of the transport, the vibrant roadside stalls and markets. Soon, however, the human habitation gives way to the Serengeti plains.
Day’s Highlight
Here’s a National Park which will offer you a whole variety of wildlife surprises over the next few days, but perhaps today’s highlight – certainly for first-time visitors – will simply be the Serengeti terrain itself. The sheer vastness, as the plains roll away in front of you into eternity, will leave you with a sense of awe.
Safari in Serengeti National Park
At last! Serengeti, the incomparable wonder of Tanzania, will be the stage for the natural animal theatrics which will be performed over the next few days. Your game drive here combines the known with the unknown, the certainty that you will be amazed with the uncertainty of exactly what you will see and when. Changing light, a changing cast of animal actors, ensuring that at every turn there is a new experience. Snap off some memorable photos, but don’t forget to simply take a deep breath and enjoy nature in its real-time, raw beauty.
Meal plan
Breakfast is served at Manyara Accommodation. Lunch will be prepared by the Manyara Accommodation. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the Serengeti Accommodation. Comfort: Serengeti Tortilis Camp under Full Board
Day4: – Central Serengeti – Western Serengeti
Journey: Central Serengeti to Western Serengeti
After breakfast, and a morning game drive en-route, we set off to our next destination, the Western Serengeti, a journey of 80km with an expected time of around 2-hours. On arrival, we take lunch and have an afternoon game drive.
Day’s Highlight
Our transition through the Serengeti, from Central to Western, is sure to bring us into close contact with many animal species.
Afternoon Game Drive in Western Serengeti
Kirawira, Nyasirori, Simiti…the names are hard to say and maybe difficult to remember, but over the next few days these locations in Tanzania’s Western Corridor will bring you wildlife adventures that will fill you with memories. Your driver guide can choose from a number of ‘loops’ when searching out wildlife opportunities for you: these depart from and reconnect to the main road, visiting different types of vegetation and exploring varied habitats. Two important rivers cross this region, and the permanent pools created by the Grumeti and Mbalageti ensure that animals can be seen all year-round. Populations of elephant and giraffe, wildebeest, baboons and lions are all resident here, but the Migration time sets a different scene entirely. Huge crocodiles lurk in anticipation of the river crossing, looking to pick off a wildebeest or two as their herds plunge into the waters for the other side. Safety in numbers? Not always, so perhaps you will see not only a crossing, but a kill as well. Patience will bring its rewards – for crocodiles and for you, the visitor, poised with your camera!
Meal Plan
Breakfast is served at your Central Serengeti Accommodation. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the camp/lodge for you to take out on safari. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the Western Serengeti accommodation. Comfort: Mbalageti Tented Lodge under Full Board
Day5: – Western Serengeti
Day’s Highlight
With a full day exploring this diverse area, we will be on the lookout for a river crossing. This is wildlife at its rawest!
Morning Game Drive in the Western Serengeti
In Migration times, your driver guide will do all he can to ensure you witness a crossing. If you didn’t see one yesterday, then today offers another possibility. But the Western Corridor has much more to offer. A favorite amongst our visitors is the collection of hippo pools: as they wallow throughout daylight hours in the mud, this really is wildlife spotting at its easiest! A local specialty here is the lowland species of the black and white colobus monkey, different from the ones you may see in other parts of Tanzania. The Mbalageti area also hosts the highest density of topi in Tanzania, so keep your eyes peeled. A rare and treasured sighting would be of an African wild dog; rare, but they are definitely here… somewhere!
Afternoon Game Drive in Western Serengeti
Whether it’s the best place to catch a wildebeest river crossing, the best time to watch a lumbering hippo leave its pool to feast on vegetation for its evening meal, or simply to find the highest vantage point from which to watch the sun set over the plains, your driver guide will draw on his incredible knowledge and experience to give you wildlife encounters beyond your imagination. This afternoon we will, once again, explore this Western Corridor of the Serengeti, admiring its grasslands and bush lands and the itinerant and resident wildlife. Here, ponder that perhaps this is how the world was, long, long ago, with animals in the ascendant and few humans to be seen. Simply incredible, and thought provoking, too.
Meal Plan
Breakfast is served at the Western Serengeti accommodation. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the camp/lodge for you to take out on safari. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the Western Serengeti accommodation. Comfort: Mbalageti Tented Lodge under Full Board
Day6: – Western Serengeti – Central Serengeti
Journey: Western Serengeti to Central Serengeti
After breakfast, and a morning game drive in the Western Serengeti en-route, we enjoy our lunch and then set off back to our next destination, the Central Serengeti, a journey of 100km with an expected time of around 2.30-hours. On arrival, we will have our afternoon game drive. Alternatively, if there are better wildlife opportunities in Central Serengeti, then your driver guide may take you to the Central area after breakfast, for a full day game drive in that area. The choice will depend on what you have already seen and where the best wildlife spotting possibilities are today.
Day’s Highlight
While you’ve been asleep or having breakfast, you can be sure that your driver guide has been checking to see what’s happening in the wonderful world of wildlife. Rest assured; he will find you a highlight!
Safari in Central Serengeti
Before leaving the Western Serengeti, we take the opportunity this morning to enjoy another game drive in this incredible location. This allows us further time to wonder at the migratory herds and the dangers and challenges they face each year in their battle for survival. As well as the herd animals, you can look to the skies, perhaps finding a majestic martial eagle or one of the other birds that populate this area. As well as the thousands of migrating animals, this area also has a good population of resident wildlife, so you will never be disappointed. In the afternoon, we take the short drive to the central part of Serengeti, where after lunch a game drive will introduce you to this wildlife ‘hub. Finally, you will go to your chosen accommodation for relaxation and your evening meal.
Meal Plan
Breakfast is served at Western Serengeti accommodation. Lunch will be a nutritious and balanced meal, also provided by the camp/lodge for you to take out on safari. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the central Serengeti accommodation. Comfort: Serengeti Tortilis Camp under Full Board
Day7: – Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro
Journey: Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After a morning game drive and lunch, this afternoon we will head south-east towards Ngorongoro, a distance of 145km which will take us around 3 ½ hours.
Day’s Highlight
Today, we will get our first sight of the spectacular, incomparable Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and the heart of the Conservation Area of the same name. But before that, we have another morning game drive in amazing Serengeti, marveling at its animal inhabitants. Another day of adventure, another day to enjoy the wildlife.
Safari in Serengeti National Park
With its informative visitor centre, the Seronera area of Central Serengeti is the national park’s most popular area. And it is very popular with the wildlife, too. The Seronera river enjoys year-round water flow, so there is always something of interest to observe. Several game drives can be undertaken here and might reveal lions in sizeable prides, hippo or herds of elephants – whose populations in the park have risen in recent times. Depending on other attractions, we may choose to call in at the Serengeti Visitor Centre, where there are an excellent explanation of the park’s eco – system and a chance to understand the history of conservation in this area. In particular, you will find out about the work of Bernhard Grzimek and the Frankfurt Zoological Society who had the foresighted vision of preserving the Serengeti’s eco-system. Even at the center, you may well find wildlife: populations of hyrax and mongoose, as well as many small bird species.
After lunch, we head south-east towards Ngorongoro. If it has not already struck you with its vastness, Serengeti’s ‘endless plains’ will make a deep impression on you as we take the long, straight road which passes Simba Kopjes (famous from ‘The Lion King’) to reach Naabi Hill Gate, close to the divide between Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Here you can gather information at the gate’s visitor center, clamber up the hill for superb views back over the plains, or look out for a colorful agama lizard among the rocks.
Meal plan
Breakfast is served at the camp. Lunch will be prepared by the camp team. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the camp. Comfort: Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp under Full Board
Day8: – Ngorongoro Crater Tour – Tarangire
Journey: Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Tarangire National Park
After our morning game drive in the crater and our lunch, we will set off in the afternoon through Lodware Gate for Tarangire National Park. Our journey will be around 135km with an estimated travel time of 2:50 hours.
Day’s Highlight
Even if you didn’t see a single animal, the Ngorongoro Crater would live in your memory forever. But, in fact, the enormous crater floor is simply bursting with life, over 250km2 of diverse environments – forest, lake, swamp – which are home to herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo as well as elephants, lions and many more. And a true highlight today would be the black rhino!
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater Floor
From our safari camp, we set off after breakfast, a 6am departure to reach the rim and then descend into the vast crater itself. At one side there’s the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.
The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhinos. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are resident, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colourful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor.
Meal plan
Breakfast is served at the camp. Lunch will be prepared by the camp team. Your dinner will be a full, cooked meal created by the team at the camp. Comfort: Tarangire Tortilis Camp under Full Board
Day9: – Tarangire National Park – Kilimanjaro International Airport
Journey: Tarangire National Park – Kilimanjaro International Airport – 175km/3 hours’ drive
After our morning game drive in Tarangire National Park and then lunch, we will have a 3-hour journey, covering the 175km back to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Day’s Highlight
The diverse landscapes of Tarangire, spread across nearly 3,000 km2, and the density and variety of wildlife they contain. And it is the wildlife – not us – which will decide what your highlight will be!
Safari in Tarangire National Park
Tarangire is huge. As you stand at the park gate and look south, it stretches as far as the eye can see. Known as the ‘Elephant Playground,’ this phenomenal park contains huge herds of these mighty mammals. But Tarangire is also home to buffalo, lion, wildebeest, zebra and gazelle and the park can rival Serengeti for sheer animal densities. What might you see today? Perhaps a solitary male lion stretched out beneath a tree, perhaps a trio of male cheetah enjoying some lazy bonding-time in the sun. Maybe some graceful Grant’s gazelle or zebra bounding away from the road or a couple of giraffe munching happily from the choicest acacia branches. For Tarangire specialities, look out for kudu and oryx.
Here as in other parks, it pays not to ignore the small animals. It’s so easy to be mesmerized by the power and majesty of an elephant or the elegance of the giraffe. Ask your guide to find you an agama lizard, especially a male one who changes colour in front of you according to the temperature! Or a hyrax, known as pimpi, an insignificant-looking creature of around 30cm in length…who astonishingly is related to elephant!
Meal plan
Breakfast is served at your Tarangire accommodation. Lunch will also be prepared by your Tarangire accommodation and enjoyed after your morning game-drive, before we return you to the airport for your flight home. As today is the departure day of your 9 Days Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire trip, please note that dinner tonight is not included in the tour.
Departure Instructions
Please note that this 09 Days Explore Serengeti’s Great Migration tour ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 17.30 hours. Your departure can only take place today if you have pre-booked a domestic flight which leaves from Kilimanjaro International Airport at 19.40 hours or after, or an international flight which leaves at 21.00 hours or after. Otherwise, you will need to book an extra night’s accommodation (not included in the tour price) and take a flight the following day.
Tour Cost based on 04 Pax from April – June 2026
| Items | Based on Comfort |
| Safari Cost Adult Sharing: | $ 4,450 per person |
| Package Includes | Package Excludes |
Transport: 4X4 Custom built – Toyota Land cruiser
Trip Crew: Professional English-Speaking Driver guide A Special Safari Hamper
Accommodations, meals, and concession fees (as per itinerary) Airport Transfers Game drive in Serengeti Game drive in Tarangire Park Entrance Fee: Park fee for Lake Manyara Park fee for Serengeti Taxes: 18 % VAT (Value Added Tax) |
Balloon Safari: Experience 60 – 90 minute (depending on wind condition) aerial adventure, followed by bush breakfast and champagne.
Any Changes done by you: The trip excludes changes done by you during safari or before safari which deviates from the original program International flight & Domestic flights: The trip costs Excludes flights from your hometown to Tanzania and within Tanzania. Visa: The trip costs Excludes all visa costs including arrival visas and transit visas Medical Insurance: The trip cost Excludes Medical Insurance which is mandatory Travel Insurance: The trip cost Excludes Travel Insurance which is mandatory Laundry Service: If you require to launder your clothes while on your safari, then you will need to pay an amount that the accommodation charges as per their rate sheet. We recommend laundry to be done where you have more than 1 night at a camp due to being washed by hand and sun dried. Due to the weather in Ngorongoro, we do not recommend laundry to be done here. Drinks at the lodges/campsites: Tipping Extra Activities Drones
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The following is the office number +256 – 751-915-622 whereby I am available for direct calls and WhatsApp calls/messages if you have any questions regarding your tour. Our office timings on Weekdays are from 9AM – 6PM and for Saturday from 9AM – 3PM. Book with reference (WGMS 2026)