The East African countries of Tanzania and Kenya are renowned for their abundance of wild game life. More importantly, these two countries also offer the best game viewing in the world and when this is timed with the Great Migration, nothing beats it.
The Great Migration takes place every year when, in search of water and food, animals move from one grazing area to another. They do so in large herds and their numbers run to over 1.5 million wildebeest, coupled with some 300,000 zebras and gazelles. This is not counting the predators who also flock to have their chance at this huge event. The move is timed with the grazing season and when the move takes place, this is a photographer’s paradise. Like all migrations, this too is an arduous task covering a distance of well over 2500 kilometers. Some 200,000 animals never make it back as they become prey to the carnivore that are also gathered there in search of food.
To view this spectacular event, one has to be at the right place and time. Whilst weather conditions can never be guaranteed and nature is the king of the “jungle”, our experience of actually operating game safaris and studying weather patterns spreading over several years has helped us put this short list of three Great Migration Safaris in Tanzania and one in Kenya.
On our 4 x 4 Land Cruisers specially designed for the local terrain, each person gets a window seat and each vehicle is limited to a maximum size of 7 participants plus our English speaking guide/driver. All this makes the Great Migration Safari an excellent family holiday. With common interests for the 6, 16, 46 and 66 year old (and even beyond) to bond over, this holiday will certainly remain as the family’s wildest time together.
| Tour Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Duration | : | 10 days |
| Minimum | : | 02 persons |
| Maximum | : | 06 persons |
| Price (From) | : | US$ 5950 |
| International air not included | ||
Day 01: Arrive Arusha (Kilimanjaro)
Jambo! We are cordially welcomed as we arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and are transferred to our hotel in Arusha. Balance of the day is free. Arusha is the exact centre between Cairo and Cape Town and is the gateway to the safari game parks of Northern Tanzania.
Overnight: Arusha Serena Hotel, Arusha (1 night)
Day 02: Arusha/Lake Manyara (Drive)
Our Great Migration Safari starts as we drive to Lake Manyara with picnic lunch en route. We enter the majestic Lake Manyara Game Park and enjoy the first of our exciting safaris. This small park is sandwiched between the Rift Valley escarpment and Lake Manyara. It is a pretty location with a good range of game, including giraffe, elephant, baboon and the rarely seen tree-climbing lion.
Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, Lake Manyara (1 night) (B, L, D)
Day 03: Lake Manyara/Olduvai Gorge/Serengeti (Drive)
Depart for the famous Olduvai Gorge, where the Africanthorpus skull was found. Olduvai Gorge is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world. The gorge is a very steep-sided ravine roughly 48 kilometers long and 100 meters deep. Exposed deposits show rich fossil fauna, many hominid remains and items belonging to the one of the oldest stone tool technologies, called Olduwan. The objects recovered date from 15,000 to over 2 million years ago. Optional visit to a Masai Village and then proceed to one of the great game parks in the world, The Serengeti. Here we stay put for the next five nights allowing us ample opportunities to follow the migration in the Western and Central Serengeti. Serengeti* is a World Heritage Site described by UNESCO as follows: “The vast plains of the Serengeti comprise 1.5 million hectares of savanna. The annual migration to permanent water holes of vast herds of herbivores (wildebeest, gazelles and zebras), followed by their predators, is one of the most impressive natural events in the world”. During this stay, this will be the time to take an early morning optional balloon safari.
Overnight: Serengeti Serena Lodge, Serengeti (1 night) (B, L, D)
Day 04, 05 & 06: Serengeti
Serengeti is a vast ecosystem in Northern Tanzania and extending into Kenya, where it is called Masai Mara. Serengeti spans over 31,000 square kilometers, giving rise to its name, which is derived from the Masai language and means “endless plains”. Although populations fluctuate, there are an estimated 1.3 million blue wildebeest, 200,000 zebras, 400,000 Thomson’s gazelle and a host of other animals including elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, lionss, cheetahs, hyenas and the rare but still seen wild dogs, black rhino and leopards. We have a full day of game viewing at the endless plains – certainly a day to remember. Our stay here will be following the different phases of the migration – truly an incredible site. To do this we will move from the Serena to a location closer to the migration at that time of the year.
Deep within the northern Serengeti's prime wildlife area, Mara Under Canvas offers perfect luxury from which to witness the Great Migration and explore the more remote corners of Tanzania’s oldest and most famous national park. Peaking between June and November, guests can observe an annual wildlife spectacle quite unlike any other, as over a million wildebeest, zebra and other ungulates move into the northern Serengeti in search of fresh grazing and water.
This lavish camp has 10 spacious safari tents, each with a double bed and en suite bathroom. A team of friendly and attentive staff ensures that guests enjoy absolute comfort while experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the African bush.
Overnight: Mara Under Campus, Serengeti (3 nights) (B, L, D) (B, L, D) (B, L, D)
Day 07: Mara Under Canvas/Bologonya Under Canvas (Drive)
Yet another attempt to follow the different phases of the migration as we move towards the Bologonya campsite. This luxurious tented camp enables guests to be within reach of the Great Migration and explore remote, beautiful corners of the Serengeti with excellent resident game. This seasonal camp is intimate and exclusive, offering the most spacious safari tents, each with double bed, en suite bathroom, separate portable WC and a bucket shower. The campsite has only ten tents. Enjoy the exclusivity of absolute comfort combined with the authenticity of nights spent in the African bush. An extraordinary experience for all nature lovers. This is a mobile camp which follows the migration.
Overnight: Bolongoya Under Canvas Safari Camp, Bologonya (1 night) (B, L, D)
Day 08: Bologonya/Ngorongoro (Drive)
An early morning game drive around the Bologonya tracking to get another treat viewing the Great Migration. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater*. Known as ‘the eighth wonder of the world', the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the Crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of ‘the land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhino and lions.
Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, Ngorongoro (2 nights) (B, L, D)
Day 09: Ngorongoro
We enjoy a 6-hour crater safari, making this the last and most memorable safari before ascending to the Crater Rim for our overnight. No wonder it has been compared to Noah’s Ark - Ngorongoro is known for lions, elephants, buffaloes, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles, zebras, reedbucks, rhino, monkeys, baboons, hippos, hyenas, jackals and thousands of flamingos at the lake. (B, L, D)
Day 10: Ngorongoro/Depart Kilimanjaro
After breakfast, with packed lunch and rural scenery, we drive to Kilimanjaro Airport for our flight.
This safari can be extended to see the migration in Kenya as well as an extension to Zanzibar. Please ask for details. (B, L)
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
Departure Dates & Prices
We accept payments in US$, CA$ as well as in other convertible currencies like EUR, AUD and GBP. Tour prices have been costed in US$. CA$ price shown below is an indicative amount reached at by using the conversion rate at the time of web posting and will be applicable if there is no change in the conversion rate. Should the currency conversion rate change, the US$ pricing will prevail. Bestway Tours & Safaris offers a conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please click here
Notes
Inclusions
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 06 participants
Customised Itinerary
If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you.
Contact Info
You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call 1-604-264-7378.
Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1-800-663-0844.
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