10-Day Great Migration, Culture and Lake Natron Safari

Your safari begins with a pickup in Arusha and a drive west to Lake Manyara National Park, below the Great Rift Valley escarpment.

Manyara packs groundwater forest, open glades, the lake shore and the escarpment into a compact park. On your game drive you may see elephants, giraffes, zebras, baboons, hippos, antelope and a wealth of birds.

It is a gentle first chapter before the route turns remote. In the late afternoon you climb the escarpment to Foot on Africa Safari Lodge, above Mto wa Mbu, with views over the lake.

After breakfast you leave the classic circuit for Lake Natron, one of northern Tanzania's most unusual places. The road runs north through drier Rift Valley country, Maasai land and the shadow of Ol Doinyo Lengai, the active volcano.

Natron is a highly alkaline soda lake, known for its wide views and seasonal flamingos. The value here is not big game but landscape, walking, photography and local guiding in a raw, elemental part of Tanzania.

Depending on arrival time and the heat, you may take a guided walk to the lake shore or the waterfall gorge, or simply rest. You stay at Africa Safari Lake Natron in a Comfort Bungalow facing the lake.

Today is a big travel day: you leave Lake Natron and cross remote country towards the northern Serengeti, entering the park from the north-east.

The north is famous for migration drama in the Mara River season, when the herds gather near the crossing points. Crossings depend on rain, grazing and the animals' own instinct, so they are never guaranteed, but this is where the best seasonal chance lies.

You arrive at Safari Haven Migration Camp, your base for two nights in migration country.

A full day with your private guide, often starting early for the cool air, soft light and active wildlife. Your guide plans the route around the latest herd movement and the tracks.

If the herds are near, you may watch them on the plains or near the river. If they are scattered, the north still has strong resident wildlife: lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, hyenas and hippos.

A packed lunch keeps you out through the best hours. The day is built on patience and good guiding, not on promises.

After breakfast you drive south through changing Serengeti habitats, with game viewing all the way.

Central Serengeti, around Seronera, is one of Tanzania's most reliable wildlife areas, especially for lions, leopards and cheetahs, with permanent water and year-round game.

You spend the night at The African Kongoni Serengeti Safari Camp, a small tented camp where evenings end at the fire-lit boma.

A last morning in the Serengeti, around known predator areas or the rivers, before you leave the plains.

The drive climbs into the cooler Ngorongoro highlands, a very different feel from the open Serengeti.

You spend the night at Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp on the crater rim, ready for an early descent.

After an early breakfast you descend into Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic caldera with one of Africa's highest concentrations of wildlife.

You may see lions, buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, hyenas, elephants and, with luck, a black rhino.

After the crater you drive down to Lake Eyasi and spend the night at Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge, ready for the cultural morning ahead.

The day starts early with a cultural visit around Lake Eyasi, arranged with local community guides. It may include joining the Hadzabe as they hunt and forage, and meeting Datoga families at home or at the smithy.

Photographs only with permission; you follow the day rather than direct it. Lake Eyasi adds a human chapter after many days of wildlife: Tanzania is not only parks.

Afterwards you drive up to Karatu for a quieter afternoon at Farm of Dreams Lodge, in its gardens below the highlands.

After breakfast you head for Tarangire National Park, your last game drive: elephants, baobabs and dry-season wildlife along the Tarangire River.

You may see elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, antelope, lions and rich birdlife, with your guide shaping the drive around the season.

Later you continue to Arusha for your last night at Tulia Boutique Hotel & Spa, with its garden pool and spa.

After breakfast your driver takes you to Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight. With a later flight, we can arrange souvenir shopping, a coffee tour or a short stop in town.

That is the end of your 10-Day Great Migration, Culture and Lake Natron Safari with Warriors of Africa Safari: wildlife, migration, landscapes, culture, the crater and elephant country.