SERENGETI MIGRATION & NGORONGORO CRATER
ALL TOURS TO TANZANIA ARE CURRENTLY BEING BOYCOTTED BY US, SORRY.
“For the wildebeest it is a period of birth and renewal. For the predators a time of plenty…”
The annual migration of more than a million wildebeest across the plains of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem has neither beginning nor end, for the migration is an endless cycle as the animals wander in search of food and water. However, if there is any beginning it can only be at the moment of birth, an annual event that sees more than 400 000 wildebeest calves delivered on the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti in Tanzania over a period of a few weeks.
Join acclaimed wildlife photographers and authors Daryl & Sharna Balfour on an exclusive safari timed to take in this annual spectacle in March each year. The trip, limited to a maximum of four people and designed for optimum comfort and convenience with only four passengers to a customised 4x4 game viewing vehicle, starts from Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania and will take in the Eighth Wonder of the World, Ngorongoro Crater, the Cradle of Mankind (Oldupai Gorge) and the southern reaches of the Serengeti during the birthing season of the annual wildebeest migration.
We have designed these expeditions to be small enough to offer each group personal attention and optimal photographic positioning, but will still offer non-photographers superb game viewing opportunities. The Serengeti at this time of year is at its best, with great sightings of lions, cheetah, hyaenas and most of the other wildlife species the area is acclaimed for.
Enthusiastic photographers will be able to call on Daryl & Sharna Balfour’s expertise in this field for assistance and advice on how to improve their skills behind the lens or computer, or simply enjoy the fireside tales of his experiences in some of the remotest corners of Africa over the past two decades.
The annual migration of more than a million wildebeest across the plains of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem has neither beginning nor end, for the migration is an endless cycle as the animals wander in search of food and water. However, if there is any beginning it can only be at the moment of birth, an annual event that sees more than 400 000 wildebeest calves delivered on the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti in Tanzania over a period of a few weeks.
Join acclaimed wildlife photographers and authors Daryl & Sharna Balfour on an exclusive safari timed to take in this annual spectacle in March each year. The trip, limited to a maximum of four people and designed for optimum comfort and convenience with only four passengers to a customised 4x4 game viewing vehicle, starts from Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania and will take in the Eighth Wonder of the World, Ngorongoro Crater, the Cradle of Mankind (Oldupai Gorge) and the southern reaches of the Serengeti during the birthing season of the annual wildebeest migration.
We have designed these expeditions to be small enough to offer each group personal attention and optimal photographic positioning, but will still offer non-photographers superb game viewing opportunities. The Serengeti at this time of year is at its best, with great sightings of lions, cheetah, hyaenas and most of the other wildlife species the area is acclaimed for.
Enthusiastic photographers will be able to call on Daryl & Sharna Balfour’s expertise in this field for assistance and advice on how to improve their skills behind the lens or computer, or simply enjoy the fireside tales of his experiences in some of the remotest corners of Africa over the past two decades.
The wildebeest migration is a never-ending cycle. There is no beginning, no end - other than the time of birth and the time of death. For those who have never seen the migration we recommend our Maasai Mara Migration safaris each year between August - October, when the classic views of massed herds plunging through the Mara River may be seen. But for those who have seen this we can strongly recommend seeing the migration at the time of birth, when 400 000+ baby wildebeest are born in the southern Serengeti each year between February-April.
The timeline showed less than 5 minutes from birth to joining the herd!
Itinerary at a glance:
Day 1: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania, transfer to a small local lodge for overnight, briefing etc
Day 2: transfer to Arusha airport for a charter flight to Ndutu in the southern Serengeti region, for 5 nights
Day 7: Morning drive via Oldupai Gorge – the Cradle of Mankind and site of many of Mary & Louis Leakey’s most famous anthropological finds – to Ngorongoro Crater with picnic lunch and afternoon spent on the Crater floor. Overnight Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, for 2 nights
Day 9: Return to Arusha late afternoon for shopping (I have an excellent wholesale contact for superb Tanzanite, Tsavorite gemstones, or curios etc); Overnight in Arusha, or transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for outgoing connections.
Day 1: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania, transfer to a small local lodge for overnight, briefing etc
Day 2: transfer to Arusha airport for a charter flight to Ndutu in the southern Serengeti region, for 5 nights
Day 7: Morning drive via Oldupai Gorge – the Cradle of Mankind and site of many of Mary & Louis Leakey’s most famous anthropological finds – to Ngorongoro Crater with picnic lunch and afternoon spent on the Crater floor. Overnight Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, for 2 nights
Day 9: Return to Arusha late afternoon for shopping (I have an excellent wholesale contact for superb Tanzanite, Tsavorite gemstones, or curios etc); Overnight in Arusha, or transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for outgoing connections.
Expanded itinerary information:
Due to the arrival times of most international flights in to Kilimanjaro (Arusha), Tanzania, the first night of the safari will be spent in a comfortable boutique hotel in the heart of Arusha, or a guest lodge in the midst of coffee plantations on the outskirts of town. Meals will be for your own account here, as many guests opt for room service after their late arrival.
The first day on safari will see guests travel by road through the bustling safari capital of Arusha before taking a scheduled charter flight across Maasailand and over the scenic Ngorongoro highlands to the renowned Ndutu area in the heart of the southern Serengeti. At this time of year Ndutu buzzes with international photographers and film crews, attracted by the spectacle provided by the wildebeest. Accommodation will either be in a tented safari camp, or the rustic Ndutu Lodge.
The next five nights will be spent in the Ndutu area from where we will head out early each morning, exploring the grassy plains and woodlands in the area, tracking the massed herds of wildebeest and zebra, watching the birth of new calves if we’re lucky, and seeking predators such as lion, cheetah and hyaena on the hunt. The area also teems with other wildlife, including elephants, eland, various gazelle species, Kirk’s dik-dik, giraffe and, if we’re lucky, the elusive leopard. On a previous visit I was rewarded with a record 18 different cheetah in one day, as well as my best ever sightings of aardvark in over 30 years of photography!
On leaving Ndutu we will travel by road across the Serengeti plains, visiting Oldupai Gorge, the “Cradle of Mankind” en route to the famous Ngorongoro Crater, home to a very high density of lions, some of Africa’s best black rhino viewing, spectacular elephant bulls and a wide variety of other game species including Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Coke’s hartebeest and golden jackals. At Oldupai we will enjoy a brief informal lecture about the palaeo-anthropological diggings and discoveries that have taken place here over the years, by, among others, the famous husband-and-wife team of Louis and Mary Leakey. After enjoying a picnic lunch on our way up into the highlands from Oldupai we will spend the afternoon in the Crater floor. That night we stay at the Ngorongoro Sopa Hotel situated right on the crater rim, overlooking the crater itself. After an early start the next morning we‘ll tour the crater floor once more, seeking the Crater’s legendary big tuskers, black rhino and big cats. Ngorongoro Crater is also great for birding, particularly raptors and flamingos.
Due to the arrival times of most international flights in to Kilimanjaro (Arusha), Tanzania, the first night of the safari will be spent in a comfortable boutique hotel in the heart of Arusha, or a guest lodge in the midst of coffee plantations on the outskirts of town. Meals will be for your own account here, as many guests opt for room service after their late arrival.
The first day on safari will see guests travel by road through the bustling safari capital of Arusha before taking a scheduled charter flight across Maasailand and over the scenic Ngorongoro highlands to the renowned Ndutu area in the heart of the southern Serengeti. At this time of year Ndutu buzzes with international photographers and film crews, attracted by the spectacle provided by the wildebeest. Accommodation will either be in a tented safari camp, or the rustic Ndutu Lodge.
The next five nights will be spent in the Ndutu area from where we will head out early each morning, exploring the grassy plains and woodlands in the area, tracking the massed herds of wildebeest and zebra, watching the birth of new calves if we’re lucky, and seeking predators such as lion, cheetah and hyaena on the hunt. The area also teems with other wildlife, including elephants, eland, various gazelle species, Kirk’s dik-dik, giraffe and, if we’re lucky, the elusive leopard. On a previous visit I was rewarded with a record 18 different cheetah in one day, as well as my best ever sightings of aardvark in over 30 years of photography!
On leaving Ndutu we will travel by road across the Serengeti plains, visiting Oldupai Gorge, the “Cradle of Mankind” en route to the famous Ngorongoro Crater, home to a very high density of lions, some of Africa’s best black rhino viewing, spectacular elephant bulls and a wide variety of other game species including Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Coke’s hartebeest and golden jackals. At Oldupai we will enjoy a brief informal lecture about the palaeo-anthropological diggings and discoveries that have taken place here over the years, by, among others, the famous husband-and-wife team of Louis and Mary Leakey. After enjoying a picnic lunch on our way up into the highlands from Oldupai we will spend the afternoon in the Crater floor. That night we stay at the Ngorongoro Sopa Hotel situated right on the crater rim, overlooking the crater itself. After an early start the next morning we‘ll tour the crater floor once more, seeking the Crater’s legendary big tuskers, black rhino and big cats. Ngorongoro Crater is also great for birding, particularly raptors and flamingos.
The last day of the Tanzanian
leg of our safari sees us bidding farewell to the Crater and making our
way back overland to Arusha where we spend the night at the same hotel
in town we were in the first night, or head for the Kilimanjaro International Airport for outgoing connections. There will be an opportunity in Arusha to shop for the
acclaimed and rare Tanzanite and Tsavorite and other gemstones,
Tanzanite being mined at the only known gem-quality deposit on the
planet near the town. I have an excellent contact with an international
wholesale dealer here, and high quality stones at genuine bargain prices
can be expected.
Two Kori Bustards engage in a life & death territorial battle.
Flight Details:
International flights from your home to Kilimanjaro (Arusha),Tanzania and back again are for your own account and arrangement. You should plan on being in Arusha for the first night in our lodgings, and for departure from Nairobi on the afternoon or the night of our final day. I have not had good experiences with the “direct” flights to Kilimanjaro from Johannesburg and have preferred in recent years to fly via Nairobi, using SAA or Kenya Airways to Nairobi and Air Kenya/Regional Air from there to Kilimanjaro.
The cost of this safari is ENQUIRE per person sharing. The single supplement is $TBA. (To be confirmed when booking.)
The price includes: Full board accommodation sharing double rooms except in Arusha (B&B only), the scheduled charter flight from Arusha to the Serengeti, all viewing and park entrance fees including visits to the crater floor, all drives in customized four wheel drive transport and experienced professional guides including professional wildlife photographer Daryl Balfour who will help you learn more about your cameras and obtain better wildlife photographs.
The price excludes: International flights, drinks, laundry, airport departure taxes, Tanzania and Kenya visas where required (available on arrival at the airport or border post) and items of a personal nature, and meals at the hotel in Arusha.
For further details on prices and availability please contact us now as these safaris sell out each year. ENQUIRE NOW FOR MARCH-APRIL 2021 or 2022
