7-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari: Serengeti & Ngorongoro

This 7 day Tanzania Great Migration safari puts your time where the herds are. You go straight to the Serengeti, by road or on a scheduled flight, spend two full days there with your driver guide choosing the area for your month, and then drive to the Ngorongoro highlands for a morning on the crater floor. There is no Tarangire day, so the budget of days goes to wildebeest, zebra and the predators that follow them. Park fees, full board and a private 4x4 with fuel are included.

The Great Migration is a year-round movement, not a single event, and the herds are in different parts of the Serengeti depending on the month. In the southern plains in the early months of the year they calve, in the western corridor and the north they follow the rains, and from mid-year onward they approach the Mara River. We do not pretend to know exactly where the herds will be on your dates, but your driver guide stays in touch with other guides and drives to where they are. Read whether Tanzania or Kenya is better for the Great Migration and the month-by-month migration guide.

The two full Serengeti days are the centre of this route. A day gives you time to stay at a sighting and watch what happens next, rather than ticking off animals, and the pop-up roof lets you stand and photograph. Then you leave the plains for the Ngorongoro highlands and spend a morning in the crater, where animals live within a few kilometres of each other. Compare this plan with the 9-day wildebeest migration safari if you want more time in the northern Serengeti. Browse the Big Five safari page and the Tanzania destination page.

Easy. You see the wildlife from the vehicle, and there is no trekking. The challenge is time in the vehicle: if you go by road, the first journey from Arusha to the Serengeti is a full day, and the final day is four to five hours or more from Karatu to Arusha. Roads are dusty and bumpy in places. A scheduled flight to the Serengeti on day two removes the long road day if a suitable service is available, and we tell you the plan before you book.

The Serengeti is good all year, and the best month depends on what you want. Calving on the southern plains is usually in the early months of the year, river crossings in the north are usually from about July to October, and the dry months in between give the best predator viewing. The long rains, from about March to May, are green and quiet. Tell us the month you plan to travel, and we will explain where the herds are likely to be and set the route to match.

This tour suits travellers who have a week and want the Great Migration without a long list of parks. It works for couples, photographers and small groups. If you want elephants and baobabs as well, see the 7-day wildebeest migration tour with a Tarangire day. For a more private, higher-end version, see the 8-day private luxury Tanzania safari.

Tell us your month and whether you prefer to fly or drive, and we will plan the route. We advise on visas free of charge and confirm lodges and camps after booking. Read what a Great Migration safari in Tanzania costs and the Great Migration packing list.

For a trip with community time and a Signature feel, see our Signature Journey, the 8-day Tanzania safari beyond wildlife with Maasai culture and village life.