BASIC NORTH MIGRATION TOUR ITINERARY

Early in the morning you will leave, immediately after breakfast, to explore the beautiful Tarangire National Park. (Approximate transfer time Arusha•Tarangire: 2 hrs 30 mins) The park, dotted with huge baobabs, covers an area of 2850 sq. km and includes the Tarangire River, where immense herds of zebra, wildebeest, oryx, water antelope, lesser kudu, giraffe, buffalo and their natural predators such as lions, leopards and wild dogs congregate, especially during the dry season. Tarangire is also known to possess the world's highest concentration of elephants and is considered by many to be Tanzania's best destination for birdwatchers: more than 450 species of birds can be spotted there. After lunch on one of the many natural terraces with breathtaking views of the river and surrounding nature, the safari will continue in the afternoon with a transfer to the Lodge/Tented Camp for dinner and overnight in Karatu. (Approximate transfer time Tarangire•Karatu: 1 h 30 min).

In the morning, immediately after breakfast, you will begin the game drive in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, declared a WORLD HERITAGE OF HUMANITY (UNESCO 1978) AND INTERNATIONAL BIOSPHERE RESERVE (1981). (Approximate transfer time Karatu•Ngorongoro Conservation Area: 30 mins) The area has become a true ecosystem, thanks to good rainfall, ponds, small inland lakes and streams, and night fog that surrounds and feeds the forests on the slopes of its famous crater. After a brief stop at the crater rim, you will descend to the bottom of the caldera for a game drive dedicated to discovering one of the most beautiful places on Earth, where nature is sovereign and "unchanged by time." The 264-square-kilometer caldera has the highest concentration of wildlife on the continent. It is one of the very rare places where black rhino can be encountered. After lunch near the enchanting hippo lake, we will drive up the crater to leave the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and reach the Lodge/Tented Camp for dinner and overnight stay in the Serengeti National Park. (Approximate transfer time Ngorongoro Crater•Serengeti: 2 hrs 30 mins)

The Serengeti is considered the most famous national park in the world, the cradle of the Great Migration, where one of the most impressive natural cycles on the planet is renewed every year: tens of thousands of ungulates move, driven by the primal instinct to survive, in constant search of new pastures. The landscape, dotted with large acacias and Kopjes (ancient rock piles), is an ideal habitat for big cats. As you move deeper into the heart of the Serengeti, you will understand why the name means, in the Maasai language, "boundless plain." Your safari will continue to explore the park until you reach the far north, where between July and October herbivores prepare to cross the Mara River. During the game drive there will be no shortage of opportunities for sightings of giraffe and elephant families, the large herds of lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and smaller ones such as foxes, mongooses, honey badgers, jackals, along with more than 500 species of birds. The day will end with a transfer to the Lodge/Tented Camp for dinner and overnight stay.

The next day will be entirely devoted to researching one of the best-known natural spectacles, but also one of the fiercest in the animal world: river crossing by herbivores. The waters, in fact, are infested with crocodiles waiting for their prey. The lack of rainfall at this time forces herds to stop and graze in the Masai Mara, on the Kenyan border, and then return to the central Serengeti following the season's short rains. At this time, in the northern part of the park, the concentration of large predators is very high and, in a single day, sightings of cheetahs, leopards and herds of hyenas and lions could be counted by the dozens. In the afternoon, return to Lodge/Tented Camp for dinner and overnight stay.

In the morning, after a short game drive in the northern part of the park, you will continue the safari to the central Serengeti. In the Seronera Valley, along the banks of the river of the same name, you will have the chance to see leopards climbing the sausage trees, observe the numerous herds of lions on the Moru kopjes and, with luck, even spot a black rhino. You will be able, finally, to get out of the car at the famous hippo pool and approach the pool to peer at the many hippos huddled there. In the late afternoon transfer to the Lodge/Tented Camp for dinner and overnight stay.