6 Days the Great Wildebeest Migration – Calving Season

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met by a Benson Safaris Tanzania Transfer Driver and transferred to your lodge where the remainder of the day is at leisure – rest in your room, relax in the manicured gardens, enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool or explore Arusha and the surrounding areas on one of our day tours, the choice is yours.

Overnight at Under the Shades Safari Lodge, Arusha 

After breakfast you will drive to the Tarangire National Park for a full day game drive. Tarangire is one of Africa’s little-known gems and should be on the itinerary of all lovers of wilderness and solitude. Its name originates from the Tarangire River that crosses through the park and is the only source of water during the dry season.

Tarangire’s landscape is incredibly diverse with a mix that is not found anywhere else on the northern safari circuit. It is dotted with ancient baobab trees, which the Maasai people believe are the first tree in creation, and large termite mounds. The dry season sees the harsh sun suck the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red while the wet season brings dense bush and luscious high grasses.

Famous for its large elephant population, it is also home to zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, waterbuck, baboons, dwarf mongoose, impala, buffalo, antelope and fringe-eared oryx. Predators include lion, cheetah and leopard. The swamps are shared by flocks of birds; green wood hoopoes, lovebirds, tallish herons, white bellied go-away birds and giant kingfishers. On drier ground you will find the kori bustard and the heaviest of the flying birds; the ostrich.

In the late afternoon you will drive to Sangaiwe Tented Camp where you will have the opportunity to enjoy sundowners by the pool and watch the sun set over the horizon.  

Overnight at Sangaiwe Tented Camp, Karatu  

Today you will travel to the Serengeti National Park which is one of Africa’s premier game parks. Driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area toward the Serengeti National Park you will begin to experience the vastness of this territory and marvel at the multitude of animal and bird life while cruising through this acacia spotted savannah. 

You will visit a Maasai Village in the Ngorongoro Highlands (optional) where you will meet the Elders, Warriors, women and children and learn about the culture, beliefs and traditions of Tanzania’s last nomadic tribe. 

The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest and most popular national park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Serengeti is a year-round destination and each season has its own special highlight with the most famous being the annual wildebeest migration, a once in a lifetime experience.

You will game drive enroute before arriving into the Serengeti in time for a half day game drive.

Overnight at Kati Kati Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park

Today you will venture deeper into the world-famous Serengeti on a full day game drive. 

Overnight at Kati Kati Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park

Today you will be rewarded with a full day game drive in the stunning Ngorongoro Crater which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and is one of the only places on earth where mankind and wild animals co-exist is harmony. The Ngorongoro Crater is famous for Africa’s best game viewing as there is an ever present abundance of wildlife due to the permanent water supply on the crater floor.

Upon arrival at the Crater’s rim you will descend 610 metres into the Crater where your safari truly begins. Spot the endangered black rhino as well as wildebeest, buffalo, zebra, eland, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle and of course, giant tusked elephants. The Crater also has the largest known population of lions and you will also find leopards and cheetahs as well as scavengers such as spotted hyenas, jackals and rare wild dogs. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and these include white pelicans and flamingos.

In the late afternoon you will drive to the Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge where you will spend the night. 

Overnight at Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge, Lake Eyasi

Today you will visit the Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Stretching along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is home to giant fig trees, acacia woodlands, mahogany trees and grassy flood plains. The contrasts of this area are simply breathtaking with its open plains, huge escarpment, Soda Lake, dense woodlands, and distant volcanic peaks coming together in an area best described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.

Animals such as large buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes, mongoose, dik dik and zebra herds congregate on the grassy plains while the narrow belt of acacia woodland is home to the legendary tree-climbing lions and tusked elephants. 

Lake Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s bird life with more than 400 species being recorded. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

In the late afternoon you will return to Arusha for your final evening. 

Overnight at Under the Shade Safari Lodge, Arusha  

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.