Serengeti Safari Packages8 Day Serengeti Migration Safari
This 8 day Serengeti migration safari is a private mid-range trip from Arusha run by Lion King Adventures and sold on Viator. It costs $4,257 per person and holds a 5.0 score from 316 reviews. The itinerary covers Tarangire National Park, the southern and northern Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, with two nights at Heritage Mara Camp in the north for the Mara River. Park fees, taxes, VAT, all accommodation and most meals are in the price. This page sets out what the money buys, what it leaves out, how the days run and which travellers should pick a different listing from the Serengeti safari packages on Serengeti safari packages.
About This Tour
Lion King Adventures sells this as a private 8-day mid-range safari for 2 to 6 adults per booking, led by a professional driver-guide. It starts with airport pickup in Arusha and runs through four parks: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. Two nights sit in the northern Serengeti near the Mara River, where the listing says the migration is usually found at this time of year. The animals and the rain decide whether a crossing happens, and the listing makes no promise of one.
You sleep in mid-range lodges and camps for all 7 nights: Arusha Planet Lodge, Eileen's Trees Inn in Karatu twice, Land of Nature Camp twice and Heritage Mara Camp for 2 nights. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, with picnic lunches in the parks, though day 1 carries breakfast only. Booking languages are English, German, Italian, French and Spanish.
$4,257 per person, with park fees, all taxes and VAT, all accommodation and most meals listed as included
8 days and 7 nights, all by road from Arusha
Arusha, with airport pickup by a Lion King representative on day 1
Arusha Planet Lodge, Eileen's Trees Inn in Karatu, Land of Nature Camp in the central Serengeti and 2 nights at Heritage Mara Camp in the northern Serengeti
International flights, extra accommodation before and after the tour and tips are excluded. The listing states no other paid extras
Free cancellation 24 hours before departure for a full refund
Check Dates and Availability
Departure times are shown when you check a date. The listing takes 2 to 6 adults per booking and infants sit on an adult's lap.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
This 8 day Serengeti migration safari costs $4,257 per person for 7 nights in mid-range lodges and camps, with park fees, taxes and VAT included. It is a private road trip for 2 to 6 adults from Arusha.
Key takeaways
- Two nights sit at Heritage Mara Camp in the northern Serengeti for the Mara River, with no guarantee of a crossing
- Flights, tips and hotel nights before and after are extra, as the price breakdown sets out
- The booking age band is 18 to 64, so families with teenagers should look at the 4-day mid-range safari
- On a shorter budget, the 5-day camping safari covers three parks for a fraction of the cost
What the Price Actually Covers
The listing on Viator is clear about its inclusions and exclusions. Here is how the $4,257 per person reads line by line, and what you still pay separately.
In the Price, Out of the Price
The inclusions list covers all taxes and VAT, breakfast, lunch and dinner, park fees, all accommodation and a professional driver-guide. Day 1 is the exception on food, since it carries breakfast only. The exclusions are international flights, additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour, and tips. The listing states no paid extras beyond that, so the main gap between the tour price and your total bill is your flights, your tips and any nights in Arusha you add at either end.
Tips are excluded. Tanzania Specialist suggests 10 USD per day per person in your group for the driver-guide, while Duma Explorer suggests 50 USD per vehicle per day shared among passengers. Duma Explorer also suggests 10 to 15 USD per guest per day for lodge and camp staff through a communal tip box. A single-entry tourist visa is listed at $50 and valid up to 90 days, though US passport holders are reported to pay $100 for a mandatory multiple-entry visa. Travel insurance is not mentioned by the listing, so arrange your own.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tour price | Yes | $4,257 per person, private, 2 to 6 adults per booking |
| Park fees, taxes and VAT | Yes | Listed as included |
| 7 nights accommodation | Yes | Mid-range lodges and camps throughout |
| Meals | Yes | Breakfast, lunch and dinner, picnic lunches in the parks. Day 1 has breakfast only |
| Professional driver-guide | Yes | Languages offered include English, German, Italian, French and Spanish |
| International flights | No | Excluded, book your own |
| Hotel nights before and after | No | Excluded, add nights in Arusha yourself |
| Tips | No | Excluded, budget for the guide and camp staff |
| Visa | No | Single-entry listed at $50, US passport holders reported at $100 for a multiple-entry visa |
| Balloon flight | No | Not part of this itinerary |
How It Sits Against Other Listings
SafariFind and Duma Explorer put mid-range lodge safaris in Tanzania at $450 to $800 per day. The 10-day migration safari goes longer and more luxurious at $7,112.83 per person, but its flight to the northern Serengeti is not included and must be booked in advance. The Mara River Crossing Safari is a 6-day alternative at $3,763 per person with 3 nights in mobile camps that follow the herds, which suits travellers who care more about the migration than about four parks.
The Grumeti River winding through woodland, seen from above. Photo: Calle v H, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route Day by Day
The listing lays out eight days, all by road, from the airport pickup in Arusha to the Lake Manyara drive on the final morning. The long drives are the trade for covering four parks in eight days.
Eight Days, Four Parks
Day 1 is arrival only, with an airport transfer to Arusha Planet Lodge. Day 2 is the roughly two and a half hour tarmac drive to Tarangire National Park, a picnic lunch inside the park, then on to Eileen's Trees Inn in Karatu. Day 3 climbs through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, enters Serengeti National Park from the south and finishes at Land of Nature Camp. Days 4 and 5 push north to Heritage Mara Camp for the Mara River country, with a full day of game drives in the northern Serengeti. Day 6 works back to the central Serengeti with an en route game drive. Day 7 crosses to the Ngorongoro Crater by lunchtime, descends to the crater floor for an afternoon drive and returns to Eileen's Trees Inn. Day 8 is Lake Manyara National Park and the drive back to a drop-off of your choice in Arusha, at Kilimanjaro International Airport or at Arusha Airport.
The northern leg is the reason to book this trip. The listing says the migration can be found in any month and that it is usually in the northern Serengeti at this time of year. Other sources put the Mara River crossings between July and September, or July and October. A crossing is never certain. The herds move with the rain, and the animals decide.
| Day | Route | Night at |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airport pickup in Arusha | Arusha Planet Lodge |
| 2 | Arusha to Tarangire National Park, game drive, then to Karatu | Eileen's Trees Inn |
| 3 | Through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the southern Serengeti | Land of Nature Camp |
| 4 | North through the Serengeti to the Mara River area | Heritage Mara Camp |
| 5 | Full day of game drives in the northern Serengeti | Heritage Mara Camp |
| 6 | Back to the central Serengeti with an en route game drive | Land of Nature Camp |
| 7 | Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater, afternoon on the crater floor, then Karatu | Eileen's Trees Inn |
| 8 | Lake Manyara National Park, then the drive back to Arusha or the airport | Not applicable, tour ends |
The Great Migration - Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, Crossing Mara River
The Great Migration herds from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, including river crossings. Third-party video by Harry Collins Photography. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Trip Rules Out
No listing fits everybody. This one has a narrow age band, a two-person minimum and long drive days, so several types of traveller should read a different page.
The Stated Limits
The booking age band runs from 18 to 64, and a minimum of 2 adults per booking applies. Travellers outside that band, or solo travellers, need another option. The 4-day mid-range safari books ages 15 to 85 and runs as a small group, and the 5-day camping safari welcomes all ages. The trip is suitable for all fitness levels and nothing in the listing demands camping comfort, since every night is in a mid-range lodge or camp.
Two further points. The itinerary is all by road, from Arusha to Tarangire, then deep into the Serengeti and out again, which some travellers find tiring. If that worries you, the fly-in safari lands in the Serengeti on day 1 and skips the long drive north. And at $4,257 this is a serious spend. If the budget is the blocker, the 5-day camping safari and the 3-day private safari both sit far below it. Cancellation here is fair: cancel 24 hours before departure for a full refund, so there is no all-sales-final trap.
The view from a tent porch at Kirawira Tented Camp in the western Serengeti. Photo: Harvey Barrison from Massapequa, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Season, Fees and Paperwork
The park fees are already in the tour price, so the planning that matters is timing, entry documents and packing. Everything below comes from published research, not from the operator.
Timing the North
Published sources put the Mara River crossings between July and September, with one month-by-month guide extending it to October. Another gives July to September and a second gives July to October, so treat both as the honest window. SafariBookings puts the high season in the Serengeti at July to March, and the dry season runs June to October with the heaviest rain in March and April.
Daytime highs average about 27 °C with chilly nights. The herds move with the rain, and no operator can promise a crossing on your dates.
Fees, Visas and Health
Because this listing includes park fees, the tariff details matter to the operator more than to you, but they explain the price. The 2023 to 2024 TANAPA tariff sets the Serengeti conservation fee for non-East African adults at US $70 per day in peak season and $60 in low season, with one source quoting $82.60 and $70.80 once 18 percent VAT is added. The Serengeti concession fee is listed at US $60 per adult per night from July to September and $50 the rest of the year, though another source gives $71.
On entry, a single-entry tourist visa is listed at $50, while US passport holders are reported to pay $100 for a mandatory multiple-entry visa. Ask your doctor about yellow fever certificates and malaria prophylaxis before you travel. For packing, take light layers for the midday heat and warm clothes for cool mornings, and avoid white and bright colours.
A full safari packing list and the best time to visit Serengeti guide cover both in depth.
Sources: Duma Explorer, SafariBookings
Day by Day Itinerary
The listing numbers its days. Where it gives no clock time, the phase label stands in.
-
Day 1
Arrival in Arusha
A Lion King representative collects you from the airport and drives you to Arusha Planet Lodge to overnight and prepare. Breakfast is the only meal included today.
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Day 2
Tarangire National Park
About two and a half hours on tarmac to Tarangire, famous for elephant families and ancient baobabs. Picnic lunch inside the park, then the drive to Eileen's Trees Inn in Karatu.
-
Day 3
Into the Serengeti
Up through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a chance to stop at the crater viewpoint, then into the southern Serengeti for a game drive and dinner at Land of Nature Camp.
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Day 4
North to the Mara River
A full driving day winding through the Serengeti to the northern region, game viewing on the way, to Heritage Mara Camp. The listing says the migration is usually in the north at this time of year.
-
Day 5
Game drives at the Mara River
A whole day in the hills, riverine forests and plains around the Mara River, watching for wildebeest, zebra, crocodiles and the predators that wait for them. A crossing is possible, never promised.
-
Day 6
Back to the central Serengeti
A slow return south with an en route game drive, with time to keep searching for the herds, to Land of Nature Camp.
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Day 7
Ngorongoro Crater
Through the conservation area to reach the crater by lunchtime, then down to the floor for an afternoon drive among wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, more than 500 bird species and the best chance of black rhino. Night at Eileen's Trees Inn.
-
Day 8
Lake Manyara and return
A morning in Lake Manyara National Park under the Great Rift Escarpment, then the drive back to a drop-off you choose in Arusha or at either airport.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, its reviews score and its practical trade-offs.
What we genuinely like
- Two nights at Heritage Mara Camp put you in Mara River country, where the listing says the migration usually is at this time of year
- Park fees, all taxes and VAT are included, so no surprise gate bills
- Private vehicle and guide for 2 to 6 adults, no shared car with strangers
- Four parks in one trip, including Tarangire and Lake Manyara which most short itineraries skip
- Free cancellation 24 hours before departure for a full refund
- 5.0 score from 316 reviews on Viator
The honest downsides
- The 18 to 64 booking age band excludes older and younger travellers
- No guarantee of a river crossing, and the herds move with the rain
- Long road days, including the full driving day north through the Serengeti
- International flights, tips and hotels before and after are extra on top of $4,257 per person
- Minimum 2 adults per booking, so solo travellers pay elsewhere
Who it's NOT for: Not for solo travellers, anyone outside the 18 to 64 age band, or anyone who wants certainty of seeing a river crossing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does this 8 day Serengeti migration safari cost?
It costs $4,257 per person with park fees, taxes, VAT, accommodation and most meals included. Flights, tips and extra hotel nights are excluded. The full breakdown sits in the price section.
Will I see a Mara River crossing on this trip?
The listing says the migration is usually in the northern Serengeti at this time of year and can be found in any month, but no crossing is guaranteed. Published sources put the crossings between July and September, or July and October. The Great Migration guide explains how the herds move with the rain.
How many people travel on this safari?
It is a private tour for 2 to 6 adults per booking, with a minimum of 2 adults. Solo travellers should compare the small-group 4-day mid-range safari instead.
What are the age limits?
The booking age band runs from 18 to 64, and infants sit on an adult's lap. Travellers outside the band should check the 5-day camping safari, which books all ages.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund. That is more flexible than the private 5-day safari, where all sales are final.
Is this safari all driving?
Yes, all eight days are by road from Arusha, including the long legs to and from the northern Serengeti. If you would rather fly, the fly-in safari lands in the park on day 1.
What should I pack for the northern Serengeti?
Light layers for the midday heat and warm clothes for cool mornings and nights, in khaki and green rather than bright colours. The safari packing list has the full kit.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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