Tanzania - Migration & Big Cats Photo Safari - Feb 2017

On your arrival in Arusha, you will be met by our local representative, who will assist you to our accommodation in Arusha town for the night. At some point this evening we will meet for a pre-safari briefing to go over the plan with everyone.

Machweo Lodge is perched on a hill offering unparalleled panoramic views across the Maasai steppe, over-viewing the Monduli Mountains and providing lovely views of Mount Meru. The lodge has a truly African rural feel and is conveniently located only 30 minutes from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

The accommodation consists of 6 cottage suites, lavishly furnished and ideally positioned for maximum privacy, featuring separate sitting and living area, each accommodating up to 3 guests. All 9 new rooms offer top class amenities and a private balcony and have amazing views on sunset (‘machweo’ in Swahili) and Mount Meru

On the morning of the 20th, we will have breakfast, meet our driver guides and depart at around 9am in our specially-designed safari vehicles by road towards Tarangire National Park.

Our drive to Tarangire will take us through some lovely habitat and is not a lengthy drive.  Once we pass through the Park entrance, we will be on our first game drive and we will spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible habitat.

Uncrowded and relatively unknown, Tarangire National Park covers 2,850km² just south of Lake Manyara in the northern region of Tanzania. Famous for its vast herds of elephants and forests of enigmatic giant baobab trees, the rugged landscape is incredibly diverse and stands out from any other on the traditional northern safari circuit. Tarangire is a park for those who want to step that much further off the beaten track to experience a truly wild area.

The park boasts the biggest population of elephant in northern Tanzania. Impressive herds of up to 300 elephant plus large herbs of buffalo are an incredible sight, and you also can expect regular sightings of migratory zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck and giraffe. Tarangire hosts both big cats and small. A high concentration of leopard and lion as well as serval, caracal and genet make for high-adrenaline viewing as they prey on the plains game that provide a moving smörgåsbord. During the dry season the park features one of the highest densities of wildlife per square kilometer in all of Tanzania, as the permanent Tarangire River provides a welcome water source and a crucial refuge for large numbers of animals. Home to more than 550 bird species, the park arguably has the best bird diversity in East Africa and ornithological enthusiasts can expect to see dozens of species, even in the dry season. In addition, the swamps of Tarangire are the focus of the largest selection of breeding birds in the world.

We spend two nights in Tarangire at the best camp in the park, Oliver’s Camp. Located in the remote southern reaches of Tarangire National Park, Oliver's has just 10 beautifully appointed safari tents in a spectacular location close to the game-dense Silale Swamps and overlooking a flood plain of the Minyonyo Pools. Oliver’s was inspired by the trailblazing camps that pioneered the early days of safari. It gives you direct access to the dense concentration of wildlife you will find year-round in this remote region, as well as the chance to enjoy walking safaris and fly camping. Oliver’s is intimate and personal, staffed by a world-class team that has worked together for many years to perfect a safari experience that guests consistently rank among their best.

On 21 February, we will leave camp around 6am to enjoy the early morning light and begin our day of adventure. We will spend the remainder ogf the day exploring the game-rich area around our camp, looking for predators and other wildlife in Tarangire.

On the morning of the 22nd, we will again eave camp at 6am for a morning game drive and then go back to camp for an early brunch. After our farewells to the camp staff, we will game drive our way back north and out of Tarangire towards our next destination, the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater.

After our last morning in Tarangire, our drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a short one. We will plan to arrive later in the afternoon after spending the day on game drive and having lunch en route.

The Ngorongoro Crater Area (NCA) offers one of the richest wildlife viewing experiences on the African continent. Part of the Serengeti ecosystem, the region covers 8,292km² and encompasses expansive short-grass plains on the southern border of the Serengeti National Park and the dramatic Ngorongoro Highlands region, with its enormous calderas and spectacular vistas. The NCA is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that takes its name from the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, formed two to three million years ago. Approximately 25,000 large animals live in the natural enclosure formed by the 300km² crater, while the greater conservancy surroundings are home to wildebeest and zebra migratory movement in the wet season. It was recently voted one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

The beautiful, incredibly game-rich Ngorongoro Crater is the main feature of the region and is an iconic natural wonder of the world. The enclosed caldera is an ecosystem in itself within the greater Serengeti: the mineral-rich floor of the spectacular bowl is largely flat and covered in nutritious grasses, providing a paradise for herbivores and predators alike. The Big Five can all be found in the area, as well as an extraordinary concentration of predators.

Our accommodation for 2 nights in the NCA will be at Asilia's brand new Highland's Camp. Set on the edge of the mountain forest hugging the Olmoti volcano to the north of Ngorongoro Crater, The Highlands strikes a perfect balance between a true wilderness experience and a high-style, contemporary escape. Accommodation at The Highlands strikes the perfect balance of a wilderness escape and a high-end tented sanctuary with all the creature comforts. Eight elegant domed suites offer king-sized beds with floor-to-canvas-ceiling bay windows opening out to the spectacular views, en-suite bathrooms with hot running water, showers and flushing toilets, and wood-burning stoves for the cold winter evenings.

The Highlands uses state-of-the-art technology to minimize our ecological footprint. This includes a full solar plant, a bio-gas digester that produces the methane we use for cooking, rainwater collection off all tents and a reverse-osmosis plant for producing pure drinking water, thus cutting down on plastic bottles. In addition, our supply runs are minimized to once a month to reduce our carbon emissions, and grey water is recycled for washing vehicles. Unavoidable carbon emissions are offset through Carbon Tanzania.

During our full day here (Feb 23), we will rise very early in order to arrive at the Park gate by 6am so we can get into the Crater early.  This is crucial as the mornings are by far the best time in the Crater, especially for the rhinos. We spend the rest of the day down in the Crater photographing and observing the plentiful wildlife and the beautiful landscapes within.

On the morning of the 24th, we will leave camp at 8/8:30am (after breakfast) and have a game drive en route to the wildlife-rich plains of the Serengeti National Park.

On the morning of the 24th, we enter the famed Serengeti ecosystem to spend 4 days photographing the abundant wildlife and herds of The Great Migration.

The Serengeti, which covers nearly 15,000km² is arguably the best wildlife experience on our planet.

As winter eases into summer, the migratory herds are situated in the southern Serengeti and this is where we will be based. It is on these grassy plains that the millions of wildebeest who have wandered for hundreds of kilometers have a chance to graze, rest and calve. Here the wildebeest mothers give birth to approximately 500,000 babies in a remarkably synchronized event and we will enjoy amazing opportunities to photograph and bear witness to the seemingly endless herds of wildebeest and zebras, plus the local denizens that live here year-round, including lion, cheetah, spotted hyena, leopard and a multitude of herbivores and bird life.

Few lifetime experiences can match that of witnessing the spectacle of the greatest show on Earth - The Great Migration. We will be right in the midst of this wonderment and it will no doubt be a highlight of this trip.

Our accommodation for the first two nights in the Serengeti is Kimondo Migration Camp. Kimondo is a mobile safari camp that tracks the seasonal Great Wildebeest Migration from the dramatic Lamai Wedge and Mara River in winter to the lush southern Serengeti grasslands in the height of summer. Handcrafted from wood and canvas in an exotic blend of traditional East African safari style with a subtle Moroccan influence, Kimondo has just eight elegant and airy tents, each with a king-sized cast-iron bed, en-suite bathroom and private veranda. This mobile safari camp offers a truly intimate safari adventure in vintage East African style and comfort.

The eight traditional tents at Kimondo are an exercise in spacious and elegant safari style. Each tented suite is furnished with cast-iron king-sized beds (twins available) that rest under the canvas ceilings. The private en-suite bathroom features safari bucket shower, hot and cold running water and flushing toilet. Private verandas are furnished with a comfortable chaise lounge – the perfect place for a siesta during the long, lazy afternoons.

On the 25th we will depart early morning for a game drive, return to camp for lunch, and then have an afternoon game drive.

On the 26th we will again leave camp at around 6:30am for our morning game drive, and then head for check-in and lunch at Olakira camp.  In the afternoon we will explore the area around our new camp in search of exciting wildlife.

Our next camp, Olakira Camp is located not far from Kimondo in the famous and game-rich Ndutu area (officially located just inside the far southern portion of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area).  We move to this camp for better access to additional game drive areas and it will give us a change of scenery as well. Our game drives here will traverse both the NCA itself and the southern Serengeti, allowing for frequent sightings of big cats, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and more.

A small stream in front of camp frames the vista of iconic grasslands, dotted with hundreds of thousands wildebeest as they graze on the luscious green grass. In February, the plains throng with even more animals as wildebeest mothers give birth simultaneously, and hundreds of tiny wildebeest skitter and slide around the grasslands.

Fine linens, fine dining and a touch of nomadic romance are the hallmarks of this superb safari camp, which all but disappears into the surrounding African bush. Combined with unbeatable hospitality and highly knowledgeable guides, Olakira treats you to an unusually personal and authentic East African wilderness experience. The mess and dining tents echo the style and ambiance of the rooms, with panoramic views of the sprawling Serengeti plains. Spend the afternoon relaxing in an armchair in the mess area or get comfortable under the shade of the surrounding trees and simply watch the game pass by. When darkness falls, dinner is served either under canvas or beneath a glittering canopy of stars in a small clearing close by, accompanied by the night sounds of the bush.

Olakira’s nine tents offer a modern take on the vintage charm of East Africa. Each has a king-sized bed (twin beds are available) complete with rich linens, an under-cover veranda with comfortable chaise lounge, and en-suite bathroom and dressing area with hot-water safari bucket showers and flushing toilets.

On the 27th, we will leave camp early and bring a picnic lunch, allowing us a full day out on exploration and adding to our time in the field.

After our last morning in the Serengeti (Feb 28), we will board our charter flight (cost included) back to Arusha where the safari ends.