Home  >  Destinations  >  Africa  >  Tanzania  >  Tanzania Photo Safari: Serengeti Migration

Tanzania Photo Safari: Serengeti Migration

			DAYS: 11 GRADE: I-II, Easy hiking, mobile tent camping define PRICE: From $7395 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Tarangire National Park Lake Manyara Ngorongoro Crater luxury mobile camping in Serengeti National Park. ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Deluxe Camp MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Novice and advanced photo enthusiasts seeking exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities can explore the best game parks of Tanzania including the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire. Scheduled to coincide with the migration of giant herds of wildebeest and zebras in Serengeti National Park, some great photo opportunities will be available as the herds remain spread out in the plains before an abundance of lions and cheetahs are attracted to the area. Based from comfortable lodges and permanent tent camps, we are ideally situated for seasonal access to wildlife movement. We will travel in retrofitted 4 x 4 Land Cruisers, fully equipped with window seats and open hatches, which will assure unencumbered wildlife observation and optimal photography. A flight from Serengeti back to Arusha minimizes driving time and rugged overland travel. 

Click here to veiw the photo gallery from our 2010 trip!

DAY 1 :  ARRIVAL IN TANZANIA
Arrive this evening at the Kilimanjaro International Airport where you'll be met after passing through customs and transferred to Kigongoni Lodge for the evening. Relax on a 70 acre coffee farm in the outskirts of Arusha on this beautiful Tanzania vacation camp. A perfect place to begin or end a safari, the Kigongoni Lodge welcomes you with 18 cozy cottages each with a warm fireplace and designed with tasteful, traditional African styles.  Each cottage provides a verandah with spectacular views of Mt. Meru or Mt. Kilimanjaro. Overnight Kigongoni Lodge. [Meals on your own]

DAYS 2-3 :  TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast we will meet for our safari guide for a quick briefing before heading out on the road to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is the third largest national park in Tanzania. An unusually large population of elephants inhabits this sanctuary. Majestic baobab trees create fantastic landscape photos as they dwarf the animals that feed beneath them. During the dry season animals concentrate along Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. A great diversity of wildlife flourishes here, including the giraffe, buffalo, lesser kudu, eland, and zebra. Lions, leopards, and cheetah are also present.  Up to 6,000 elephants inhabit Tarangire in the dry season.  Enjoy panoramic views of animals drinking at the Tarangire River from atop a high bluff in the lounge and dining room of the Tarangire Safari Lodge. The open-sided design allows an uninterrupted view of the landscape and wildlife below, and captures the cooling breeze while you dine on the delicious home-cooked safari cuisine. The cozy tents have ensuite bathrooms and a view overlooking the Tarangire River  [BLD]

DAY 4 :  LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK AND GREAT RIFT VALLEY

Today we pass through the Great Rift Valley on the way to Lake Manyara National Park. The lake, situated along the impressive escarpment of the Rift Valley, takes its name from the Maasai word for Euphorbia tirucalli, a bush which is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. With luck we may see the Manyara lions, well known for their tree climbing habits, lazily resting on the branches of an Acacia tortilis tree.  Elephant, hippo, giraffe, buffalo and other animals are found here as well as nimble blue monkeys and large family groups of baboons. The bird life is prolific with flamingoes, pelicans, hornbills and plenty of vibrant forest species present.   Finally, we will climb up the wall of the rift valley to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.  Overnight tonight on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Strung along the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, rooms at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge have views out to the crater floor below.  Floor to ceiling windows are set next to an inviting rocking chair, a perfect place to see Cape buffalo dining on lodge landscaping. Watch the sunset from the pool or the bar, and enjoy the large central fireplace in the restaurant. Overnight Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. [BLD]

DAYS 5-6 :  NGORONGORO CRATER NATIONAL PARK

Get up early to be one of the first vehicles in the Ngorongoro National Park. Ngorongoro is one of the most spectacular game parks in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage site. Here animals are found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Nearly 100 square miles, it contains an impressive variety of wildlife including black-maned lions, the highly endangered black rhino, herds of gnu, zebra, elephants, hippo and hyena, the most important predator within the crater.  Bird life is also prolific, with flocks of flamingos on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds.  We are allowed a maximum of 6 hours game driving in the crater.  We may take short walks and hikes in this area during free time. Overnights Ngorongoro Sopa. [BLD]

DAYS 7-10 :  SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

We will make one last short game drive through the crater as we depart Ngorongoro, heading for the Serengeti. Spend the next days photographing at varying locations in the Serengeti, from the granite Kopjes, to the long plains. The Serengeti is one of the most productive habitats and impressive wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Witness a portion of the 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra concentrated in vast herds as they migrate through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Between the vast plains of the Serengeti National Park and the northwest side of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area lies the luxurious Lake Masek Tented Camp. The twenty en suite tents are spacious and feature verandahs that look out over the southern Serengeti plains, in a perfect location for the calving herds of wildbeest during the Great Migration in February. [BLD] Note: Your beverages and laundry are included at the mobile camp. 

DAY 11 :  DEPARTURE OR EXTEND YOUR TRIP

Take your last looks at the Serengeti today before transferring to the airstrip for your flight to Arusha. Our air route takes us over the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater and reminds us of the sights weve seen in the last day. Upon arrival into Arusha well have dayrooms at KIA Lodge in Arusha in preparation for our return flight to the US this evening. Take a final stroll around the grounds, a dip in the pool or photograph the beautiful gardens and stunning views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. For those travelers who are staying on for an extension, you will overnight at KIA Lodge. [BLD]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Julia Nesbitt 1(800)345-4453