The Tarangire National Park is located between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. Among the rolling area where the park lies, it occupies an area of 2,600 square kilometres. The perennial Tarangire River takes over the northern part of Tarangire. Through the cut ditches, the River flows upwards up to when it leaves the corner of the park, in the North West flowing into Lake Burungi. There are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.

Thanks to its proximity to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park is usually assigned only a day visit as part of a larger northern-circuit itinerary. Yet it deserves much more, at least in the dry season (July to October). It’s a place where elephants dot the plains like cattle, and where lion roars and zebra barks fill the night.

But here the wildlife tells only half the story. Dominating the park’s 2850 sq. km, Tarangire’s great stands of epic baobabs should be reason enough to visit. There are also sun-blistered termite mounds in abundance, as well as grassy savannah plains and vast swamps. And cleaving the park in two is the Tarangire River, its meandering course and (in some places) steep banks providing a dry-season lure for animals and thus many stirring wildlife encounters for visitors.

Set in light acacia woodland in the south of the reserve, the Camp is a mobile tented facility which offers an authentic safari experience. Tarangire is a substantial national park which offers a subtle experience, but there are plenty of things to see, notably the wonderful baobab trees and a prodigious elephant during the June to November dry season.

The camp is centred on a pair of open-sided mess tents with lounge and dining areas, leading out to a camp-fire. Guest accommodation is in nine large guest tents with private indoor bathrooms. The tents are well-spaced and roomy; the meals are good; and the manager and staff couldn’t make you feel more welcome. Activities focus on daytime safaris (evening safaris are occasional rather than regular), hot-air ballooning (always a real eye-opener), walking safaris and game viewing from each tent’s private veranda.

ACTIVITIES
Activities are focused on daytime vehicle safari, with options for balloon safari, walking safaris and night game drives.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area holds the status of a National Park. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans 8,300 square kilometres, stretching from the Rift Valley to the Serengeti. About 2.5 million years ago the young Ngorongoro Volcano became filled with molten rock that then solidified into a crust or roof. As the lava chamber emptied, the solid dome collapsed and from this was formed the largest caldera in the world. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) offers one of the richest wildlife viewing experiences on the African continent.

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 is undoubtedly the best place in Africa to see the Big Five, and photo opportunities are superb. The mineral-rich floor of the crater is covered in nutritious grasses, attracting great herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle that can even be seen from the crater rim, swarming across the landscape in great columns. Populations of predators are extraordinarily high and lion and cheetah roam freely, and elusive leopard can often be spotted darting in and out of the Lerai forest.

It was recently voted one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the last remaining areas in Tanzania where you can see the endangered Black Rhino. A small population is thriving in this idyllic environment, and it remains one of the few wild places where they continue to breed.

In the conservation area lives 56,000 Masai in harmony with the East African Wildlife. Seeing the Masai let their herds share the grazing areas with thousands of Wildebeests and Zebras is unique phenomenon. The encircled grasslands of the crater floor offer excellent game viewing year-round with 25,000 large mammals, including black rhino, zebra and eland, and Africa’s densest population of lion. The rainforests of the crater walls are home to elephant, buffalo, leopard and cheetah, making for spectacular game viewing.

As well as the spectacular wildlife viewing, the NCA is also renowned for its extraordinary flora and fauna. The region is a botanist’s dream, showcasing a landscape of mountain forests, open grass plains and swampy marshland, each with a splendid variety of vegetation and fern species.

At Ngorongoro Crater, you will see dormant and active volcanoes, archaeological treasures, rivers, forests, lakes, grass and sand dunes. A Ngorongoro safari is one for the books!.

Set on hills in Karatu area mid-way between Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, the lodge is located 20 minute drive from the Lodoare gate to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The Lodge has a total of 22 rooms & suites coming in different categories and widely distributed in the flower gardens. Each room is individually designed with own style of decoration, some with verandahs and direct access to the garden, but all with bathrooms en-suite and comfortable beds with mosquito netting.

The restaurant offers fresh variety of vegetables, salads, herbs and fruits all untreated and organically produced in the lodge gardens. Other facilities include a swimming pool, internet café, curio shop / gift shop, guided walks to neighbouring coffee plantation, visits to a local farm adjacent to the lodge, and the bountiful gardens of tropical plants and colourful flowers which are the centre-piece of the lodge.

The Central Serengeti, home to a dizzying array of wildlife, big cats galore and those quintessential rippling grass plains. The camp is permanently located in Central Serengeti, taking advantage of the year-round wildlife viewing the Seronera Valley and nearby areas have to offer.

The Central Serengeti is famous for its healthy populations of large cats, permanent game around the Seronera River, and the Hippo Pool.

A relative newcomer to the Serengeti safari scene, the camp opened in May 2015 and is really rather lovely. Perched atop a small hill, the bush views stretch endlessly from your tent door and the high season crowds seem a distant memory. Nothing is too much trouble here and the experienced team will spoil you from the moment you leap off the Jeep. It may be new, but it’s is all about old-school hospitality and game viewing that you will never forget.

The camp has of 10 en-suite tents, with private shaded veranda. There is large dining tent and fire pit of evening camp fires, as well as a separate lounge area which includes a bar and a well-stocked library.

Tents are furnished, all boasting with an en-suite bathroom and antique fittings. Each features a full-length window that overlook the surrounding areas, including flush toilets and a safari style bucket shower.

ACTIVITY
Serengeti Park game drives with packed lunch! There is plenty to keep you busy with game drives in open vehicles to maximize on wildlife viewings, options for having bush dinners and bush breakfasts, a romantic private dinner under the stars and campfires in the evening. Complimentary full board meals are served at the camp. Local and continental meals can be ordered through the onsite restaurant and the well-stocked bar serves soft and alcoholic drinks. Perfect for those looking for an authentic safari experience.

Serengeti National Park is located in Northern Tanzania and covers an area of about 14.670 km². The park was founded in 1920 and became a National Park in 1951. The Park is especially famous for it’s immense Wildebeest and Zebra herds, but it is not without reason that it is also known as the best place for observation wildlife in general.

The Serengeti is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. The Serengeti migration is as remarkable as it is impressive. This migration takes place twice a year within Kenya and Tanzania and is considered one of the greatest migrations of wildlife on the planet. Its ecosystem is spread across 60,000 square kilometres and is home to the largest diverse concentration of wildlife and famous for infamous for the migration of nearly two million Wildebeests, Zebras, and Antelopes.

The Great Migration is as old as human history. Fossils that were found in the Olduvai canyon, prove that Wildebeests have already been using the planes of the Serengeti for their migration over a million years ago. Already to those times, they were following the rains through the Serengeti.

The yearly cycle begins in the south of the park, where half a million calves are born between January and March. But when the rains end in May the land dries fast and the grazing animals must move on, heading for their dry season refuge in the Masai Mara. The key players in this 1,200-mile odyssey are the wildebeest – 1.5 million of them – accompanied by 200,000 zebras, 350,000 Thompson’s’ impala and Grant’s gazelles. For them, every year is an endless journey, chasing the rains in a race for life.

The action takes place across 150,000 square miles of woodlands, hills and open plains, a wilderness that includes not only the Serengeti national park and Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve but also the dispersal areas beyond. With the beginning of the short rains in late October the migration makes its way back into the Serengeti, so this a good time to be anywhere in the north of the park. By December, having emerged from the northern woodlands, the herds return past Seronera to mass on their calving grounds again and the circle is complete. But as soon as the rains return the wildebeest head back to the Serengeti, drawn towards their calving grounds in the park’s deep south. Between January and March, when the calves are born, there is nowhere on Earth so vibrantly alive.

When the rains end in May the wildebeest make tracks for the Masai Mara. Some take Route One – north across the Seronera Valley. Others swing through the Western Corridor, but for all of them the journey is beset with danger. For a start there are the famous Serengeti lions – about 3,000 at the last count – to which can be added leopards and cheetahs, hungry hyena clans and monster crocodiles. The river crossing is most likely one on the most dramatic events in the Serengeti!
The exact dates of the actual river crossing is always a mystery but it is usually around the end of July through mid-August.

THE CENTRAL SERENGETI
This area is the vibrant, beating heart of the Serengeti. The Central Serengeti sees high volumes of visitors due to the large amounts of resident wildlife. This gives travellers a high chance of seeing wildlife in the least amount of time. The central Serengeti is the quintessential image of a Serengeti safari; stretches of savanna grassland dotted with acacia and baobab trees. The Seronera River Valley is beautiful and the year-round water supply keeps the area rich in predator and prey. The Central Serengeti is a year-round destination thanks to the resident wildlife and reaches its peak in the dry season from June to November.

WESTERN CORRIDOR and GRUMETI
The Western Corridor is a remote section of the Serengeti which stretches to Lake Victoria. This area is well known for the Grumeti River which is the scene of treacherous river crossings that form part of the Great Migration. Thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle make their way across the crocodile infested waters en-route to the lush plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. The best time to witness these crossings is from late May to mid-July.

NORTHERN SERENGETI
The Northern Serengeti is a quiet area of the Serengeti thanks to its remote and secluded location. Expect far fewer crowds here as it requires long travel times to get to the northern area. The trip is worth it as the Northern Serengeti’s landscapes are varied and beautiful and it is home to exciting wildlife. It is also where travellers can watch the dramatic Mara River crossings. Herds that are thousands strong make the dangerous crossing, attempting to avoid the crocodiles as they do so. The best time to visit with a high chance of seeing the river crossings is from July to September.

SOUTHERN SERENGETI
Serengeti translates loosely to “endless plains” in the local Masai language. It could be argued that the seemingly never ending, short grass plains of the Southern Serengeti were the inspiration for the name. This seasonal safari destination is the most accessible area of the Serengeti and stretches from the Central Serengeti and the Seronera to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Lake Ndutu region is dotted with alkaline lakes home to flocks of pink flamingos. This area is great for game viewing during the Great Migration from December to March. Most excitingly, the lush plains are the perfect destination and backdrop for the calving season during February when about half a million calves are born over a 2-3-week period and join the ranks of the huge herds.

EASTERN SERENGETI
The Eastern Serengeti is definitely ‘off the beaten path’ and is one of the most starkly beautiful sections of the Serengeti. Made up of grass plains, rivers and rocky outcrops, this area does not see many tourists but is an exciting safari destination. It is home to all three species of big cat (leopard, lion and cheetah) with a noticeably high concentration of cheetah. The wildlife viewing in the eastern Serengeti is at its best during the dry season and reaches its pinnacle in November when the Great Migration passes through.

The camp is designed to be lightweight enough to move seasonally, is located in the Ndutu area from December through March. The camp relocates to Western Serengeti from May through June, and again to Northern Serengeti from July through November. Operates off-the-grid and relies on a custom built solar system for its power.

The perfect place to return to after an exhilarating day of game drives, the camp blends an authentic bush experience with delicious food and a comfortable atmosphere. Relax on your tent’s verandah and learn to expect the unexpected as you watch life in the Serengeti unfold.

Accommodation includes 5 double en-suite tents, 3 family en-suite tents accommodating up to 2 adults and 2 children and a private, shaded verandah overlooking the Serengeti ecosystem. Room fabrics are African designs, and the camp’s furniture was commissioned and crafted by artisans in Arusha, Tanzania.

From December through March, the wildebeest migration moves in and out of the Ndutu area. Ndutu is located in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, just south of Serengeti National Park. The camp’s location provides easy access to prime game viewing areas around Lakes Ndutu and Masek. In addition to the almost two million wildebeest and zebra that move through the area each year, Ndutu is home to cheetah, lion, giraffe and hundreds of bird species. During February’s calving season, the wildebeest give birth to 8,000 babies a day.

From May through June, the camp relocates to Western Serengeti. The wildebeest migration is generally in this area during this time, and crossings over the Grumeti River are sometimes seen in this area. Access to Central Serengeti is also possible from this area as the drive is only 2 hours.

From July through November, the camp is located in Northern Serengeti. The camp is close to the Mara River, allowing easy access to several river crossing points in the area. During this time of year, the wildebeest migration is crossing the Mara River back and forth from Tanzania to Kenya. River crossings are common with crocodiles, hippos and large cats scattered throughout the area

ACTIVITIES
Full day game drives along the Mara river and surrounding the large migration!