7 Nights April to July Northern Tanzania Western Corridor Wildebeest Migration Safari

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning at the lodge before being transferred to Arusha Airport for your scheduled flight to Manyara Airstrip. On arrival there, you will be met by the lodge’s team and driven to Lake Manyara National Park for a day game drive in this small but attractive park squeezed between the stunning Manyara soda lake and the steep rim of the rift valley.
Lake Manyara National Park is renowned for its unique ecosystems bursting with diverse wildlife. This pocket-sized version of the Serengeti is host to at least 11 different ecosystems, with groundwater forests, floodplains, hot springs and open savannahs.
The majority of the park is covered with a beautiful soda lake which attracts hippos, and an estimated 1.9 million pink flamingo that leverages the shallow alkaline lake for feeding on algae as well as more than 300 other migratory birds.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park surrounded by the magnificent natural scenery of this small but beautiful park.

Proceed with the afternoon game drive. Lake Manyara National Park also boasts one of the world’s highest concentrations of large mammals. You’ll likely spot huge herds of elephants and the famous tree-climbing lions, along with great populations of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, giraffe, warthog, impala and waterbuck.
If you’re keen to spot some primates, keep your eyes peeled for the resident baboon, vervet monkey, common monkey and nocturnal bush babies. The Park is also home to leopards and hyenas, although they are more difficult to spot.
In the late afternoon drive to Manyara’s Secret Lodge your home for the following 2 nights.

Arrive at the lodge and be welcomed by the management team. Check in and settle in your luxury villa and relax after the adventure of the long day.
Once refreshed, step away from your Villa to enjoy spectacular Lake Manyara views, then make your way to the dining area where you will enjoy a delicious three-course dinner prepared by an experienced amazing chef.

Room Type: 1 Bedroom Villa
Meal Plan: Full Board, bottles of water, Full Day 4 x 4 Game Drive, Park Fees

This morning, an early start is best to avoid the later influx of tourists into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the 7 African wonders.
The drive down the into the Crater is an adventure in itself. Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact caldera – an area of spectacular beauty which stands at 2236m above sea level and spans an area of 259 square kilometres and teems with wildlife where pride of lions, herds of cape buffalo, impala, Thompson gazelles, rhino, golden and black-backed jackal, zebra, cheetah, a leopard can all be spotted.
It’s also one of the few places in Africa where you can see all of the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) in a single day, and the conservation area protects Tanzania’s last remaining population of the endangered black rhino.

Apart from its wildlife riches, the crater is also of great archaeological importance, with the remains of some of mankind’s earliest ancestors discovered in the area, it is also home to hundreds of bird species, refreshing in the small lakes found on the crater floor. Enjoy lunch on the crater floor surrounded by wildlife and later depart for your lodge.

On your way back stop and visit the colourful bustling town of Mto Wa Mbu, with its main street wide and always vibrant with people in brightly coloured clothes chatting, laughing and going about their daily activities. This is an opportunity for a Maasai souvenir as there are stalls selling everything from spices to saucepans and oxcarts weave all over the road. In the centre of town, there is a lively market selling fruit and vegetables. It’s a fun place to visit to practice your bargaining aptitude when buying Tinga Tinga paintings, carved wooden ornaments, local scarfs and more.
Arrive back at the lodge, and jump in your private pool to soak off the crater dust. Once refreshed, relax and later join fellow travellers for a pre-drink dinner at the bar and later dinner after which it is time to swamp wildlife stories and make new friends.

Room Type: 1 Bedroom Villa
Meal Plan: Full Board, bottles of water, Crater and Mto Wa Mbu visits

This morning after a delicious breakfast, enjoy a game drive transfer on your way back to Manyara Airstrip, for your scheduled flight to Africa’s most famous park, the Serengeti!
On arrival at Grumeti Airstrip, you will be welcomed by the camp’s team and transferred to
Mbalageti Serengeti Tented, considered as the best location from which to explore the Western Corridor and Grumeti Game Reserve.

The Western Corridor, or Serengeti West, is a stretch of land following the course of the Grumeti River from Serengeti Central for about 100 kilometres out towards Lake Victoria.

A pair of rivers, the Grumeti River and Mbalageti River, is the dominant geographic feature of the Western Corridor. These rivers run more or less parallel in a westerly direction, about 20 kilometres apart from each other. Both the Grumeti and Mbalageti rivers support substantial chunks of riverine forests before emptying into Lake Victoria. Also, a few minor mountain ranges are found in the area. The Western Corridor is an aesthetically pleasing portion of the park and supports a sizeable spectrum of resident wildlife throughout the year.

The busiest period in terms of visitors is the May-July period which coincides with the Great Migration passing through the Western Corridor on their trek to the north. While the crossing of the Grumeti River may be lesser known compared to its northern counterpart – the crossing of the Mara River, but offers sightings just as exhilarating with the added benefit of fewer fellow visitors at the crossings. The Grumeti River is the first enormous obstacle for the herds to tackle.
The narrow stretch of land comprising the Western Corridor is flatter than the more northerly parts of Serengeti National Park and is made of savanna, woodlands, floodplains and riverine forests which are home to a great diversity of year-round wildlife, including elephant, giraffe, hippo, giant Nile crocodiles, rare Colobus monkeys.

Room Type: Tented Chalet
Meal Plan: Full Board, Full Day or 2 half days game drive daily, bottles of water, Road Transfer from Grumeti Airstrip.

Mbalageti Serengeti Tented is set in the west of the Serengeti National Park, close to the Mbalageti River Valley, the Lower Grumeti Woodlands and the Rumania Plains making this a magnificent spot for exploring the area.
When you arrive at the camp, you will be greeted and taken to the welcome centre before being led to the main lounge to relax – enjoy welcome drinks. After your orientation, you can enjoy the comforts of the main lodge that is set to the north of the hill.

During your stay, head out on a game drive where you will explore the Serengeti’s western corridor and the central Serengeti. Have the chance to witness the wonder of the Great Migration of wildebeests and zebras as they head to new breeding grounds. Your expert guide will take you to the hotspots for wildlife activity and teach you all about the local knowledge of the herds. You may even get to see lions, cheetahs, and perhaps even the elusive leopard. For an additional price, you can enjoy bush walks and balloon safaris. Head out on foot and explore the bush like the animals, learn about medicinal plants, how to track and even build a fire. You will have the chance to get up close with the wildlife, all with the help of your expert guide. Or why not soar in the sky amongst the birds and look down at the travelling herds and hunting predators before you set down for a delicious bush breakfast?
Plan your wonderful days experiencing the beauty of the wild with your lodge manager and ranger. Enjoy twice-daily game drives, with beautiful sunrise and sundowner stops or take a full-day game drive and relish a scrumptious picnic.

Room Type: Tented Chalet
Meal Plan: Full Board, Full Day or 2 half days game drive daily, bottles of water, Road Transfer from Grumeti Airstrip.

This morning your epic Western Corridor Wildebeest safari comes to an end with a last morning game drive transfer back to Grumeti airstrip where you will connect with your scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro for your onward flight back home.