Zebras and Wildebeest mix in vast herd during the migratory period.
SAFARI POST TOUR EXTENSION TO TANZANIA DURING ANIMAL
MIGRATION PERIOD
JANUARY 17-22, 2010
Zebras and Wildebeest mix in vast herd during the migratory period.
January 17 (Sunday): FLY ENTEBBE, UGANDA/NAIROBI, KENYA/KILIMANJARO,
TANZANIA
After breakfast transfer to the Entebbe airport for your flight to Nairobi
and then connect to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. On arrival at Kilimanjaro
International Airport you will be met by a representative and driven to
Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We may stop en route at the bustling towns of
Mto-wa-mbu, where there is a lively curio market, and then on to Karatu, a rich
farming area. We then weave our way upwards into the densely forested slopes of
the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, pausing to admire the splendid view of the
crater floor 600 m below at Heroes Point.(B,D)
Transfer to the Ngorongoro Farm House and spend two nights on a full
board basis.
Ngorongoro Farm House is perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater,
offering a breath taking view of the crater. It is 2,286 metres above sea level.
Most of it’s 75 en suite bedrooms offer stunning uninterrupted views of the
crater. The lodge offers simple comfort and has a restaurant, bar, lounge and a
scenic terrace overlooking the outstanding view.
Inside the herd
Wildebeest
January 18 (Monday):NGORONGORO CRATER - FARM HOUSE
Today we head down into the caldera below and spend time enjoying game
viewing in one of the most spectacular places on earth! Photographic
opportunities are abundant, and one often sees four out of the Big Five in a
short time! We will have a picnic lunch at the floor of the crater at a pleasant
lakeside location where we can stretch our legs and soak up the magnificent
scenery. Lunch will be a packed lunch.
Overnight at the Ngorongoro Farm House on a full board basis. (B,L,D)
Bird flock.....................Acacia tree sunrise...........Elephant...........Hippo
At 8, 300 sq km Ngorongoro Conservation Area is named after its central
feature, the Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world’s largest intact volcanic
caldera and within which has evolved an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some
of Africa’s densest populations of large mammals. The crater floor itself is 260
sq kms and from the viewing points at the rim the vast herds of wildebeest,
buffalo and zebra look like mere ant formations winding their way across the
grasslands below! The crater is also home to a great diversity of environments
and you may encounter all of the large herbivores mentioned above, as well as
lions, hyenas, jackals, male elephant (females and family groups tend to stay up
on the higher slopes) and, in the forest around the rim, occasional leopard and
bushbuck. There is an active black rhino breeding project inside the crater and
you may be lucky enough to spot some of these magnificent, shy beasts during
your tour, but sightings are limited as breeding areas are strictly protected
and usually closed to public access.
The crater rim can be very cold at night and cloaked in mist in the early
mornings.
Ngorongoro Crater
January 19 (Tuesday): DRIVE TO SERGENTI NATIONAL PARK
This morning we embark on a game drive into the great Serengeti plains.
Before crossing from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the Serengeti
National Park we should take the opportunity to visit the Olduvai Gorge where we
may attend a short talk on the archaeological importance of Olduvai and the work
of Mary and Louis Leakey in excavating the area and discovering some of Africa’s
most important hominid fossils. The Olduvai Gorge bears the distinction of
having the oldest known evidence of Elephant consumption, attributed to Homo
ergaster around 1.8 million years ago. The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is
commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in
the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the
eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles long.
Olduvai Gorge
You may like to consider an optional extra of a visit to a Masai village boma
where you can spend some time learning about the culture, traditions and beliefs
of this ancient, noble warrior tribe. This is at an additional cost, and should
be discussed with the guide, and paid directly to the guide and the Masai.
Masai people
The Serengeti is unequalled for its beauty and contains more than three
million large mammals spread over the vast endless plains. It is here, at
certain times of the year, that we may encounter the breathtaking spectacle of
the annual wildebeest migration, where one and a quarter million wildebeest trek
in columns of up to forty kilometres long in search of grazing, drawing with
them their predators and numerous other species of game. From January to March
the herds can largely be found in the southern area, proceeding north through
the center and Western Corridor during June and July before entering Kenya’s
Masai Mara. They return south in November to repeat this amazing instinctive
procession all over again.
Camp site
Serengeti Wilderness Camp: Spend 3 nights here with a private vehicle and
guide who will take you on all day game drives. All meals included. This new
camp is a seasonal camp, which is relocated every three months or so, to follow
the game's movement. We endeavour to get sites that are close to the best game
viewing at certain times of the year, but also preferably not in busy areas of
the park - as we like to offer a true wilderness experience. There are only 10
en-suite tents, with twin beds, solar lighting and hot water bush showers. A
large dining tent with bar, as well as a comfortable lounge area with a small
reference library, and a typical safari campfire make up the balance of the
facilities. Unlike most lodges, your guide may join you for meals etc, and be
available for you at all hours. The camp runs in as eco-friendly way as
possible, with all waste etc. being disposed of under Park’s guidelines. Please
enquire at the time of booking as to where the camp will be located. Lunch today
is a packed lunch. (B,L,D)
A lion in the park
January 20 (Wednesday) and January 21 (Thursday): SERENGETI
NATIONAL PARK
Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park. Note from
earlier photos above that game drives are in open air vehicles so you can get an
unencumbered via of the wildlife.
Reedbuck.....................Warthog...........Cheetah........................Ostrich
Africa’s most famous game reserve covers an area of almost 15 000 sq km and
is world-renowned for its dense predator population and the annual wildebeest
migration. The park is part of the much large Serengeti eco-system, which
includes Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve, and encompasses more than double this
area. The greater park of the park is open grassland, patches of acacia woodland
and isolated areas of granite rock outcrops called koppies. Animal migration is
linked to the annual rainfall patterns and its effect on their feeding habitats.
Serengeti tent camp interior
Formerly the home of the Maasai tribe who displaced the Datoga
pastoralists in the 17th century, the name Serengeti is derived from the Masai
word serengit, meaning ‘endless plain’. The national park was created by the
Tanzania Government in 1951 and became famous through the work of Professor
Bernard Grzimek (in particular his book ‘Serengeti Shall Not Die’).
Huge herds of wildebeest and zebra can be found here along with smaller
concentrations of Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, impala, kongoni, Kirk’s
dik dik, klipspringer and small numbers of roan, oryx, oribi, eland and
waterbuck. There are also significant numbers of buffalo, giraffe and warthog.
Elephants are relatively scarce on the open plains, more common in the northern
areas and the western corridor. The few remaining black rhinos are restricted to
an inaccessible part of the park. But the most popular animals to be found here
in greater abundance than elsewhere on the northern circuit are the cats.
Lions, cheetahs and leopard may all be seen here along with other predators,
such as the spotted hyena, golden and black-backed jackals, wild cats and
servals.
Overnight at the Serengeti Wilderness Camp on a full board basis.(B,L,D)
Herd of zebras in the Serengeti
January 22 (Friday):CHARTER FLIGHT TO ARUSHA, TANZANI -
TRANSFER TO NAIROBI, KENYA (6)
Morning game drive on the way to the airstrip. Transfer to Seronera airstrip
for your scheduled flight to Arusha. Flying in
the Serengeti could be said to have begun with Martin and Osa Johnson, who took
their Sikorsky amphibian planes up from Cape Town in 1933 and covered 60,000
miles of Africa. They landed at Seronera and spent two weeks photographing
lions.
It is an exceptionally scenic flight over the highlands of Ngorongoro, across
the vast expanse of the Rift Valley escarpments, and through the green coffee
plantations surrounding Arusha Airport. On a clear day you will see amazing
views of Mount Meru’s dark profile rising up above the town, cloaked in wisps of
cloud, and sometimes Kilimanjaro in the distance. If clear, the views of the
active volcano, Ol Donyo Lengai (means the Home of God in Masai language), are
also amazing. This 2878 m high volcano erupts sporadically, sending small
streams of grey lava down the crater rim and spitting hot ash high into the air.
Breakfast only today, can pick up a light lunch before getting on the shuttle
bus. Shuttle bus transfer from Arusha to Nairobi departing about 2:00pm and arriving
into Nairobi around 8pm. End of tour.(B)
Ol Donyo Lengai volcano in eruption
Mount Meru.
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