Private Tour
8 Days Great Wildebeest Migration - Mara River Crossing
Overview
Available languages
192 hours
Mobile ticket
Every year between the months of July and October, thousands of wildebeest and migratory animals cross the crocodile infested Mara River in an attempt to reach the lush, green grass plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve. It is an ultimate life-and-death spectacle and one that leaves travelers with unforgettable memories. Our 8 days tour of Tanzania takes you to the action packed Mara River, located at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. This is an opportunity not to be missed by safari enthusiasts.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Specialized infant seats are available
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
What To Expect
Arrival and Transfer to hotel
Accommodations
Kibo Palace Hotel - 4* Hotel
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Arusha
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and briefed by our representative and then transferred to Kibo Palace Hotel, located in Arusha for dinner and overnight.
Arusha – Mto Wa Umbu (Cultural Tour)– Manyara
Accommodations
Marera Valley Lodge - 4* Lodge
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast you will drive to Mto wa Mbu town for a guided village walk. The walk will give you an opportunity to interact with the local people, visit local homes, a taste of traditional beer, banana and rice farms, etc. You will then continue to Lake Manyara for game viewing. Here you will be able to see elephants, giraffes, hippos, impalas, dik dik, waterbucks, flamingos and monkeys. You may also encounter the rare tree climbing lions and leopards. In the evening, you will depart the park and drive to Karatu for dinner and overnight at Marera Valley Lodge
Manyara – Serengeti - Hunting predators/Big Cats experience
Accommodations
Hippo Trails Camp - 3* Tented Camp in Central Serengeti
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will drive to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving in time for lunch at Hippo Trails Camp. In central Serengeti, you will have high chances of seeing the elephants, giraffes, hippos, warthogs, gazelles, impalas, lions, leopards, cheetahs and many more. In the afternoon, you will leave the camp for an afternoon game viewing and return to the camp in the evening for a well deserved hot shower and then dinner and overnight.
Great Migration, Mara River crossing, Hunting crocodiles
Accommodations
Mara River Camp - Luxury Tented Camp nestled on the banks of Mara River
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Mara River
You will have an early morning game drive and then return to the camp for breakfast. Afterwards, you will depart the camp with packed lunch and drive to Northern Serengeti for game viewing, with very high chances of seeing wildebeests crossing the Mara River while the crocodiles attack them. In the evening, you will drive to Mara River Camp located in Northern Serengeti for dinner and overnight.
Great Migration, Mara River crossing, Hunting crocodiles
Accommodations
Mara River Camp - Luxury Tented Camp nestled on the banks of Mara River
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Mara River
Morning and afternoon game drive along the Mara River, with early departure. The great migration is supposed to be here between July and mid October, crossing the famous Mara River to Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya and back to Serengeti. The North Serengeti has lots of big cats, elephants, giraffes, impalas, hippos and it is another excellent place to see the endangered black rhino. All meals and overnight will be at Mara River Camp.
Hunting Predators
Accommodations
Hippo Trails Camp - 3* tented Camp Located in Central Serengeti, very close to the hippo pool.
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will drive to Lobo area for game viewing. Lobo is in North-East of Serengeti National Park with unique landscape. Here you will have excellent opportunity to see leopards, cheetahs, big prides of lions, the rare clip-springer antelopes, etc. In the afternoon, you will drive to Central Serengeti to Dinner and overnight at Hippo Trails Camp.
Ngorongoro Crater Tour - The endangered black rhino, pink flamingos
Accommodations
Marera Valley Lodge - 4* Lodge
Food and Drinks
DINNER
Dinner
BREAKFAST
Breakfast
LUNCH
Lunch
Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, you will depart the camp with packed lunch and drive to Ngorongoro crater for game viewing. You will spend the day at the floor on the crater (the 8th wonder of the world) exploring its rich flora and fauna. This is the best place to encounter the endangered black rhino and flamingos in Lake Magadi. Other animals include Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, warthogs, hippos, zebras, waterbucks, hyenas, jackals and if lucky enough, lions will be sleeping by your vehicle for shade. In the evening, you will ascend the crater, depart the park and drive to Karatu for dinner and overnight at Marera Valley Lodge.
Transfer to Arusha, Lunch, City Tour and Departure
Food and Drinks
LUNCH
Lunch
Arusha
After breakfast you will drive back to Arusha with stopover at traditional Maasai village on the way. After hot lunch in Arusha, you will visit the local Maasai market for souvenirs shopping (if interested). You will also visit the Cultural Heritage Centre. Afterwards, you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight back home.
What‘s Included
Bottled drinking water
All Fees and Taxes
Accommodation as per itinerary
Emergency Air Rescue Insurance
Tips, travel insurance, laundry, visa, flight, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.
Pickup points
Arusha Airport
Arusha Tanzania
Options
8 Days Great Wildebeest Migration - Mara River Crossing
Pickup included
Reviews
29 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Perfect itinerary...
Gina M,,Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Gilmag's perfect itinerary including ample varieties of animals in Serengeti National Park, breathtaking Crater Lake Magadi and of course, the trip highlight of Mara River Crossing. With his quick reflex and sharp spotting skills, driver/guide- Erick always try his best to get into the best position for viewing the animals. Truly the trip of a lifetime.
AMAZING SAFARI WITH GILMAG
282arushab,,Nov 22, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our safari in September 2024 with Gilmag Safari was the best we ever had-10 day of wildlife in Tarangire , Manyara, Lake Natron, Serengeti and Ngorongoro national park.We had so many close and exiting sighting of many kinds of animals.Our guide Erick not only was an excellent and careful drive, he was also a talking book.He know almost everything about nature, no question remained unanswered.And he always brought as prime position for the animals observation - Leopard , cheetah , Elephant and Zebra .We also saw a Hyena chasing the Gazelle!!!!
A dream come true
Manmicdec356,,Oct 5, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What an amazing experience! Gilmag provided a professional and flawless trip and our driver Nickson was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor! We miss you Nickson!
Great tour guide excellent safari
jiaxig2024,,Aug 9, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.0010/10 for Gilmag Safaris! What an amazing experience! We had an amazing time on our safari through Gilmag Safaris. We had made some last-minute changes to our African journey, emailed Gilmag Safaris and Mary was extremely helpful and responsive on making sure she got us booked and ready to go on a safari. Mary was super helpful and delivered exceptional customer service. She was quick to reply to my emails. Gilmag Safaris arranged everything very well and our transfers and related arrangements went smoothly. The accommodations were excellent and the staff members at the lodge were friendly and helpful. Our guide, Frank was very knowledgeable and the game drives were great. We saw all the big 5 and many other animals. We had a couple of very lucky sightings, including a lion roaming right next to our jeep. It was an incredible experience, beyond my expectations indeed. We had the perfect timing at the Mara River and witnessed two crossings from Serengeti to Maasai Mara. This was quite a spectacular event that we will remember for the rest of our lives. I highly recommend Gilmag Safaris to anyone looking for a trip to Tanzania.
Excellent Big 5 Safari
giuseppecW8156IR,,Oct 27, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked our trip in August 2022 and travelled in October 2024. We had always wanted to experience Tanzania and do "The Big 5" game park stay. I like to give Gilmag Safaris full marks for their professional arrangements and choice of accommodations This was a trip of a lifetime. Lions were everywhere! Each day we saw something new and unexpected including a pack of wild dogs and hundreds of Cape buffalo in one spot. Thanks to our guide, Erick. . All in all many thanks for your arrangements. If you are fortunate enough to be considering a trip to this wonderful country, we don't believe you could do any better than working with Gilmag Safaris and Mary. The trip was definitely worth my money and I would recommend Gilmag Safaris.
The Best Kenya and Tanzania Trip by Gilmag Safaris
sandrabH3170KT,,Sep 13, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My husband and I have had this trip to see the wildebeest migration on our bucket list for some time and we decided to go this year to coincide with our wedding anniversary. From the first interaction with Mary and the Gilmag Safaris team I knew I could trust them with my safari plans. Mary was very prompt at answering many of our questions leading up to the trip. Communication was fantastic with all my requests and changes quickly addressed. They also provided great advice on accommodations and things to do. Gilmag Safaris planned our safari to East Africa and we were certainly in the right areas at the right time. Our itinerary was well designed to maximize time with the migration and related sightings. We flew into the Maasai Mara from Nairobi and all flight connections and transfers to Serengeti were arranged for us and went like clockwork covering Kenya and Tanzania. The Hotels and lodges were beautiful and service second to none. We had some fabulous sightings with Amos and Gilbert - our very experienced tour guides from Kenya and Tanzania. They were excellent at anticipating the animals’ movements to ensure good photos. A million thanks to Gilmag Safaris for making our dreams come true.
Gilmag Safaris delivered The Big 5 on the first day of safari
jaredn860,,Jul 16, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00From the very first interaction with Mary via email and then WhatsApp, she responded to questions almost immediately. She assured me regarding my concerns. The package she created was perfect. The lodges were excellent and the arrangement of where we started and finished was great. We spent seven days with our guide Nickson in Tanzania on safari and he made our trip memorable. He found us all of the Big Five within the first day! The all-inclusive price was incredibly fair. My family greatly liked and enjoyed the excellent services offered by Gilmag Safaris. I would recommend Gilmag Safaris anytime. Their rates and willingness to make sure we got what we wanted was spot on!
Truly Priceless Experience with Gilmag Safaris
923clairh,,Nov 3, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our tour with Gilmag Safaris met all our expectations in every way. FANTASTIC! The booking process was quick and informative and all the pickups and schedules were timely. The accommodation, meals and the soul filling hours on safari in the parks were all truly fabulous! The safari tours were fantastic. With Nickson as our guide saw all the animals except the elusive leopard. I confidently recommend Gilmag Safaris.
It was absolutely a wonderful experience
adelab439,,Oct 27, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My travel partner and I have just returned from a trip which included a safari and visit to Zanzibar. I booked this adventure online with Gilmag Safaris and it went off without a hitch! Our contact person Mary was phenomenal from start to finish. She even booked additional flights to get us across the country to Arusha where our safari began. She really went above and beyond! She was very responsive and always in touch both on email and WhatsApp. Our biggest highlight of safari was Guide Gilbert - reliable guy with excellent knowledge regarding fauna & flora of all parks that we visited. He has more than 15 years experience. We couldn't have asked for a more informative, courteous and friendly person! Our Zanzibar leg of the trip was also wonderful and the beach side resort of Baraza Resort & Spa was fabulous! Thanks to you all at Gilmag Safaris for this wonderful experience. We highly recommend you.
Great Experience At The Right Price
N55KZmegans,,Oct 22, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00During our online search, we contacted 5 different companies. Gilmag Safaris proposed us the best price at the best conditions. To begin with, we had no real expectation when we'd decide holiday to Africa; so it was one of those trips we prepared ourselves not to be surprised if it turned out to be an Average holiday! Well, we were pleasantly surprised to say the least – Tanzania is beautiful, with the most friendliest and polite people on the planet. Vivian did an excellent job to design a tour according our requirements: we wanted during limited time to see the most famous parks, do maximum game drives, see ocean and relax at the beach before departure back home. Our flight landed at 1.55 AM and Nickson met us at the airport. We were really excited when our plane landed at Kilimanjaro; because everybody told us that the most important part for the success of a safari holiday was the guide…… our driver and guide Nickson was awesome, he also had a great sense of humor. We had a private tour for three persons in luxury lodges and Tented Camps in four National Parks before our relaxing holiday in Zanzibar. Everything was well planned. Gilmag Safar is a reliable company that is able to organize for you a good customized safari at the best price. We 100% recommend the company
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