Tanzania & Kenya

Following the Herds

A Great Migration safari itinerary built entirely around the herds.

The route Arusha → Southern or Central Serengeti → Northern Serengeti → Maasai Mara

Day by day

The Great Migration safari itinerary, day by day

A Great Migration safari itinerary built entirely around the herds — mobile camps positioned on both sides of the Mara River, timed to your travel month. 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.

Best time to go

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.

Day 1

Arusha

Arrive Kilimanjaro; overnight beneath Mount Meru while we brief you — with this week’s herd reports — on exactly where the migration is right now.

Days 2–4

Serengeti (by season)

Fly to a mobile camp placed for your month — the calving grounds (Dec–Mar) or the central corridors as the columns push north (Apr–Jun).

Days 5–7

Northern Serengeti

The Mara River country of the far north; in crossing season (Jul–Oct), whole mornings at the river waiting for the plunge.

Days 8–10

Maasai Mara

Fly via Nairobi Wilson into a private conservancy on the migration’s northern stage — off-road with the big cats that follow the herds.

Day 11

Home

Fly out via Nairobi.

Where you could stay

Camps & lodges we love on this route

Three of the properties we reach for first on this journey — your final camps depend on your dates, style and budget.

Grumeti Reserve, western Serengeti

All lodging & meals

Every camp night, all meals and house drinks on safari.

Private guide & vehicle

Your own expert guide and 4x4 throughout — never shared.

Fees & flights within Africa

Park fees, light-aircraft hops and meet-and-greet on every leg.

One transparent quote

Priced to your camps, season and style — no set packages, no surprises.

Good to know

Questions about this journey

August to early October gives the best odds on the Mara River — but crossings are weather-driven, never scheduled. We position you at camps within reach of the river and build full river days into the plan.

Both — that is this itinerary’s point. The herds cross between them; camping on both sides doubles your window. If you must choose, your travel month decides it, not the border.

Full beds, en-suite bathrooms and proper dining under canvas — moved seasonally to sit where the herds are. Less marble than a lodge; better positioned than any of them.

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.

Most of our travelers arrive the old-fashioned way — sent by someone who just came home.

Plan your safari