Tanzania · August 1–8, 2027
Two million animals move north. We'll be there when they do.
The trip
Eight days on Tanzania's northern circuit, timed to the migration.
This is the one every wildlife photographer has on a list somewhere — the herds pushing north toward the Mara River, predators shadowing the edges, and light that does things you can't quite explain to people back home.
We start among the baobabs and elephant families of Tarangire, drop onto the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, then push north to Kogatende where the wildebeest mass along the river. Nights are spent in tented camps set inside the parks — no long drives back to a gate at dusk, no fences between you and the sound of it.
I'll be traveling with you the whole way. You get a professional Tanzanian guide who has spent his life reading this landscape, and you get me handling everything that isn't wildlife: the logistics, the timing, the things that go sideways.
At a glance
The essentials
- Dates
- August 1–8, 2027
Sunday to Sunday - Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Starts & ends
- Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)
- Pace
- Active but unhurried
- Accommodation
- Lodges & tented camps
- Vehicle
- Open-roof 4×4 Land Cruiser
- From
- $5,500 per person
Day by day
Where we go, and why we go there in that order.
The route is built around the migration's position in August. Every day has a reason.
Kilimanjaro & Arusha
Land at Kilimanjaro International, where our driver is waiting. An hour's transfer to a hilltop lodge outside Arusha with Mount Meru filling the window. Dinner together, a briefing from your guide, and an early night — tomorrow starts properly.
Hilltop lodge, Arusha · Dinner included
Tarangire National Park
A land of enormous baobabs and the biggest elephant herds in the north. Tarangire holds one of Tanzania's healthiest lion populations, and the river woodlands pull in everything else — giraffe, buffalo, zebra, and the odd leopard if the day goes your way.
Full-day game drive with a picnic lunch out in the park, then on to Karatu for the night.
Lodge, Karatu · All meals included
Ngorongoro Crater
You descend 2,000 feet onto the crater floor and the world closes in around you. Roughly 600 hyena, more than 50 lion, tusker elephants, and one of the last reliable places on earth to see black rhino — all inside a collapsed volcano twelve miles across.
Mist lifts off the walls in the early morning. It's the single most concentrated wildlife viewing on the continent, and most people remember it for the landscape rather than the list.
Tented camp, Central Serengeti · All meals included
North to Kogatende
An early game drive in the golden hour — when nocturnal and daytime animals overlap and everything is moving — then we drive north into the Kogatende sector, where the migration concentrates in August.
Fewer vehicles up here. Rocky kopjes, riverine bush, and open grassland running to the Mara. This is the part of the Serengeti most visitors never reach.
Migration camp, Northern Serengeti · All-inclusive
The Mara River — and the balloon
Up before dawn for the hot air balloon: an hour drifting low over the plains as the light comes up, then a bush breakfast where you land. It's the one thing nobody regrets paying for, and it's included in your trip.
The rest of the day is spent at the crossing points. Herds gather on the banks, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. When they go, it's the most extraordinary thing you'll see in your life — and I'll tell you honestly, nobody can promise it happens on your particular Tuesday.
Migration camp, Northern Serengeti · All-inclusive
Central Serengeti
Back south into the classic Serengeti — acacias silhouetted against grassland that runs past the edge of what you can see. This is big cat country. Cheetah hunt the open grassland, leopards drape themselves in the sausage trees along the Seronera River, and the resident lion prides here are among the most photographed in Africa for a reason.
Tented camp, Central Serengeti · All-inclusive
Serengeti to Karatu
A last morning drive, then the long beautiful road back through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area — game viewing the whole way, not just transit. We arrive in Karatu by evening: a green, quiet town where you can walk to the shops and feel the trip settle.
Last dinner together. This is usually the night everyone stays up too late going through photos.
Lodge, Karatu · All meals included
Maasai village & departure
A morning visit to a Maasai community at Makuyuni — a real one, arranged through people we work with directly, not a performance staged for a bus. Then a proper hot lunch at a coffee lodge outside Arusha before your transfer to the airport.
Breakfast & lunch included · Departure from JRO
What you're paying for
Included, and not included.
In your rate
- All accommodation — lodges and tented camps inside the parks
- All meals as listed, plus soft drinks and water in the vehicle
- Hot air balloon safari over the Northern Serengeti
- Private open-roof 4×4 Land Cruiser, shared by our group only
- Professional Tanzanian wildlife guide throughout
- Me, as your host, for all eight days
- All national park and conservation fees
- All in-country transfers and internal flights
- Taxes and VAT
- Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover
- 24/7 on-the-ground support
Not included
- International flights to and from Kilimanjaro (JRO)
- Tanzania visa — currently $100 for US passport holders
- Travel insurance — required for this trip
- Gratuities for your guide and camp staff
- Personal items, souvenirs, alcohol
- Extra nights before or after the trip
- Single occupancy supplement, if you'd like your own room
Investment
What it costs.
Per person · double occupancy
Single supplement from $1,295
- $1,000 deposit holds your seat
- Balance due 90 days before departure
- When the seats are gone, they're gone.
- Payment plans available — just ask
The contact sheet
What you'll come home with.
Questions
Everything people ask me before they book.
Will we actually see the river crossing?
Here's the honest answer: nobody can promise a crossing. Herds gather at the Mara and sometimes wait days before they move. Any operator who guarantees it is selling you something they don't control.
What I can tell you is that we're staying at Kogatende in peak crossing season, with two full days positioned at the crossing points — which is the best odds anyone can offer. And even without a crossing, the sheer number of animals on those plains is unlike anything you've seen.
Do I need to be fit? What's the pace like?
You need to be able to get in and out of a Land Cruiser and walk on uneven ground. That's about it. There's no hiking and no altitude concern.
What is demanding is the driving — game drive days can run six to eight hours on rough roads, and mornings start early because that's when the animals are active. It's tiring in a good way. If you have back or mobility concerns, tell me before you book and we'll talk honestly about whether it works.
I'd be traveling solo. Is that going to be awkward?
Solo travelers are a big part of why I host these trips. You'll have me, a guide, and four or five other people who all chose the same thing you did — that tends to sort itself out by about day two.
You can either pay the single supplement for your own room and tent, or I can try to match you with a same-gender roommate. If I can't find a match, you won't be charged the supplement.
What do I need for entry — visa, vaccinations?
Visa: US citizens need one. Apply online in advance at the Tanzania immigration portal — it's currently $100 and takes a few weeks, so don't leave it to the last month.
Yellow fever: Only required if you're arriving from or transiting through a country with yellow fever risk. Coming direct from the US or Europe, you generally don't need it — but transit routing matters, so check your specific itinerary.
Malaria: Tanzania is a malaria area. You'll want prophylaxis, which means a conversation with your doctor or a travel clinic a month or two out.
I'll send you a full pre-departure checklist once you're booked, and I'm available for questions the whole way through. But these are medical decisions between you and your doctor — I can point you at the requirements, not advise on the medication.
What's the weather like in August?
It's dry season, which is why we go then. Days run warm and sunny — usually 75–80°F. Mornings and evenings get genuinely cold, especially at the crater rim and in open-roof vehicles at 6am, so a warm layer isn't optional.
Very little rain. Dust, though, plenty of it — which matters for your camera more than for you.
What camera gear should I bring?
A telephoto reaching at least 300mm makes the difference between a photo of a lion and a photo of some grass with a lion in it. 400mm or more is better. Bring a wide lens too — the landscapes are half the story.
More batteries than you think, more cards than you think, and something to keep dust out. A beanbag rests on the vehicle's roof frame better than a tripod does.
And if your camera is your phone, that's completely fine. Some of my favorite shots from these trips were taken on phones.
How many people will be on the trip?
Six guests, plus me and our guide, in one vehicle. That's the maximum the Land Cruiser holds comfortably, and it's a deliberate ceiling — everyone gets a window and a clear view through the open roof.
The trip needs a minimum of five travelers to run. If we don't reach that, you get a full refund of everything you've paid.
What are the tented camps actually like?
Not camping. These are permanent tented camps with real beds, proper linens, en-suite bathrooms with hot water, and a dining tent where meals are served. Think of a hotel room made of canvas.
What you give up is soundproofing — which is the point. You'll hear hyena at night and possibly lion. What you get is being inside the park, which means you're already where the animals are at first light.
Is the hot air balloon really included?
Yes. Most operators sell it as a paid add-on. It's built into your rate here because I think it's the single best hour of the trip and I don't want anyone sitting it out over cost.
One caveat: balloon flights are weather-dependent and can be cancelled morning-of for wind. If that happens and we can't rebook it within our stay, you'll be refunded that portion.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes, and it's a requirement for this trip, not a suggestion. Your policy needs to include medical coverage and emergency evacuation.
Your rate already includes Flying Doctors evacuation cover within Tanzania, but that isn't a substitute for a real policy — it doesn't cover trip cancellation, lost baggage, or getting you home. I'll walk you through options once you're booked.
How much should I budget for tips?
Plan on roughly $20–25 per person per day for your guide, and $10–15 per day split among camp staff. Over eight days that's usually $250–300 total.
Bring it in cash — clean US bills issued 2009 or later, which is what's accepted. I'll give you a full breakdown before departure so nobody's doing math at the end of a long trip.
Will I have phone signal or wifi?
Patchy, and that's part of it. Lodges in Arusha and Karatu have reliable wifi. The tented camps inside the parks usually have something in the main area, but it's slow and drops out.
You'll be able to let people know you're alive. You won't be uploading photo galleries from the Serengeti.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Your $1,000 deposit is non-refundable, because it goes straight to camps and permits that hold space for you. Beyond that, cancellation terms depend on how close to departure you are — full details are in the booking agreement I'll send you before you pay anything.
This is exactly what trip cancellation insurance exists for, and it's why I ask everyone to carry it.
Limited seats
Come see it before you have to explain to someone why you didn't.
Tell me you're interested and I'll send the full trip details, dates, and a booking link. No pressure, no automated funnel — you'll be talking to me.