# The Best Great Migration Safari Packages for 2026/27, Month by Month

*Where the herds are in every month of the year, which camp puts you in the right place, and six real migration safaris from US$2,400 per person.*

*Published: 2026-11-01*

> **Quick answer:** The best Great Migration safari is the one that matches your travel month. Go to Ndutu in the southern Serengeti from late January to February for the calving and the predators that follow it. Choose the central and western Serengeti from April to June. For the famous river crossings, book the northern Serengeti or Kenya's Masai Mara between July and October. In November and December the herds drift back south. Our migration packages start at US$2,400 per person for five nights in the crossing zone.

The first thing you notice is not the sight of them. It is the sound. A low, endless grunting, like a thousand frogs in a pond, rolling across the grass before you even reach the top of the rise. Then the vehicle crests the hill, and the plain below is moving. Not dotted with animals. Moving, from your feet to the horizon, a slow brown river of wildebeest and zebra that does not seem to end.

We have taken people to see the Great Migration who have been on twenty safaris, and they still go quiet at that moment. It is the biggest movement of land mammals left on earth, around one and a half million wildebeest with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, circling between Tanzania and Kenya in search of rain and fresh grass.

But here is the thing nobody tells you clearly enough. The migration is not an event. It is a year-long journey, and it is always somewhere different. Book the right camp in the wrong month and you can spend four days looking at empty grass. So this guide is built around the calendar. Pick your month, and we will show you where the herds should be and the package that puts you there.

> **How we quote prices:** Prices are per person sharing, in US dollars, and are the "from" rates in our published packages at the time of writing. Peak months cost more, and we confirm everything when we quote.

## The Migration Calendar at a Glance

| Months | Where the herds usually are | What you see | Our package |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| January to March | Ndutu and the southern Serengeti | Calving, newborns, big cats hunting | Calving Season, Ndutu |
| April to May | Moving through the central Serengeti | Long rains, huge columns on the move, very few vehicles | Serengeti Migration Loop |
| June | Western Corridor and Grumeti River | The rut, the first river crossings, Grumeti crocodiles | Serengeti Migration Loop |
| July to October | Northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara | Mara River crossings | 5-Day Express, River Crossing, Mara Balloon |
| November to December | Heading south through the eastern Serengeti | Herds on the move after the short rains | Serengeti Migration Fly-In |

A word of honesty before we go on. Nature does not read calendars. A late rainy season can hold the herds in one place for weeks, and an early one can send them south before you arrive. That is exactly why we keep checking with guides on the ground in the weeks before you travel, and why some of our trips choose the camp around the herds rather than the other way round.

## January to March: Calving Season in Ndutu

If you asked us for our favourite migration month, we would probably say February. Not the crossings. The calving.

Every year the herds return to the short-grass plains around Ndutu, on the border of the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The grass here grows on old volcanic soil and is rich in minerals, exactly what a pregnant wildebeest needs. And then, over a few short weeks, they give birth. Up to eight thousand calves a day at the peak.

A wildebeest calf is on its feet within minutes and running with its mother soon after. It has to be, because the plains are full of lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal, and they know exactly what time of year it is. We have watched a cheetah mother teach two cubs to hunt here, the whole thing unfolding a few hundred metres from the vehicle, and nobody in the car said a word for twenty minutes.

The great advantage of Ndutu is freedom. Off-road driving is permitted in the conservation area, which means your guide can follow the action rather than watching it from a road. Add a day in the Ngorongoro Crater and you have one of the finest safaris in Africa.

![Zebra and hippo sharing the water on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. Photo: Mario Falcetti, CC BY 4.0](/images/destinations/parks/ngorongoro-hippo-zebra.webp)

> **package great-migration-safari-calving:** Five nights at Ndutu Safari Lodge in the heart of the calving grounds, with full-day game drives and a day in the Ngorongoro Crater, from US$2,800 per person.

## April to June: The Long Walk North and the Western Corridor

April and May are the long rains, and a lot of camps close. The ones that stay open are quiet, green and very good value, and the herds are on the move through the central Serengeti in long columns that can stretch for kilometres. You trade a few afternoon downpours for a sense of having the whole place to yourself.

By June, the herds start splitting. Some go north, but a large part heads west into the Western Corridor, where the Grumeti River waits. This is rutting season. The bulls are noisy, territorial and slightly ridiculous, chasing each other in circles while the females graze. The Grumeti crossings are smaller than the Mara River crossings, but the crocodiles here are some of the largest in Africa, and they have been waiting all year.

The best way to see this part of the year is to move with the herds. Our Serengeti loop does exactly that, with a mobile camp in the central plains, a dawn balloon flight, the Western Corridor, a push north and a final night on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

![A hot-air balloon flying low over the Serengeti plains at sunrise. Photo: Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0](/images/destinations/parks/serengeti-balloon.webp)

> **package great-migration-safari-serengeti-loop:** Seven nights across the central, western and northern Serengeti, with a champagne balloon flight at dawn and a night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim, from US$3,400 per person.

## July to October: The River Crossings

This is the part everyone has seen on television, and nothing on a screen prepares you for it.

The herds reach the Mara River in the northern Serengeti and Kenya's Masai Mara. They bunch up on the bank in their thousands. They wait. They argue. One animal steps forward, thinks better of it, and steps back. Your guide switches off the engine and tells you, quietly, to be patient. Sometimes nothing happens for hours. And then one wildebeest jumps, and the rest follow in a roaring, dusty, splashing rush, with crocodiles sliding off the far bank and the noise so loud you can feel it in your chest.

There are two ways to see it, and they are both excellent.

**The northern Serengeti, Tanzania.** Wild, remote and less crowded than the Kenyan side, particularly around Kogatende and the Lamai Wedge. You fly in from Arusha, so you lose no days on the road. A camp right in the crossing zone means you can be at the river at first light and back there in the afternoon without long drives.

![A male lion walking through long grass on the Serengeti plains. Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0](/images/destinations/parks/serengeti-lion.webp)

> **package great-migration-safari-5day-express:** Five nights at a tented camp in the Kogatende crossing zone of the northern Serengeti, with charter flights from Arusha and full-day game drives, from US$2,400 per person.

**The Masai Mara, Kenya.** Smaller than the Serengeti, so the herds are packed in tightly when they arrive, and the Mara has superb year-round big cats. The catch is that the main reserve can get busy at the famous crossing points. We get around that with camps in the private conservancies and concessions, where vehicle numbers are limited and you can drive off-road.

> **package great-migration-safari-crossing:** Six nights at Governors' Il Moran Camp beside the Mara River, with private game drives, a sunrise balloon flight and a night drive, from US$4,200 per person.

If you are deciding between the two countries, our [Kenya vs Tanzania safari guide](/blogs/kenya-vs-tanzania-safari/) goes into it properly, and our [Masai Mara safari cost guide](/blogs/masai-mara-safari-cost/) explains the park fees and what really drives the price.

## November and December: The Herds Head South

When the short rains arrive in late October or November, the herds leave the Mara and begin the long walk back south through the eastern Serengeti and Loliondo, towards the Ndutu plains where the whole cycle starts again. This is the hardest time to predict, because the herds are spread out and moving quickly.

It is also one of the most underrated. Prices soften, the grass turns green almost overnight and you see very few other vehicles. The trick is flexibility. Our fly-in trip chooses its two camps around the expected position of the herds for your exact dates, and agrees them with you before you book, so you are never locked into the wrong corner of the park.

> **package serengeti-migration-fly-in:** Six nights split between two seasonal tented camps chosen for your travel dates, with a private vehicle and guide and flights from Arusha, from US$6,500 per person.

## For a Special Occasion: The Mara in Style

If this is a milestone trip, there is one more we would point you to. Olderkesi is a private conservancy on the southern edge of the Masai Mara, bordering the Serengeti, and the 1920s-style camp there feels like stepping into an old safari photograph, with canvas, brass and a fire every night. You have your own vehicle and guide, two balloon flights over the plains and permission to walk and drive at night, which the main reserve does not allow. During the crossing months, the herds pass close by.

> **package mara-balloon-luxury:** Six nights at Cottar's 1920s Camp in the private Olderkesi Conservancy, with a private vehicle, two balloon flights and guided walks, from US$8,400 per person.

## All Six Migration Safaris Side by Side

| Package | Best months | Where | Nights | From |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5-Day Migration Express | July to October | Northern Serengeti | 5 | US$2,400 pp |
| Calving Season, Ndutu | January to March | Southern Serengeti | 5 | US$2,800 pp |
| Serengeti Migration Loop | May to July | Central, western and northern Serengeti | 7 | US$3,400 pp |
| River Crossing, Masai Mara | July to October | Private concession, Kenya | 6 | US$4,200 pp |
| Serengeti Migration Fly-In | Chosen for your dates | Two seasonal camps | 6 | US$6,500 pp |
| Mara Balloon & Big Cats | July to October for the herds | Olderkesi Conservancy, Kenya | 6 | US$8,400 pp |

## How to Choose the Right Migration Safari

**Start with your month, not the package.** If you can only travel in April, a crossing trip makes no sense. If your heart is set on the river, plan around August.

**Stay in one place longer.** The herds come to you if your camp is in the right area. Three or four nights in the right camp beats a night here and a night there.

**Fly when it saves days.** The Serengeti is enormous. Driving from Arusha to the northern Serengeti takes the best part of two days each way. A light aircraft gets you there before lunch.

**Choose concessions and conservancies in the busy months.** Fewer vehicles, off-road driving where it is permitted, and night drives and walks in some areas. In August, that makes a real difference.

**Be patient at the river.** The people who see the best crossings are the ones who pack lunch and wait. A good guide will read the herd and tell you when it is worth staying.

> The herds do not keep appointments. Choose the right month, the right camp and a patient guide, and they will give you something you talk about for the rest of your life.

## Plan Your Migration Safari with Us

Tell us when you can travel and what you most want to see: a newborn calf taking its first steps, perhaps, or a wall of wildebeest leaping into the Mara. We will tell you honestly where the herds should be, which camp we would choose ourselves, and if your dates are the right ones. If they are not, we will say so.

For the bigger picture, our [Great Migration safari page](/safari-experiences/great-migration-safari/) explains how the whole cycle works, and our guides to the [Serengeti](/destinations/serengeti-national-park/) and the [Masai Mara](/destinations/masai-mara/) cover the camps, the parks and everything in between.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best month to see the Great Migration?

It depends on what you want to see. February is the best month for the calving in Ndutu, with thousands of calves born every day and lion, cheetah and hyena close behind. August and September are the best months for Mara River crossings, in the northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara. If you can only choose one, we lean towards February for drama on the plains and fewer vehicles, and August for the crossings.

### How much does a Great Migration safari cost?

Our Great Migration safaris start at US$2,400 per person sharing for five nights in the northern Serengeti, including charter flights from Arusha. A calving safari in Ndutu is from US$2,800 for five nights, a full Serengeti circuit from US$3,400 for seven nights, and a Mara River crossing trip in a private Kenyan concession from US$4,200 for six nights. International flights, visas and gratuities are extra.

### Is the Great Migration better in Kenya or Tanzania?

Tanzania hosts the herds for most of the year, roughly ten months, including the calving season. Kenya's Masai Mara has them from about July to October, in a smaller area, so the density can be extraordinary. For the crossings alone, both are excellent. For any month outside July to October, it has to be Tanzania. Our Kenya vs Tanzania guide compares the two in detail.

### Can you guarantee a river crossing?

No, and nobody honestly can. The herds gather on the bank, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, and then cross in a rush or turn away. What we can do is put you in a camp close to the busiest crossing points, with a guide who will wait patiently, and give you enough days to improve your odds. Three full days near the river is the minimum we recommend.

### How many days do I need for a migration safari?

Five or six nights is ideal. Fewer than four and you spend too much of your trip travelling. A focused five-night trip in one camp near the herds is better than a rushed tour of four parks. If you want the Ngorongoro Crater too, add one or two nights.

### When should I book a Great Migration safari for 2026 or 2027?

As early as you can, especially for July to September. The camps nearest the Mara River are small and the best ones fill nine to twelve months ahead. Calving season in February is a little easier, but the good Ndutu camps are still worth securing six months out.