A dense herd of wildebeest moving across open Serengeti grassland to the horizon.

Migration

Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari

The Mara River crossings in the far north, in the July-to-October window when they happen. Mobile tented camp on the riverbank, and a balloon flight that shows you the scale of it from above.

Request a quote See the itinerary

Duration8 days / 7 nights

RouteNorthern Serengeti · Kogatende · Mara River

PaceGentle to moderate

Best monthsJuly to October, which is when the…

FromOn request

Eight days in the far northern Serengeti in the season when the herds cross the Mara River. Mobile tented camp within reach of the crossing points, and a balloon flight that shows you the scale of it from above.

Best months. July to October, which is when the crossings happen in most years. Outside that window this journey does not run.

Pace. Gentle to moderate. Long days in the vehicle, some of them waiting.

Who this journey suits

A river crossing is the specific thing you want to see.

You can accept that it might not happen, and still want to go.

You can travel in July, August, September or early October.

You would rather be in a small mobile camp near the river than a lodge an hour away.

Highlights

Four nights in the far north, which is what it takes to give a crossing a real chance
A balloon flight over the herds, which is the only way to see the scale
Lamai and Kogatende, the two sides of the river, with permits to work both
Two nights in the central Serengeti first, so the trip is not a single gamble
Resident game in the north, which is excellent regardless of the wildebeest

Route

Stops on Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari
Stop	Nights	Why
Central Serengeti	2 nights	Resident cats and the balloon, before the north.
Northern Serengeti (Kogatende / Lamai)	4 nights	The river, and the waiting.
Ngorongoro	1 night	Rim, and the crater floor on the way out.

How the journey flows

Every point below is a real place at its real coordinates. The coastline is simplified — this is a route diagram, not a survey map.

Light aircraft
Private 4×4

In order

Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Arrive
SerengetiLight aircraft
Kogatende, northern SerengetiLight aircraft
Ngorongoro CraterLight aircraft
Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Private 4×4

Flights and bush aviation

If you have not flown in a twelve-seat aircraft off a grass strip before, this is the part worth reading twice.

Flight sectors on this journey
Sector	In the air	Aircraft	Note
Kilimanjaro (JRO) → Central Serengeti	about 90 min	Light aircraft	—
Central Serengeti → Kogatende, far north	about 40 min	Light aircraft	Kogatende is the strip for the Mara River crossing area.
Kogatende → Ngorongoro-area strip	about 60 min	Light aircraft	—

What to expect either end

Aviation practicalities
Luggage	One soft bag of about 15 kg (33 lb) plus a small day bag on bush sectors. Soft is a requirement, not a preference — the baggage compartments are shaped, not boxes, and a hard case will not go in. The allowance is set by the operating carrier and we verify it for your sectors before you pack. Subject to confirmation.
Where a hard case goes	Into store in Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, and back to you at the end. Routine and included.
Boarding	A short ladder or a step onto the wing. Assistance is routine and manual: no aisle chair, no ambulift, no jet bridge. A powered wheelchair needs a separate conversation about weight, battery type and cargo-door size.
Delays and weather	Normal, especially in the rains. We never connect a bush strip to a same-day international departure, and nor should anybody else.
Weights	Operators ask for each passenger's weight before the flight. It is a load sheet calculation, not an indignity, and it is not optional.
The operator	Flights are flown by carriers licensed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority. We have no contracted carrier yet, so no operator is named on this site. The operator for your sectors is named in your written proposal, before you pay.

No airline is named on this site. Several carriers fly these routes under Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority licences, and we have no contracted relationship with any of them yet. Naming one here would imply a partnership that does not exist. The operator for your sectors is named in your written proposal, before you pay anything. (subject to confirmation)

Day by day

A starting point. Every day here can be moved, shortened or removed — open one to read what it holds.

Day1 Arrive and fly in WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals LD
Met at Kilimanjaro and onto a light aircraft to the central Serengeti. Afternoon drive from camp.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day2 Central Serengeti, and the balloon WhereSerengeti OvernightTented camp Meals BLD
Balloon at dawn over the central plains, breakfast on the ground, back for the heat, out again at four.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day3 North to the river WhereNorthern Serengeti OvernightMobile tented camp Meals BLD
A 40-minute hop north to Kogatende, or a long game drive if you would rather see the country change. Camp is within reach of several crossing points.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day4 The river WhereNorthern Serengeti OvernightMobile tented camp Meals BLD
Out early with a packed breakfast and no fixed plan. Your guide reads where the herds are massing and you wait. Some days this is three hours of nothing; some days it is the thing you came for.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day5 The river again WhereNorthern Serengeti OvernightMobile tented camp Meals BLD
The same, and the reason four nights rather than two. The crossings are unpredictable day to day and the odds compound.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day6 Lamai and the north WhereNorthern Serengeti OvernightMobile tented camp Meals BLD
Across to the northern bank if the permits and the herds suit. Resident lion, elephant and giraffe here are excellent and almost unvisited outside the season.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Day7 South to the crater WhereNgorongoro OvernightRim lodge Meals BLD
Fly south and up to the rim, about an hour in the air plus the drive. Cold after dark at 2,300 m.
Where you would sleep this night

Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.
- No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
- Mobile tented campSix to ten tents. Canvas on bare ground, with a camp bed and a bedside table.
- Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
Day8 The crater floor, then home WhereNgorongoro → Kilimanjaro Overnight— Meals BL

Down at first light for the floor, up by early afternoon, about four hours to the airport.

The places this journey goes

One photograph for each place on the route, in the order you reach them.

These are licensed photographs of the places themselves, credited on our photography credits page. They are not photographs of a Montero departure, vehicle or camp — we have not run this journey yet, and a gallery that implied otherwise would be worth nothing to you.

Where you would stay

Open any of these for rooms, power hours, hot water, Wi-Fi and the honest access position.

What it costs

Price on request — this is peak season and camps are limited. No price on this site has been approved, and nothing here is a quotation.

No price is published for this journey. It is quoted on your dates, the size of your party, how much of it you fly, and the standard of camp — and those four move the figure by a very large margin. Rather than print a range nobody has stood behind, we will build you a written, itemised quotation. It is free, and it is not a booking.

All quotations are per person sharing, in US dollars, and exclude international flights. A single traveller pays more and a larger group pays less per head. See what it costs for where the money actually goes.

What moves the price: season, how many of you there are, whether you fly or drive the long sectors, and the standard of camp. A single traveller pays more; we will say how much before you ask twice.

Access and comfort

Each line is either confirmed by our own measurement or it is not. “On request” means we will plan and cost it and nobody has measured it yet.

Access provision on Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari
Provision	Status	Detail
Mobile camps	Partial	Canvas on bare ground with guy ropes, tent pegs and uneven approaches. Honestly, these are the hardest camps on the whole site for anyone with limited mobility.
Step-free route to bed	Not offered	Not available at a mobile camp. We will say so rather than find a form of words.
Light-aircraft boarding	Partial	Ladder or wing step; assistance is manual.
Seated river watching	On request	The waiting is done in the vehicle, which suits some people better than walking safaris would.
Accessible toilets at the river	Not offered	There are none. The day is planned around that fact.

We do not ask for a diagnosis — only for what you need. How we plan accessible journeys.

The detail

What is covered, what it involves on the ground, and the changes people most often ask for. Open whichever you need.

What is included, and what is not

Included

Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional English-speaking driver-guide, for your party alone

Accommodation as described, on a full-board basis

All park, conservation and concession fees

Airport and airstrip transfers, met at the aircraft rather than at the kerb

Bottled drinking water in the vehicle

24-hour local support while you are in the country

All light-aircraft sectors

The balloon flight, weather permitting

Ngorongoro Crater descent permit

Packed breakfasts and lunches on the river days

Not included

A second balloon attempt if the first is weathered off

International flights, visas and travel insurance

Tips, premium drinks and personal expenses

Optional activities such as a balloon flight, unless listed above

Emergency medical evacuation cover — strongly recommended, and not something we currently provide

Practical detail

Practical detail for Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari
Nothing is guaranteed	Not the crossing, not the date, not the location. Four nights gives you a good chance and not a certainty. Anybody promising more is guessing with your money.
Peak season	July to October is the most expensive and most heavily booked window of the Tanzanian year. Far-north camps are small and go six to nine months ahead.
Crowds	A crossing can draw thirty vehicles. Private concessions and the northern bank are the two ways round it, and both cost more.
Mobile camps	Simple by design: limited power, no plumbing beyond the bucket shower, and no wifi. That is the trade for being near the river.
Price	Not set. Peak-season pricing moves sharply; quoted on your dates.

Ways to personalise this journey

The changes people actually ask for, with what each one does to the shape of the trip. Prices for these are quoted in your proposal, not here.

A fifth night in the northThe single change that most improves your odds.

Private concession on the northern bankFar fewer vehicles at a sighting, at a higher nightly rate.

Private photographic vehicleDrop-down sides and beanbags for the riverbank.

This itinerary is a draft. It is written to real logistics but has not yet been checked by a guide who works this circuit, and no price here has been approved. Treat every figure as indicative until we confirm it in writing.

Questions about this journey

What are the actual chances of seeing a crossing?

With four nights in the right place in August or September, good — but we are not going to put a percentage on it, because nobody honest can. We have had guests see three in a week and guests see none.

Why not just go for two nights?

Because the crossings are not daily and not scheduled. Two nights is a coin toss; four is a reasonable bet. If you only have two, come for the resident game and treat a crossing as a bonus.

Is it upsetting to watch?

It can be. Animals drown, and crocodiles take them. Some people find it harder than they expected. It is worth knowing in advance.

If this one is not quite it

Journeys that share a region or a style with this one, and the background reading for the places on the route.

Wildlife Classic Northern Circuit & Sunrise Ballooning 7 days / 6 nights · Tarangire · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro After dark Stargazing & Serengeti Night Bush Safari 6 days / 5 nights · Private concessions bordering the Serengeti Lake & plains Lake Victoria & Western Serengeti Water Explorer 7 days / 6 nights · Western Serengeti · Grumeti · Speke Gulf · Lake Victoria

Destination guides

Serengeti

Ways to travel

Wildlife safaris

Price

On request

Quoted on your dates, party size and camp standard

8 days / 7 nights
Private, your party only
No payment to enquire

Request a custom quote

Build an estimate dates, party, standard

Prices by season and group size

Free and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. A quote is not a booking — nothing is charged until you accept a written proposal.

Tell us what you have in mind.

One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.

Plan your journey Or send a quick enquiry

Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.

Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari

Who this journey suits

Highlights

Route