Nine days is enough time to stop moving through Tanzania’s landscapes and start living inside them, and this itinerary uses every one of them well. It begins with a walking safari in Arusha National Park, an armed ranger leading you on foot to a waterfall and a Colobus monkey viewpoint, before Tarangire’s elephant herds and Lake Manyara’s tree-climbing lion round out the opening days.
The journey then deepens considerably. Ngorongoro Crater delivers a full day among black rhino and the crater’s magnificent black-maned lion prides, before three nights at Ndutu Intimate Tented Camp, a genuine luxury tented camp inside the southern Serengeti’s calving grounds, position you at the very heart of the great migration during its most dramatic chapter. Two further nights at Intimate Places Tented Camp in the Serengeti proper close out the wildlife portion of the trip in style, with ever-changing light and constant movement across some of Africa’s most photographed plains.
A comprehensive, unhurried, genuinely luxury safari for travellers who want to understand the migration’s rhythm from the inside, not simply witness a single day of it.
This itinerary suits travellers with the time and inclination for a truly comprehensive Tanzania safari, one that spends real nights inside the migration's most dramatic season rather than a single stopover. The Ndutu stay in particular makes this exceptional for travellers visiting during the December to March calving season, when predator activity around the newborn herds is at its most intense.
Because this itinerary is built specifically around an extended Ndutu stay, timing matters more here than on shorter circuits. December through March is the standout window, the heart of the calving season, when predator activity around the newborn herds is at its most dramatic. June through September brings Tarangire's dry season concentrations at their best. April, May and November are quieter transitional months, worth discussing directly with guests who have flexible dates.
Depart Arusha at 8am for the short 30-minute drive to Arusha National Park, where the day splits between a half-day walking safari and a half-day game drive. An armed ranger accompanies you on foot through the forest and up to a waterfall, ending at a viewpoint known for black and white Colobus monkey. The game drive that follows takes in the seven Momella Lakes and the Ngurdoto Crater. At sunset, you’ll drive back to The Charity Hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.
After breakfast, you’ll make your way from Arusha to Tarangire National Park, famous for its dense wildlife population, most spectacular between June and September, the dry period when thousands of animals, wildebeest, buffalo and oryx among them, migrate from the dry Maasai Steppe to the Tarangire River in search of water, lion and leopard following close behind. Tarangire is also home to over 500 bird species. After lunch, a late afternoon game drive precedes dinner and your overnight stay at Maramboi Lodge.
After breakfast at Maramboi Lodge, a 40 kilometre drive on tarmac road, picnic lunch in hand, brings you to Lake Manyara National Park for an immediate afternoon game drive. The drive begins in a groundwater forest before moving through acacia woodland, open savannah and past hot springs. Lake Manyara itself draws flamingo and other water birds in numbers, while its mammals include tree-climbing lion, hippo, elephant, zebra, buffalo, giraffe, baboon, blue and vervet monkey and warthog, alongside some 350 recorded bird species. Picnic lunch, dinner and your overnight stay follow at Ngorongoro Farm House.
An early breakfast precedes the drive to the Ngorongoro Crater floor for a full day of game driving and a picnic lunch, descending more than 2,000 feet on steep tracks cut into the crater wall to reach the open plains below. The Ngorongoro Crater is arguably Tanzania’s finest location for black rhino, alongside large prides of lion that include magnificent black-maned males, and huge herds of wildebeest, zebra and other plains game. An alkaline lake on the crater floor supports colourful flamingo and other water birds, while massive bull elephant feed in the surrounding swamps, some carrying genuinely enormous tusks. Picnic lunch is taken at the hippo pool, followed by an afternoon drive on to Lake Ndutu for dinner and your overnight stay.
Early in the morning, breakfast box in hand, you’ll leave the lodge for a morning game drive exploring the great migration in the southern Serengeti. Return to the lodge for lunch and some midday relaxation before setting out again in search of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra, venturing deeper into the Ndutu wilderness and returning at sunset for dinner and your overnight stay at Ndutu Intimate Tented Camp, a genuine luxury tented camp set inside Ndutu itself.
After an early breakfast, you’ll leave the lodge with a lunch box in hand for a full day of game driving across the migration’s territory in southern Serengeti and northern Ngorongoro. Lunch is taken in the bush during the afternoon, before an evening game drive continues until sunset. You’ll return to the lodge for dinner and your second overnight stay at Ndutu Intimate Tented Camp.
Another day of game driving around Lake Ndutu begins with an early morning sunrise drive, before returning to camp for brunch. In the afternoon, you’ll watch for further game en route to Serengeti National Park proper, arriving at Intimate Places Tented Camp around 6:30pm for dinner and your overnight stay.
After breakfast, the day begins with a morning game drive in the Serengeti proper, your expert guide on hand to explain the stunning scenery, the ever-changing light and the constantly entertaining wildlife around you. An optional picnic or hot lunch is served around 12:30pm, before a further afternoon game drive runs through to 6:30pm. You’ll return to Intimate Places Tented Camp for dinner and your overnight stay.
After breakfast, you’ll depart the Serengeti for Arusha, waking early for a final morning game drive before heading back to the lodge for breakfast proper. From there, you’ll check out and drive back to Arusha, with lunch and further game viewing along the way, bringing this nine-day safari to
Pricing
Rates vary by season, with low season from $6,800 per person and peak season (June to October, and December to March for the Ndutu calving season) from approximately $8,600 to $9,500 per person. Final rates confirmed at time of booking.
Why travel with us
We keep group sizes intentionally small so every guest gets the attention, flexibility, and authenticity a safari deserves.
Our guides are born from the landscapes they lead. Decades of knowledge, sharp eyes, and a genuine passion for East African wildlife.
From comprehensive pre-trip briefings to 24-hour in-country support, your safety and comfort are always our first consideration.
Every safari we operate contributes to wildlife conservation and local community projects across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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