Wildebeest herds spread across the open Serengeti plains

Tanzania Great Migration Safaris

The Great Migration is a continuous, year-round movement of well over a million wildebeest, plus zebra and gazelle, circling between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. It is driven by rainfall and grazing, which means it has no timetable and cannot be booked.

2 journeys

Roughly, the herds calve on the southern Serengeti plains around January to March, move through the west and centre from about April to June, and reach the northern Serengeti and the Mara River from around July to October. Those windows shift every year, sometimes by weeks.

River crossings are the images everyone arrives hoping for, and they are the one thing nobody can promise. Herds may mass on a bank for hours and turn back. What we can do is put you in the right part of the ecosystem for your dates and give you full days rather than a couple of hours at the river.

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Tell us your dates and we will price it properly.

Every journey is confirmed with a written quotation before you book — dates, accommodation, what is included and what is not.

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Great Migration Safaris we operate.

A dense column of wildebeest moving across open grassland

5 days · Tanzania

5-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari — Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti

Arusha · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro

Five days is short for the Serengeti, so this routing spends them deliberately: straight through Tarangire to the plains, then north to wherever the herds are reported, and out over the Ngorongoro Crater on the way home. It suits travellers who want the migration specifically rather than a general northern-circuit tour. The Great Migration is a natural phenomenon and its position changes with the rains, so the exact camps are confirmed close to travel.

On Request

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Wildebeest gathered on a riverbank in the northern Serengeti

8 days · Tanzania

8-Day Tanzania Great Migration Safari — Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara

Arusha · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara

Eight days is enough to stop chasing and start watching. This circuit gives the Serengeti four nights — split between the central plains and the north — which is what it takes to sit with a herd rather than drive past one, and still covers Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. It is built for travellers whose main reason for coming is the migration, with the rest of the northern circuit around it.

On Request

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Serengeti

Your questions, answered.

Can you guarantee we will see a river crossing?

No, and you should treat any operator who does with suspicion. Herds cross when they decide to, which can be several times in a morning or not for days. We position you where the reports put the herds and give you full days rather than a brief visit to the river.

When should we travel?

For the northern Serengeti and Mara River crossings, roughly July to October. For calving and dense predator activity on the southern plains, January to March. Both windows move with the rainfall.

Is the migration worth seeing outside the crossing season?

Yes. It is a continuous movement of more than a million animals, not a single event. The calving season in particular is extraordinary and far less crowded.

Can any of these journeys be arranged privately?

Yes. Any itinerary we operate can be run for your own party in a private 4x4 Land Cruiser, including journeys otherwise sold as group-joining departures. A private departure is quoted separately from the listed price.

Are the accommodation names guaranteed?

No. Properties are suggested for fit and current operation and confirmed on your written quotation. If one is unavailable for your dates we will propose a comparable property rather than substitute something lesser without telling you.

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