The Great Migration
Following the Herds Across the Serengeti
Witness the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth. Over two million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle follow ancient pathways across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, pursued by lions, leopards, and crocodiles. Your journey places you in the heart of this drama—tented camps that move with the herds, expert guides who read the land, and moments of raw, primal beauty that will stay with you forever.
This itinerary is a starting point. Every element can be adjusted—add days, change hotels, swap experiences, alter the pace. We'll craft the final journey around your preferences, travel dates, and dreams.
Your Journey Unfolds
Arrival in Nairobi
Arrive in Nairobi, Kenya's vibrant capital. Transfer to your boutique hotel for rest and recovery. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner and briefing about the safari ahead.
Nairobi means "place of cool waters" in Maasai. It's the only capital city in the world with a national park within its borders—look carefully on your drive from the airport, and you might spot giraffe silhouettes against the skyline.
Stay: Hemingways Nairobi or Giraffe Manor
Fly to Masai Mara
A bush flight carries you over the Great Rift Valley to the Masai Mara—the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem. By lunch, you're in camp. By afternoon, you're on your first game drive.
The Masai Mara is named for the Maasai people who have lived here for centuries, and the Mara River that flows through it. "Mara" means "spotted" in Maasai—for the pattern of trees, shadows, and savanna that stretches to every horizon.
Stay: Angama Mara or Governors' Camp
Mara Game Drives
Full day in the Mara with dawn and dusk game drives—the golden hours when predators are most active. Between drives, relax at camp or join a walking safari with Maasai guides.
The Mara's big cat density is among the highest in Africa. Lions here have been studied for 50 years; many are known by name. Your guide might introduce you to the Marsh Pride or the descendants of Notch, one of the most famous lions ever documented.
Stay: Angama Mara or Governors' Camp
The Mara River
Today focuses on the Mara River—lifeline of the ecosystem and stage for the migration's most dramatic moments. If the timing is right, you may witness a crossing: thousands of wildebeest plunging into crocodile-filled waters.
A single river crossing can last minutes or hours. The animals gather, nervous, at the banks. Then one steps forward—and the rest follow in a chaos of dust, water, and survival. It's terrifying, beautiful, and utterly unforgettable.
Stay: Angama Mara or Governors' Camp
Cross to Tanzania
Cross the border into Tanzania and the Serengeti—"endless plains" in Maasai. Your mobile tented camp moves with the migration, placing you exactly where the action is.
The Serengeti is one of the oldest ecosystems on Earth. The climate, the plants, the animals—they've existed in essentially the same form for millions of years. Walking here is walking through time itself.
Stay: Singita Explore or &Beyond Mobile Camp
Serengeti: Following the Herds
Full day tracking the migration across the Serengeti. Your guides know the patterns, the timing, the places where the herds gather. You'll find yourself surrounded by animals stretching to the horizon.
Why do they migrate? Simple: survival. The rains move, and the grass follows. The herds follow the grass, walking 500 miles in an endless circle. They've made this journey for thousands of years—and will continue as long as the land allows.
Stay: Singita Explore or &Beyond Mobile Camp
Hot Air Balloon Safari
Rise before dawn to float over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon. From above, you'll see the patterns of the land and the herds—a perspective few ever witness. Land for champagne breakfast in the bush.
From a balloon, you understand the scale. The Serengeti is 12,000 square miles—larger than Connecticut. The herds below you number in the millions. You're witnessing the greatest remaining wildlife migration on Earth.
Stay: Singita Explore or &Beyond Mobile Camp
Ngorongoro Crater
Drive to Ngorongoro—a collapsed volcano now home to 25,000 animals in a natural arena. Descend into the crater for game viewing in this unique ecosystem where predators and prey live in remarkable density.
The crater formed when a giant volcano erupted and collapsed two million years ago. Today, it's essentially a self-contained world: lions, elephants, rhinos, and flamingos all living in a bowl 2,000 feet deep and 12 miles wide.
Stay: &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Ngorongoro: Crater Exploration
Another morning in the crater, then afternoon at leisure at your lodge on the rim. Watch the sunset paint the crater in gold and pink from your private deck.
Ngorongoro is one of the best places in Africa to see the endangered black rhino. Only about 5,500 remain worldwide; a healthy population lives protected in this crater. Each sighting is precious.
Stay: &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Zanzibar Beach Extension
Fly to Zanzibar for white sand beaches and spice-scented air. Your beachfront villa offers the perfect place to process everything you've seen—and to extend your journey if you wish.
Zanzibar was once the center of the spice trade, and before that, a hub of Arab, Persian, and African commerce. The Stone Town's narrow streets hold layers of history—and some of the freshest seafood in the Indian Ocean.
Stay: Kilindi Zanzibar or The Residence
Departure
Final morning at leisure—swim, spa, or simply breathe the ocean air. Transfer to Zanzibar airport for your onward journey, carrying with you the sights, sounds, and silences of wild Africa.
The Maasai have a blessing: "May you be well, may your cattle be well, may your children be well." It's a wish for everything that matters. We send you off with the same hope—and the knowledge that Africa will be here when you return.
Stay: Day use available
Ready to Begin?
This journey is waiting to be shaped around you. Tell us your dates, your preferences, your dreams—and we'll craft something extraordinary.