5-Day Fly-In Great Migration Safari from Zanzibar

Overview

Four nights from the beach to the river: a flight from Zanzibar into the Northern Serengeti for the Mara River crossings, then south through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, and a flight back to the coast.

A scheduled flight from Zanzibar straight into the Northern Serengeti
Two days in the Mara River crossing country while the migration is there
Game viewing south through the Serengeti’s changing country
A game drive on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Tarangire’s elephant herds on the last morning
Camps placed close to the wildlife, and a private vehicle and guide throughout
Written as a safari to add to a Zanzibar holiday

Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Destination: Northern Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire
Stops: 5
Experience: Great Migration
Best time: July – October

The route, and how far apart these places are

Zanzibar · Northern Serengeti · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater · Tarangire

Route Map

Zanzibar International Airport

Days 1–3 · Northern Serengeti (Mara River)

Day 3 · Central Serengeti (Seronera)

Days 3–4 · Ngorongoro Crater

Days 4–5 · Tarangire National Park

Zanzibar International Airport

Day by day

Every day here is private — your own guide and your own vehicle — so the order holds but the hours are yours to move.

Day 1 01

Fly from Zanzibar to the Northern Serengeti

After breakfast you transfer to Zanzibar Airport for the scheduled flight to the Northern Serengeti.

Your guide meets you at the airstrip and the first game drive starts straight away. Between July and October this is where the herds gather around the Mara River, so the wildebeest and zebra are the first thing you go looking for — with lion, elephant and leopard alongside them.

Meals: Lunch & dinner
Overnight: Mara River Camp, Northern Serengeti

Mara River Camp, Northern Serengeti — Your Stay

Mara River Camp

Day 2 02

A Full Day in the Northern Serengeti

A whole day in the country the migration moves through, with a guide who follows the herds rather than a timetable.

If the conditions are right you may see thousands of wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River with the predators waiting for them. Crossings happen when the herds decide, so nobody can promise one, but this is the place and the season to be.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Overnight: Lala Salama Camp, Serengeti
Highlight: The Mara River crossing country, in season

Lala Salama Serengeti Camp, Central Serengeti — Your Stay

Lala Salama Serengeti Camp

Day 3 03

South Through the Serengeti

After breakfast you work south through the Serengeti’s changing country towards the Seronera Valley in the centre of the park, one of its best wildlife areas and known for its predators, game viewing the whole way.

The night is at Lion’s Paw Camp.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Overnight: Lion’s Paw Camp, Ngorongoro Crater rim

Lion's Paw Camp, Ngorongoro crater rim — Your Stay

Lion's Paw Camp

Day 4 04

The Ngorongoro Crater

Down onto the crater floor after breakfast, for a game drive among one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa and some of the best odds anywhere on the Big Five.

Afterwards you climb out and drive on to Elephant Springs, close to Tarangire.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Overnight: Elephant Springs by Karibu Camps, Tarangire

Elephant Springs by Karibu Camps, Tarangire (inside park) — Your Stay

Elephant Springs by Karibu Camps

Your Stay

Elephant Springs by Karibu Camps

Day 5 05

Tarangire & the Flight Back to Zanzibar

A last game drive in Tarangire, among the elephant herds and the old baobabs.

Then the airstrip and the flight back to Zanzibar.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

What the rate covers

Everything below is settled before you travel. What isn’t covered is listed just as plainly, so nothing on this trip arrives as a surprise.

Included

Return domestic flights, Zanzibar – Northern Serengeti – Zanzibar
A private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, for your party alone
A dedicated professional English-speaking safari guide throughout
Luxury accommodation as listed
All meals during the safari
Game drives in the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire
Park and conservation fees
Airport transfers
Bottled drinking water during the safari

Not included

International flights
Accommodation on Zanzibar before or after the safari
Tanzanian visa fees
Travel insurance
Items of a personal nature
Tips and gratuities
Optional activities

FAQs

When is the best time for this safari?: July to October, when the migration reaches the Northern Serengeti and the Mara River crossings are possible. August and September are usually the peak of the crossings.
Will we see a river crossing?: Crossings depend on the herds, the rain and the animals themselves, so nobody can guarantee one. Your guide will put you where they are most likely through the season.
Can we combine it with a holiday on Zanzibar?: That is what it is written for: it starts and ends at Zanzibar Airport, so it slots between nights on the beach.
Is this a private safari?: Yes. The vehicle, the guide and the itinerary are yours alone — you share the day with nobody outside your own party.

Travel this one

Four questions — what you'd like to see, who is coming and roughly when — and the team in Arusha comes back with dates, the camps that are open and what the 5-day rate looks like for your party. We reply within one working day.

Or reach them directly — +255 654 592 688 or WhatsApp.

Enquire About This Journey

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