The Great Migration safari itinerary, day by day
Two seasonal shapes of one journey — the July–October crossing route through the northern Serengeti and the Maasai Mara, and the December–March calving route that stays with the herds in the south. Tell us your month and the right shape becomes yours. New to the migration? Start with the complete Great Migration guide.
Nothing here is fixed — this is the shape we design most often. Tell us what to keep, stretch or swap, and your version arrives priced and complete.
July–October for the river crossings; December–March for calving season in the south.
US travelers: check current entry requirements for each country on travel.state.gov — we also walk you through visas at booking.
Arusha
Arrive Kilimanjaro; overnight beneath Mount Meru while we brief you with this week’s herd reports.
Central & Western Serengeti
Fly from Arusha to the corridor camps positioned ahead of the herds — scheduled bush flights may make brief stops. Three nights moving with the columns as they push north.
Northern Serengeti
Fly or drive up to Kogatende and Lamai, minutes from the Mara River — whole mornings at the crossing points, with the patience the spectacle demands. Crossings are never guaranteed; position and time are how the odds are won.
Maasai Mara
The efficient scheduled connection: a morning flight from your Serengeti airstrip to Tarime, a private road transfer with immigration formalities at the Isebania border, then the short Migori flight into the Mara — allow the better part of the day, handled entirely for you. (Routing via Nairobi Wilson exists when schedules require it.) Three nights in a private conservancy on the migration’s northern stage.
Home
Fly to Nairobi Wilson with departure assistance through to your international flight.
Arusha
Arrive Kilimanjaro; overnight and briefing as above — in these months the story is in the south.
Ndutu & the southern plains
Fly from Arusha toward Ndutu — five nights on the short-grass plains where hundreds of thousands of calves are born and the predators work the edges of the nursery herds. This route stays with the herds; it does not continue north, because in these months the migration doesn’t.
Central Serengeti
A short repositioning flight or drive to Seronera’s resident big-cat country — leopard along the river lines while the columns begin to stir.
Home
Fly from the Serengeti to Arusha — intermediate stops are normal — for the onward international flight.
Where you’ll stay on this route
Your accommodation is selected privately after we understand your dates, pace and priorities. We recommend each camp, lodge or villa for its location, guiding, privacy, room configuration and seasonal suitability. Your carefully curated selection will be presented within your tailor-made proposal.
Plan your private safariEvery camp night, all meals and house drinks on safari.
A private expert guide and 4x4 where specified; at fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.
Park fees, light-aircraft hops and meet-and-greet on every leg.
Priced to your camps, season and style — no set packages, no surprises.
11 days · 11-Day Serengeti & Mara
July – October crossings · January – March calving
Photographers and first-time East Africa travelers
Following the herds to the Mara River
Most private NndeeAfrika journeys begin from USD 12,000 per person, and every itinerary is priced individually.
Based on two guests sharing. Final pricing depends on season, camps, private guiding, internal flights and itinerary length. International flights are excluded.
Every camp named night by night · internal flights and transfers · park and conservancy fees · meals and game activities per each lodge’s terms · airport meet & greet · a founder’s direct line while you travel.
This itinerary is a starting shape, not a package — every journey is fully tailor-made around your dates, pace and interests. Design this journey privately →
Questions about this journey
Make this journey yours.
Tell us when you want to go and how you'd bend this route — a specialist sends back your tailored, fully priced version within days. No pressure, ever.
This Great Migration safari itinerary is a proven shape, and the month you travel will reshape it.
Most of our travelers arrive the old-fashioned way — sent by someone who just came home.
Plan your safari