The Serengeti, Uninterrupted
The Serengeti Great Migration Safari
Overview
Spend a week inside one of the world’s great wildlife spectacles, following the Great Migration through the Serengeti as enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra move in search of fresh grass and water. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and other predators follow, creating exceptional opportunities to watch predator and prey interact. Three Nyumba camps in the western, central, and northern Serengeti keep you close to the wildlife as you travel overland through changing habitats. Near the Mara River, thousands of wildebeest may gather along the banks before a crossing. Flights into and out of the Serengeti maximize your time in nature, not in transit.
Gallery
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Trip Highlights
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Move with the Great Migration
Travel among immense concentrations of wildebeest and zebra migrating north, with lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and other predators hunting in their wake.
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See Three Sides of the Serengeti
Explore the Grumeti’s wooded riverbanks, lion-studded kopjes rising from the central plains, and the remote northern hills carved by the Mara River.
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Watch the Drama Along the Mara
Watch wildebeest gather along the Mara River, where patience and good timing may reveal thousands plunging through currents patrolled by enormous Nile crocodiles.
Itinerary
Itinerary 1 itinerary
Day 1: Touch Down in Tanzania
Meet your Thomson representative at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to your accommodations in Arusha.
Meet your Thomson Safaris representative at Kilimanjaro International Airport and begin the drive toward Arusha. Arrive at Rivertrees Country Inn and use the afternoon to recover from your flight. The Usa River runs through the property, with shaded paths and gardens where you can stretch your legs or spot blue monkeys in the trees.
Days 2 to 5: Track the Migration East
Fly to a Thomson-exclusive Nyumba camp near the Grumeti River in the secluded Western Serengeti, where riverine forest cuts through open savanna.
Search for resident lion prides, leopards, elephants, giraffes, and large concentrations of wildebeest and zebra moving through the region.
Continue overland to the central plains, where granite kopjes rise from seas of grass and provide prime hunting grounds for lions and cheetahs.
Board a bush plane and fly west into the Serengeti, landing near the Grumeti River in a quieter corner of the park where riverine forest gives way to open grasslands. At your private Western Nyumba camp, explore this wildlife-rich region, watching hippos crowd the river, elephants move between feeding areas, and crocodiles wait along the water’s edge. Giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, and abundant birdlife fill the surrounding landscape, while the Great Migration gives you a chance to take in the sheer scale of the herds, with wildebeest and zebra stretching across the landscape in every direction.
Continue overland into the central Serengeti, where the wildlife becomes even more concentrated. Follow lions as they move across the plains, watch giraffes feed alongside herds of buffalo, and keep an eye out for ostriches, secretary birds, jackals, and bat-eared foxes. With time to explore at your own pace, linger when something catches your attention before returning to your central Nyumba camp for a relaxed evening in the bush.
Days 6 to 8: Press North to the Mara
Drive into the remote Northern Serengeti, where broad plains give way to rolling hills, scattered woodlands, rocky outcrops, and the Mara River.
Watch for wildebeest gathering at favored crossing points and search the river corridor for lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, and Nile crocodiles.
Spend three days exploring from a Thomson-exclusive northern Nyumba camp, responding to wildlife activity and the unpredictable movements of the Migration.
Head north toward the iconic Mara River and settle into the Northern Nyumba camp, placing you close to the river corridor and the herds of wildebeest that gather along its banks. As the migration moves through the region, you can watch thousands of animals mass near the water, waiting for the moment they begin to cross.
With three days to explore the area, you’ll have your best chance at witnessing one of the Great Migration’s most iconic and dramatic sights: a river crossing. When the herds finally commit, thousands of wildebeest can surge into the current together, with Nile crocodiles waiting below. Away from the river, look for resident lions moving through the grasslands, hippos gathered in the water, and other wildlife that makes the northern Serengeti their home.
Day 9: Fly from the Serengeti to Arusha
Fly from the Northern Serengeti to Arusha, maximizing your final hours in nature rather than in transit.
Relax in a day room before transferring to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your evening flight home.
Take a final bush flight back to Arusha, then enjoy lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge. After lunch, head to Rivertrees Country Inn, where you’ll have a private day room to relax, shower, and freshen up before your flight home.
Add-Ons
Add-On
Fly over the Serengeti
Enjoy a bird’s eye view, a hearty breakfast and a glass of champagne during a morning hot air balloon tour. Your entire trip will be unforgettable, but this will bring it to new heights.
Call for current pricing. Advanced reservations required.
Accommodations
Dates, Prices & Info
As of July 1, 2016, Tanzania imposed a new Value Added Tax (VAT) on tourism activities. VAT starts at $300 and varies by trip. Single accommodations start at $800 and vary by trip. All prices are subject to change without notice.
Group Size
We specialize in small group travel (about 14 people or fewer), but the exact size varies from trip to trip. One thing’s for sure: you’ll have plenty of elbow room, 360-degree sightlines, and a guaranteed window seat.
What's Included
Your safari land package includes all accommodations, meals, purified water (with meals and on wildlife drives), airport transfers aligned with Delta/KLM flights, park fees, and the services of guides and drivers.
Not Included
International airfare is not included.
Additional costs may include tips for your guides, drivers and staff, bar beverages, laundry service, phone calls, passport and visa fees, souvenirs, and travel insurance.
Your pre-departure packet includes visa application instructions and information on travel insurance and tipping.
Important Information
A 20% deposit is required to reserve your space. This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. Full payment is due 90 days prior to the first land day of the trip.
Notification of cancellation must be made in writing to Thomson Safaris. At the time we receive the cancellation, all moneys will be refunded less the following cancellation charges:
91 days or more before departure: cancellation fees equal the amount of your deposit
90 to 61 days before departure: 50% of the package price is non-refundable
60 to 46 days before departure: 65% of the package price is non-refundable
45 days or less before departure: 100% of the package price is non-refundable
No partial refunds will be given for unused meals, hotel rooms, airport transfers, etc., for any reason whatsoever. Thomson Safaris reserves the right to increase the tour price in the event of cost increases due to changes in airfares, currency fluctuations, park fee increases, fuel surcharges, taxes, etc. Accommodations are subject to change.
Travel Insurance
Thomson strongly encourages you to purchase travel insurance within two weeks of making your deposit to protect your investment, as we are not able to make changes to our cancellation policy for any reason. Travel Guard comes highly recommended by our guests.
Getting There & Getting Home
Delta/KLM have by far the quickest, easiest routing: an overnight flight from North America brings you to Amsterdam for a brief layover before arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Our scheduled trips and airport transfers are designed with the KLM arrival schedule in mind, so check with your safari consultants or trip managers before making arrangements with a different airline.
You’ll find your guide at the airport holding a Thomson Safaris placard with your name on it.
