This is 8 day safari route is a good example of an itinerary that should be followed in July in the Serengeti. It includes visits to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the western and northern Serengeti for the great wildebeest migration. It is preferable to include both the western Serengeti (the Grumeti) and the remote northern Serengeti to ensure you catch the migration in one of these areas. Due to weather conditions, the migration may be in either or both these locations.
Day 1: Arrive and overnight in Arusha. Most people arrive on a later evening flight into Kilimanjaro International Airport. The KLM flight via Amsterdam is very convenient. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Arusha.
Day 2: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Lake Manyara National Park. This is about a 2 hour drive on good tarred road. Spend the rest of the day on a game drive in Lake Manyara. Lunch is in the form of a picnic while on the game drive.
Late afternoon, drive to Gibb's Farm or Plantation Lodge on the outer slopes of Ngorongoro Crater. This drive is less than an hour. Check in and go for an optional walk around the farm's coffee plantation.
Day 3: Breakfast and an optional walking into the Ngorongoro Crater Forests that border the farm.
Drive to Ngorongoro Crater and descend into the crater floor for some superb game viewing. In the evening, return to Gibb's Farm (or Plantation Lodge).
Day 4: After breakfast, fly to the western Serengeti and the Grumeti River.
Your choice of lodging includes mobile tented camps (from basic to ultra luxury) and permanent safari lodges. The mobile camps are mostly set up in private campsites. The private campsites ensure the camp has exclusive use of the campsite and allows for complete privacy, away from the main tourists.
The luxury lodges close to the Grumeti River include:
Grumeti River Camp, Sabora Plains Camp, Sasakwa Lodge; Faru Faru Lodge.
Some mobile tented camps include:
Serengeti Safari Camps, Mobile Safari Camps, Tanzania under Canvas
There are also a few less expensive mobile camps that can be used.
Day 5: Full day in the Serengeti on a game drive. Overnight in the same camp as day 4.
Day 6: Fly or drive to the remote northern Serengeti. The wildebeest migration should be moving north from the Grumeti Reserve through Ikorongo towards the Mara River. From here they will cross into the Masai Mara National Park. Unfortunately, at the moment, it is not possible to follow the migration across the border between the Serengeti (Tanzania) and the Masai Mara (Kenya).
The Northern section of the Serengeti is wildly beautiful and refreshingly green with rolling hills undulating towards Kenya. It is not very widely visited and this gives guests that do make the journey, exclusive access to the area. There are also only a handful of mobile camps that are set up in this area.
The private camps in the northern Serengeti include: Sayari Camp
Day 7: Full day game viewing. Find and follow the migration.
Day 8: Fly back to Arusha from one of the airstrips in the Northern Serengeti.