6-Day Mara River Crossing Safari
A 6-day Great Migration safari from Arusha with two nights near the Mara River in the northern Serengeti during the crossing season (usually July to October), plus the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara.
Every year, usually between July and October, the great herds of the Serengeti reach the Mara River in the far north of the park and have to cross it to reach fresh grazing. This six-day safari puts you there for two nights in a tented camp close to the herds, then carries on through central Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, so you see the best of the Northern Circuit around the crossings.
Highlights
- Wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara River
- Two nights in a tented camp close to the herds
- Big cats on the plains of central Serengeti
- A full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Elephants of Tarangire and the lakeshore of Manyara
Your driver-guide collects you in Arusha in the morning and heads west across the Rift Valley to Tarangire, known for its big elephant herds and ancient baobab trees. In the dry season, which is the crossing season, animals gather along the Tarangire River, so game viewing is usually excellent. After a picnic lunch in the park and an afternoon game drive, you continue to your lodge in the green highlands around Karatu.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: lodge in Karatu.
This is the longest day of the trip and it is worth it. You climb past the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, cross the Serengeti plains through the central Seronera area, and keep driving north towards the Mara River, game viewing all the way. With stops, expect roughly 8–10 hours on the road. You arrive at a tented camp placed close to where the herds are gathering, and spend the evening by the campfire listening to the bush.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: mobile tented camp in northern Serengeti.
A full day in the north of the Serengeti, a landscape of rolling hills, rocky outcrops and forest along the river. Your guide positions the vehicle along the Mara River where the herds are massing. When the moment comes, thousands of wildebeest and zebra plunge down the banks and swim for the far side while Nile crocodiles wait in the water and lions and hyenas watch from the banks. Crossings can happen at any time of day, so lunch is a picnic out in the field and you stay with the herds.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: mobile tented camp in northern Serengeti.
After an early breakfast you drive back south, game viewing along the way, to the Seronera area of central Serengeti. Its open plains and granite kopjes are some of the best places in Africa to see lion, leopard and cheetah, and there is time in the afternoon to search for them.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: tented camp in central Serengeti.
You leave the Serengeti early and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then descend about 600 metres to the crater floor. The open grassland makes animals easy to see: black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and flamingos on the soda lake. Lunch is a picnic on the crater floor. In the afternoon you climb back up to the rim and drive to your lodge in Karatu.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: lodge in Karatu.
A drive of under an hour brings you to Lake Manyara National Park, below the steep wall of the Rift Valley escarpment. Its groundwater forest, woodland and lakeshore hold elephants, baboons, hippos and, when conditions are right, flamingos and pelicans. After a picnic lunch you drive back to Arusha, where the trip ends at your hotel or at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. No overnight.
Price Per Person, By Service Tier
| Service Tier | 1 Guest | 2 Guests | 3 Guests | 4 Guests | 5 Guests | 6 Guests | 7 Guests | 8 Guests | 9 Guests | 10 Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-RangeComfort Lodges | $4,035 | $3,630 | $3,350 | $3,065 | $2,970 | $2,880 | $2,970 | $3,065 | $3,010 | $2,955 |
| LuxuryPremium Camps | $6,065 | $5,455 | $5,170 | $4,890 | $4,800 | $4,705 | $4,800 | $4,890 | $4,835 | $4,780 |
| ExclusiveSignature | $11,660 | $10,485 | $10,200 | $9,920 | $9,830 | $9,735 | $9,830 | $9,920 | $9,780 | $9,640 |
Price per person in US dollars, based on your service tier and the number of guests travelling together.
Includes
- Private 4x4 Land Cruiser safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All park and conservation fees for non-residents
- 5 nights' accommodation as listed
- Meals as listed in the itinerary
- Drinking water throughout
- Arrival and departure airport transfers
Excludes
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips for the guide
- Hot-air balloon safari (optional)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the safari
- Tanzania's compulsory inbound travel insurance for foreign visitors (44 US dollars per person, from 1 October 2026)
- Any government increase in park fees or taxes after booking
