Your Great Migration Safari starts with a lakeside stay in Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital, at Lake Duluti Lodge. Delve into wildlife viewing in the natural phenomenon of Ngorongoro Crater and experience life on an organic farm at Gibb’s Farm, before witnessing spectacles in the Serengeti.
Then fly to Lewa House for unrivaled cultural experiences and explorations of Kenya’s dramatic Masai Mara. This Great Migration Safari includes the opportunity to explore Africa by horseback, camelback, enjoy walking safaris, hot air ballooning and day and night game drives.
Highlights
- Witness the Great Migration
- Observe the tree-climbing lions of Manyara
- Visit a Maasai Village
- Track endangered black rhino
- Game viewing in Africa’s premier parks, the Masai Mara & Serengeti
- Explore the bush on foot, tracking wildlife on a walking safari
- Take night drives to spot nocturnal wildlife
- Drift on a hot-air balloon safari over the plains
- Enjoy a scenic flight in a vintage biplane
- Saddle up for camelback or horseback safaris
- Elevate into the forest canopy to a treetop boardwalk
- Visit Karen Blixen’s historic home
Itinerary
DAY 1
Arrive Arusha, Tanzania
Welcome to Tanzania and the Great Migration Safari. Once you land in Kilimanjaro, you will be met and transferred by your private driver to Lake Duluti Lodge outside of Arusha. If time permits, stroll the gardens or paddle on the lake. Settle in and enjoy a delicious dinner before drifting to sleep.
DAY 2
Drive to the Ngorongoro highlands via Lake Manyara National Park – Game Drive & Picnic Lunch with Flamingos, Mto Wa Mbu Village Visit
After breakfast, take a drive through Lake Manyara National Park en route to the lush Ngorongoro highlands. Dine on a picnic lunch alongside thousands of rose-colored flamingos. Then join some locals in the village of Mto Wa Mbu on foot or on bike for an in-depth look at their daily lives. Arrive at Gibb’s Farm in the late afternoon. After settling in, experience a local working organic farm including over 10 acres of fruit and vegetable gardens and 30 acres of coffee. Try your hand at milking a cow while the staff answer questions about their sustainable farming methods. Enjoy a lovely dinner gathered fresh from the garden this evening.
DAY 3
Ngorongoro Crater Full-Day Game Drive
Set out early for the nearby Ngorongoro Crater, either by four-wheel drive or, for the more adventurous, on foot (which is a 6-7-hour round trip). The crater is a huge volcanic caldera formed about 2.5 million years ago when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. Here you can view the Big Five in high concentration with a stunning backdrop of the crater walls. Return to Gibb’s Farm for dinner and your overnight stay.
DAY 4
Fly to Serengeti National Park – Lamai Game Drive
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your flight to the Serengeti. Enjoy a game drive en route from the airstrip to Lamai Serengeti Camp, viewing the migration herds along the way. Arrive in time for lunch and spend the afternoon relaxing in your room or taking a dip in the natural rock pool, with dramatic views across the plains. Set out this afternoon for your first glimpse of the endless Serengeti plains on a game drive. After your fill of wildlife watching, return to camp for dinner and your overnight stay.
DAY 5
Serengeti National Park – Full-Day Game Drive
Today, head out with a guide and packed picnic lunch for a full day exploring the Serengeti plains. In your private safari vehicle, you are able to enjoy this day on the great migration safari at your own pace. This is a fabulous opportunity to see the great wildebeest and zebra migration, large herds of plains game and the highest concentration of predators in Africa. Return to Lamai Serengeti Camp for dinner and your overnight stay.
DAY 6
Serengeti National Park – Early Morning Bush Walk & Afternoon Game Drive
This morning, your favorite hot breakfast drink waits for you as you rise early to greet the day. Set out on foot with your guide as the sun begins to rise. This is the time of day when the wildlife is most active. This is a great opportunity to learn about the fauna and flora in the bush. Return to camp for a full breakfast. You will then have time for a siesta, to relax in the shade, or enjoy a good book. After lunch and high tea, set out for one final game drive in the Serengeti, stopping to watch the sun set with cocktails and appetizers. Return to camp for dinner and your overnight stay.
DAY 7
Flight to Masai Mara Game Reserve – High Tea & Afternoon Game Drive
Today you’ll visit one of the most iconic wildlife destinations on the planet; the Masai Mara. After breakfast, fly from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara. You’ll be picked up at the airstrip by a camp guide and the game drive begins immediately. Arrive at Kicheche Valley Camp, located on a private conservancy adjacent to the Masai Mara National Reserve, in time for high tea. After tea, continue exploring the conservancy with your guide, returning to camp for dinner.
DAY 8
Masai Mara Game Reserve – Walking Safari & Night Drive
Wake up early to experience the vast number of wildlife species in the area on a game drive. Return to camp for a full hot breakfast. This afternoon, explore the area around camp on foot with an armed guide. This is a thrilling way to experience the African bush more intimately. After dinner you will head out on a night drive, a fabulous way to learn about Africa’s nocturnal game and see the migration by starlight. Return to Kicheche Valley Camp to rest your head after an exciting day.
DAY 9
Masai Mara Game Reserve – Hot-Air Balloon Ride & Game Drive
A hot-air balloon ride truly is an extraordinary way to see the vast landscape and the wildebeest migration. After silently gliding over Africa’s big game for an hour, enjoy a champagne breakfast in the bush. Spend midday enjoying a massage, relaxing with some yoga, or reading in camp before heading out on an afternoon game drive. Return to camp for a late dinner and overnight with the opportunity to head out on another night drive if you wish.
DAY 10
Flight to Lewa Conservancy – High Tea & Afternoon Game Drive
Your migration safari continues as you are transferred to the nearest airstrip where you hop on a shared charter plane to the Lewa Conservancy, home of Lewa House. Enjoy a lovely lunch, usually served al fresco, with ingredients fresh from the on site organic garden. After lunch, head into one of Kenya’s conservation success stories. In Lewa Conservancy, you are surrounded by rich game viewing opportunities and you’ll have a very good chance of seeing all of the Big Five while on safari, including endangered black and white rhinos. Return to Lewa House for dinner and a cozy night.
DAY 11
Lewa Conservancy – Scenic Biplane Flight, Visit Conservancy Headquarters & Afternoon Camelback Safari
Rise early this morning to board a vintage biplane that will take you over the stunning ravines and inaccessible forests of the conservancy. This is truly a one-of-a-kind experience only offered to guests of Lewa House. This afternoon, spend some time learning about the conservation initiatives with the staff of Lewa’s headquarters. Later, head out on camelback through the bush for an unparalleled opportunity to get close to wildlife, combined with the stunning scenery and varied terrain of the conservancy. Stop for sundowners before going back to camp for dinner and drinks around the roaring fire.
DAY 12
Lewa Conservancy – Forest Canopy Walk, Cultural Experience, & Horseback riding
Start your day in the canopy of a green corridor on walkways and platforms giving you a ‘monkey’s-eye view’ of the forest. Then, visit with the local Maasai village, where you observe and learn about their traditional, nomadic lifestyle and coexistence with wildlife. Spend as much time at the village as you wish, chatting with residents, watching them create traditional bead work and crafts, or being an honored guest inside their homes. Finish your day on a horseback ride with only the sound of hooves in the nearby wilderness areas. On this adventure you are more likely to come across the paw print of a lion than a footprint of a human being! Return to Lewa House for another fabulous meal and evening of camaraderie.
DAY 13
Fly to Nairobi – Historic excursion & Departure
Your Great Migration Safari is complete. Fly back to Nairobi and meet a driver for one last excursion into Nairobi’s colonial history with a stop at Karen Blixens’ farm, before heading to the airport to board to your international flight home.