Limited to 12 Travelers
Encounter Wildest Africa on This Coveted Safari Across the Serengeti & Beyond
On Africa’s Great Plains, the pulse beat of the planet reverberates. Our Land Cruiser is a tiny island in a vast, grassy sea, its idle drowned out by waves of pounding hooves. Wildebeest and zebra flow in a living current across the Serengeti as lion and cheetah follow in their wake, finely tuned hunting machines ready to stalk and take down the weakest members of the herds. From our private mobile camp stationed in the center of the world’s greatest ancient migration route, we are subsumed in a primal spectacle as the drama of predator and prey unfolds. Witness it in rare seclusion, immersed in the wonder of one of the world's truly epic wildlife events. And of course, no Tanzania safari is complete without a descent into the famed Ngorongoro Crater. The largest unbroken caldera on Earth, the crater is home to nearly 30,000 animals sustained within its walls.
This trip will be hosted by a SDZWA Wildlife and Conservation Expert
The host for this trip will be an SDZWA expert on wildlife specific to the region. They will be with you every step of the way, to educate and inspire you, and to share their passion for nature! Check back for more details.
Trip Highlights
Witness one of nature's most exhilarating spectacles: thousands of wildebeest and zebra making their annual trek across the Serengeti! Itinerary is custom designed to follow the herds.
Our route is adjusted seasonally for proximity to the herds, maximizing your chance to witness Africa’s most dramatic wildlife phenomenon at close range
Enjoy unparalleled seclusion, comfort and vintage atmosphere at Nat Hab's own private camps, including our luxury mobile camp near the migration route
In addition to the migration, experience an exhilarating safari in Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest unbroken caldera, home to 30,000 animals
What Makes Our Tanzania Migration Safari Stand Out?
No wildlife event on the planet rivals Africa’s Great Migration for sheer drama. Twice each year the huge herds make a great circuit across the Serengeti Plains, following the grass that sprouts with the seasonal rains. To witness the migration is on many a wildlife lover’s bucket list, and a coveted experience for nature photographers. But it’s crucial to do it right—because all Tanzania migration safaris are not the same!
- An Itinerary Designed for Optimal Migration Viewing
We construct every component of your safari, then ensure that you are personally guided from start to finish by a highly trained Nat Hab Safari Expedition Leader, so you can have the utmost confidence in the quality and safety of our operations. Our oversight is meticulous, because our reputation depends on your safari’s success. We focus on the best time to see the animals, then build our safari itinerary and dates around that, attempting to time our presence for peak viewing. What's more, we spend three full days amid the migration, for optimal photo prospects. - Fly from Arusha to the Serengeti
Many companies drive you both ways to and from the Serengeti from Arusha. We fly you in to maximize time for what you’ve come to Africa for: watching wildlife on safari! - Our Private Mobile Migration Camp Gets You Close to the Herds
Rather than using crowded lodges where vehicles depart each morning in large numbers, often surrounding the same animals all at once, we insist on the smallest luxury bush camps located in isolated places where wildlife is prolific. In particular, our own private Migration Camp allows us flexibility to pursue wildlife where concentrations are greatest, rather than utilizing larger accommodations that are nowhere near the migration. - Coveted Early Morning Access to Ngorongoro Crater
We've designed our itinerary to make sure we are at the gate to enter Ngorongoro Crater the moment the reserve opens early in the morning. Our timing ensures a full day on safari in the crater, with an early arrival to beat the crowds. With expedited access to wildlife viewing on the crater floor early in the morning, we'll be there when many animals are most active. - Extra Luggage Allowance
Most airlines and safari companies in East Africa strictly limit luggage to 33 pounds per guest, including carry-on bags, with even the highest priced trips typically having this limitation. We have arranged a special luggage allowance of 44 pounds per guest, making it easier to travel comfortably without leaving behind essential items you need. And on our photo safaris, we've reserved extra seating to allow 60 pounds of luggage per guest, allowing you to take all your camera equipment comfortably. This makes a big difference! - The World's Finest Safari Guides
Natural Habitat Adventures is known worldwide for employing the finest naturalist guides on the planet! In Tanzania, our Safari Expedition Leaders are the most highly trained guides in Africa, renowned for providing exceptional service. With you from beginning to end, our Expedition Leaders average approximately 15 years' guiding experience. - Feel Good About Your Carbon-Neutral Journey
We care deeply about our planet, as we know you do. When you travel with us, the carbon emissions from your trip are 100% offset—including your round-trip flights from home. Natural Habitat Adventures has been the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company since 2007.
Itinerary
Day 1–10: 10-day Northern Serengeti route, when the herds are heading into the Maasai Mara and back, and dramatic river crossings may occur.
Accommodations
Ngare Sera Mountain Lodge
Arusha, Tanzania
Enjoy a serene setting among lush gardens filled with bougainvillea and jacaranda surrounding a colonial German farmhouse at the base of Mount Meru. The original 1905 house was transformed in 1974 into a tranquil guest lodge filled with antiques, and it is still owned and run by the same conservation-minded family today. Long covered verandas offer views of Mount Kilimanjaro from overstuffed chairs, while indoors, a fireplace provides warmth when the sun goes down. Ten garden rooms front an expansive lawn across from the main house, with private porches for relaxing. Beneath the beamed timber ceilings, sink into a canopied king-size Zanzibar bed or two twins, with elaborate carved wooden headboards. Each room has a large en suite bathroom with tub, rain shower, dressing area and separate toilet. Meals at the main house are served in the dining room or al fresco on the shaded terrace overlooking the gardens and small lake. Menus feature homemade fare incorporating organic vegetables from the lodge garden and local small farms, fresh-baked breads and pastries, locally grown coffee that's roasted at the lodge, and more. The property generates its own hydroelectricity, and all drinking water comes directly from its natural spring, which also supplies fresh water to neighboring villages.
Plantation Lodge
Ngorongoro Highlands, Tanzania
A green oasis amid the red-brown hills of the Ngorongoro Highlands, Plantation Lodge lies at the center of a working coffee, flower and cattle plantation, surrounded by rolling green farmland and lowland forest. Its 17 individual bungalows provide superb comfort and amenities, each with a separate sitting area, wood-burning fireplace and private veranda overlooking lavish gardens and manicured lawns. The individually furnished rooms and suites are uniquely decorated with the owners’ fabulous collection of safari antiques and Tanzanian arts and crafts. The small size of this owner-run lodge, combined with its colonial-style charm, creates an intimate atmosphere where personal attention and a concern for detail are evident at every turn. The lodge enjoys a prime location for safari access: it's very near the entrance of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a quick hop from Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks, and a relatively short drive from the Serengeti.
Nat Hab's Migration Camp-Serengeti
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
This deluxe mobile tented camp is designed to travel with the natural flow of the wildebeest migrating through the Serengeti ecosystem. The camp’s mobility allows us to follow the herds, optimizing our chances to witness the migration and ensuring outstanding wildlife viewing at all times. From December until March, the camp is ideally situated to intercept the migration in the Southern Serengeti. From June through October, the camp is positioned to intercept the migration in the Northern Serengeti.
The camp is comprised of eight canvas tents with two lounge/dining areas. Each tent is either a twin or double (triples are also available) with toilets and safari-style bucket showers in en suite bathrooms. The open communal area surveys the plains, so you can enjoy wildlife viewing over a drink as you relax in the lounge or bar. The dining room, also set beneath canvas, offers a classic bush dining experience. And after dark, classic lanterns provide a romantic glow throughout camp.
Guests will enjoy the intimate ambience of this traditional canvas safari camp that provides an authentic experience of the wild Serengeti as much as it does rustic luxuries. Our close-knit Tanzanian camp staff ensures that personalized hospitality, excellent food, and a warm, relaxed environment are hallmarks of a stay at our private mobile camp. And, since our staff follows the migration with our camp year-round, they are a font of detailed information about the wildlife and the overall experience.
Nat Hab's Serengeti East Camp
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Nat Hab’s Serengeti East Camp is a mobile camp set along the Nyabogati River near prime big cat territory. Tucked among fever and acacia trees and with no other camp in sight for miles, our own private retreat provides exceptional seclusion. Featuring stylish bush accommodations exclusively for Nat Hab guests, the camp offers easy access to Namiri Plains, an area that was restricted to visitors for two decades in order to rehabilitate cheetah habitat. Surrounded by kopjes—large granite outcrops that dot the plains and are favored by big cats—the camp offers fabulous wildlife viewing, particularly of the abundant feline predators that live and hunt in this area.
Seven canvas safari tents offer the utmost in comfort and privacy. Each tent has two twin beds that can be combined to make a king-size bed appointed in colorful, Tanzanian-made blankets, electrical outlets to charge devices, an en suite bathroom with flush toilet, hot water and safari-style bucket showers, and a secluded outdoor sitting area with shade netting. Wi-Fi is available throughout camp.
A common lounge offers a relaxed gathering space, perfect for convivial encounters after exciting game drives. The dining area is the scene for delicious traditional fare like creamy mtori plantain soup, and vegetables and meat sourced from Tanzanian farms. Given the camp's prime location along the Nyambogati River, wildlife is abundant, and we often spot animals directly from camp while sitting with a book or sipping a gin and tonic from the fully stocked bar. Big cat sightings are unrivaled in this area, which is a hub for scientific predator research.
Powered by solar and mobile batteries and operating with portable sewage tanks, the camp is light on the land, following a leave-no-trace ethos when it packs up seasonally to follow the next stage of the Great Migration.
Know Before You Go
Whether you're traveling to witness the Great Migration or just want to learn more about Kenya, peruse this array of helpful resources. Our wildlife guides, packing tips and safari stories will give you a true taste of wild Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse our most frequently asked questions about Tanzania's wildlife, accommodations and more.
Weather and Climate
Tanzania Weather & Climate
Tanzania has a generally comfortable climate year-round, although there are significant regional variations. The tropical coast stays quite hot and humid with heavy and reliable rainfall, especially during the rainy season. The central plateau is cooler and arid. There are two rainy seasons—the heaviest rains (called masika) usually fall from mid-March to May, and a shorter period of rain (called vuli) occurs from November to mid-January. The dry season, with cooler temperatures, lasts from May to October.
The areas where we will be traveling are typically warm and dry, although it is surprisingly cold at higher altitudes. Summer usually lasts from November to March, and during this time there is always a chance of afternoon showers.
With altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level, average daytime temperatures are very comfortable and vary from 70° to 90°F, with a moderate 50° to 60°F at night.
Trip Pricing
Trip Price: $14,995 (+internal air). This price is based on 2024 rates and subject to change slightly.
Internal Air Cost: $1,772 per person (this will be listed separately on our invoicing).
Single Occupancy: For a single room, add $1,995. Contact us to learn how you can avoid the single supplement.
Deposit: $500 per person, non-refundable
Group Size
Limited to 12 Travelers
Our safaris generally have the smallest group size in the industry (typically averaging about eight travelers), but on this migration safari we have arranged for a slightly larger group in order to divide into multiple safari vehicles, all in radio contact, searching for the migration—our odds of witnessing an array of wildlife spectacles is enhanced this way. With a maximum of six travelers per safari vehicle, you’re assured plenty of space and personalized attention when you need it.
Specialized 4x4 Land Rovers and Land Cruisers
As with all our global adventures, our focus is on wildlife and nature viewing, and in Africa, much of that happens on 4x4 wildlife drives. Our safari vehicles in Tanzania are specially adapted, reinforced Land Cruisers enhanced with a special suspension system to ensure the most comfortable ride possible in the wilds of Africa. Each guest gets a window/side seat. We use open-sided vehicles with a canvas roof, offering an open field of view while still offering some protection from the elements and ensuring all guests enjoy excellent viewing opportunities. With no middle seats utilized, there is ample room for gear, plus extra leg room. Refrigerators/ice boxes keep drinks cool for our guests, and an onboard library of bird and mammal books provides information about the region’s natural history as well as help in spotting and identifying species.
Included
Trip price includes: Accommodations, services of SDZWA Host and Nat Hab's Expedition Leader(s), local guides, camp staff, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through lunch on final day, some alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, airport transfers on Day 1 and final day, all activities and entrance fees, all taxes, permits and service fees.
Internal air fee includes: All light aircraft flights within the itinerary (this will be listed separately on our invoicing).
Not Included
Travel to and from the start and end point of your trip, premium alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passports and visa fees, optional activities, items of a personal nature (phone calls, souvenirs, etc.), airport and departure taxes (if any), optional travel protection insurance, and required medical evacuation insurance.
Physical Requirements: Easy / Moderate
To participate in this trip, you must be able to walk unassisted at a steady pace for at least one mile over uneven terrain, climb steps to get into and out of our raised safari vehicles, and be able to tolerate daily outdoor excursions that may last 4-5 hours or even a full day at a time, sometimes in hot, windy and/or dusty conditions. Wildlife drives pose a particular type of physical demand on the body, as they require long hours of sitting and take place over terrain that is often very rough and bumpy, including dirt roads with many ruts and potholes. Travelers with back or neck problems, or other health issues that could be exacerbated by such conditions, should take this into consideration. While any walking safaris are considered optional, travelers must be able to walk unassisted to and from the vehicle to our camp accommodations, sometimes walking over uneven ground or on boardwalks. Days spent on safari are often long, as mornings typically start before daybreak and evening meals are served after sundown. Safari accommodations and vehicles are not climate-controlled and, depending on the season, temperatures can range from quite cold to extremely hot, so it is critical that travelers come prepared.
On custom or private departures with smaller groups, our ability to accommodate varying levels of physical abilities or interests is limited, since these trips are staffed with a single Expedition Leader who may be assisted, pending availability, by local guides.
Mandatory Insurance
Since the areas we travel to are remote and wild (that's why we go there!), we require that all guests have, at minimum, medical evacuation insurance for this program. This is for the safety of all guests. We require that your chosen independent insurance plan includes at least $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage.
To protect your investment and to provide peace of mind while you travel, we also strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance. Plans may cover everything from medical treatment to trip cancellations and delays and lost luggage. Please contact our office if you would like more information about the medical evacuation and comprehensive travel insurance policies we offer by calling 800-543-8917.
Getting There and Getting Home
Please plan to arrive in Arusha, Tanzania by 5 pm on Day 1 in order to attend a 7 pm Welcome Dinner. You are free to depart from Arusha after 5 pm on the final day.
We can best serve you if our Natural Habitat Adventures Travel Desk makes your reservations, as we are intimately familiar with the special requirements of this program and can arrange the most efficient travel. Please call us at 800-543-8917. Note that while we offer you the best possible rates available to us on airfare and additional nights' accommodations, you may find special web rates or better fares online.