Ngorongoro to Serengeti Walking Safari

The itinerary below is designed to give you an overview of the route. Get in touch with our team for a full travel itinerary, or to create a tailor-made trip. 

Day 1: The Highlands, Ngorongoro

Arrive at The Highlands today (or earlier if you wish to visit the Ngorongoro Crater or enjoy other activities in the region), located on the side of the Olmoti Crater in the Ngorongoro Highlands.

Enjoy an afternoon relaxing, enjoying views over the rolling Maasai land - or perhaps visit one of the local Maasai villages nearby. These visits are authentic and un-rehearsed, offering genuine insight into the daily goings-on of the community. Guests often join in with what’s happening when they arrive, whether that’s milking cattle or herding up the goats in the late evening.

Your Wayo walking safari guide will meet you this evening to discuss the next days of walking. Enjoy a delicious dinner and a good night’s sleep in your geodesic dome tent before your adventure begins tomorrow.

Overnight: The Highlands

Day 2: Fly Camp

Start with an early breakfast before departing just after sunrise with your expert walking guide. Hike down the side of the Olmoti Crater and walk eastward toward the Serengeti plains. Pass small Maasai settlements and cattle herdsmen wrapped in their bright red shukas walking across this high country. There are no roads here, so you'll truly be off the beaten path on your explorations.

While you are not in a national park here, there's wildlife including buffalo in the forested areas, various species of monkey and, of course, plentiful birdlife — all of which your guide will point out. Reach tonight’s fly camp in the early afternoon with plenty of time to rest up and regain your energy for the adventure ahead.

The camp will be a very lightweight one, carried in by donkeys - there's no vehicle access to this secluded area. Tonight, enjoy a hearty dinner cooked over a campfire and some spectacular stargazing like no other if it’s a clear night.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 3: Fly Camp

Wake as the first rays of the sun hit the plains and enjoy the stunning dawn chorus of birdsong from your fly camp. After a hearty campfire-cooked breakfast, you’ll start walking, continuing to wind your way through the Ngorongoro Highlands toward the eastern edge of the Serengeti National Park.

Today will include a lot of downhill walking, so sturdy, supportive hiking boots with ankle support are recommended, and you may find lightweight trekking poles offer additional support. Your destination today is the Salei Plains where your fly camp awaits along with the team who will cook up a feast. You should arrive in the early/mid-afternoon with time to have a siesta, or a short late afternoon stroll.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 4: Fly Camp

Another sunrise start today, getting out on foot before the heat of the day sets in. You'll walk across the beautiful and unspoilt Salei Plains, looking out for gazelles, bat-eared fox, jackal, warthog and other wildlife as you go.

Tonight’s fly camp location will be at the entrance to the Olkerien Gorge, which you will explore tomorrow. Enjoy an afternoon relaxing in camp, resting your weary legs and feet before a big walking day tomorrow.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 5: Fly Camp

Today, you'll hike through the spectacular Olkerien Gorge while the fly camp team relocates the camp to the other side of the mountains.

The gorge lies to the east of the Gol Mountains and is a key nesting site for the critically endangered Ruppell’s Griffon vultures. Enjoy views of the large volcanic dome of Ol Doinyo Lengai on the horizon from here. This will be an incredible day of walking through varied terrain, feeling like you've got the place all to yourself — by this time it'll have been a while since you saw another person.

The rarity of being able to explore this part of the Serengeti — and the lack of camps and vehicles in this region — make this adventure all the more special.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 6: Fly Camp

After an early breakfast, depart on the day’s walk, crossing open plains along a large floodplain. Today you'll encounter numerous Maasai cattle herders bringing their cattle to water, offering a truly authentic insight into a typical part of daily Maasai life to which few travellers get to see.

Tonight’s fly camp will await you at the edge of the plains located at Nasera Rock, which you can easily imagine as the setting to the famous Pride Rock scene in Disney’s The Lion King.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 7: Fly Camp

Hop in the 4×4 safari vehicle for a short drive to cover some of the large distance you need to cover today — enter into Serengeti National Park and give your legs a bit of a break before you hop out and walk the rest of the way.

Your destination is the Barafu Kopjes, a cluster of seven granite rocky outcrops near the Barafu Gorge that crosses through the eastern-most part of the Serengeti. This will be your destination for the night, and your fly camp and friendly camp team await your arrival. You're starting to enter cheetah country by now, with vast open plains that stretch unendingly.

There will be plenty of time to search for wildlife and enjoy any sightings you encounter, under the guidance of your walking guide. Soak up the solitude for your final night of fly camping out in the wild before you reach the civilisation of a permanent safari camp tomorrow.

Overnight: Fly Camp

Day 8: Namiri Plains

A final morning of walking from the Barafu Kopjes heading westward to the beautiful Namiri Plains, where your adventure concludes in the early/mid-afternoon. Spend the afternoon relaxing in camp before one final celebratory dinner this evening with your guide, looking back on the distances you covered and the sights you have seen in the past week.

Overnight: Namiri Plains

Day 9: Namiri Plains

A leisurely morning in camp, enjoying breakfast before you bid your guide farewell and depart for the Seronera Airstrip. Alternatively, you can extend your stay at Namiri Plains for some additional nights on a game drive safari in the region.