SERENGETI PREDATORS

Itinerary

Highlights
 
• Predators of the Serengeti eco-system
• Resident and nomadic predator interactions
• Predator and prey interactions
• Great lion viewing, plus anticipated good cheetah and leopard

The core feature of this safari is to photograph the predators of the Serengeti eco-system.

We have timed this safari for the period when the wildebeest are calving in the southern area of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation area. They have followed the rains south to have their young when the new shoots of fresh green grass are sprouting in this region of the Great Rift Valley.
With so much inexperienced food around, predator and prey interact daily, predators start hunting in earnest.

Nomadic predators move through local territories and there is often interaction with the resident predators.

Nights are spent mostly under canvas, and we plan to host you at our seasonal camps in the southern Ndutu area of the Serengeti eco-system, as well as spending time in our centrally located Serengeti Wilderness camp.

Inside your spacious safari vehicle you will find a selection of reference books on Tanzania’s parks, history, its flora and fauna, and a
cool-box for drinks. In our specially customised extended landcruisers the windows are enlarged and the roof height extended to
allow ease of photography and game-viewing, with plenty of room to stretch your legs.

Our standard land cruisers are also very comfortably customised for safari and both types of vehicles have game viewing hatches that allow 360 degree views.

Your guide and their assistants are experienced professionals who will prioritise your comfort and safety as well as ensuring optimal
game-viewing opportunities throughout you safari with us.
 
Day 1 – Arusha – (11 March)

Arrive Kilimanjaro International airport. On arrival you will be met and
transferred to Kigongoni Lodge, or similar, near Arusha for the night. No
meals included tonight.

Kigongoni Lodge is located on an historical 70-acre coffee farm near
Arusha, amid natural forest. Sitting on a hilltop with lush gardens, the lodge offers breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. The rooms, cocktail lounge and restaurant - all with fireplaces - are
furnished in an intimate and comfortable manner, maximizing the site's unique views and natural features.

The 18 large, 60²m cottages are all built in African styles and materials. They all have large verandas with views of either MountMeru or Mount Kilimanjaro. Each cottage has a four-poster bed with large mosquito net, a large bathroom area with separateshower and bathtub, writing- and sitting area, and a fireplace. 

Day 2 (12 March) – Manyara - Ngorongoro

We will set off this morning, after breakfast and a short briefing, to Ngorongoro Highlands, via the Rift Valley and the beautiful Lake Manyara National Park – where we will spend most of the day.

We will enjoy the balance of the day exploring the park, with a picnic lunch. For those interested, we can include a visit to a local village/community on the edge of the park. Toward the end of the day, we will climb steadily up the steep escarpment to the bustling farming town of Karatu, and into the Ngorongoro Highlands… to overnight at a lodge on the crater rim. All meals included.

Overnight Ngorongoro Serena Lodge or similar. Remember it’s cold on the crater rim at night, so bring some warm clothing!

We have selected one of the lodges on the crater rim, in order to allow photography from the top of the crater…. duringsunrise/sunset. 

Day 3-5 (13-15 March ) –Ngorongoro – Serengeti South

Today we head down into the caldera of Ngorongoro Crater, where you will spend the balance of the day game viewing and takingsome fantastic scenic photographs. 

Ngorongoro Crater is one of the natural wonders of the world. A large volcanic caldera, with an area of 259 square kilometres, itcontains a huge variety of game and birds and is often referred to as a microcosm of Africa with its dramatic weather changes andvaried terrains consisting of forest, grasslands and both freshwater and soda lakes.Late in the day we head down to the open plains of the Serengeti eco-system, staying in the Ndutu region of the NgorongoroConservation area, in the south where we anticipate a lot of action.

Nights here will be spent at our Ngorongoro Wilderness Camp, asmall (10 tents) intimate, eco-friendly tented camp – in the heart ofthe bush! The camp has comfortably appointed tents, with qualitybeds and linens, bush-shower and toilet ensuite… a lounge anddining area where guests can unwind at the end of the day andwhere we plan to ‘compare notes’ on the day’s photography.

Recharging facilities will be available for camera batteries etc, via inverters from batteries charged by solar panels.We will spend three nights here. 

Day 6-8 (16-18 March) – Central Serengeti

We will slowly meander our way toward the central region of the Serengeti, to spend time at our seasonal camp – Serengeti Wilderness Camp.

Three nights will be spent here, allowing time to photograph some of the resident game, and capture some of the potential early movement of game - and possibly enjoy a balloon safari(optional - must be pre booked).

The central area is well known for its good viewing of cats particularly leopard and cheetah… as well as lion hiding out in some of the pretty koppies nearby.

Our ‘seasonal’ Serengeti Wilderness Camp is designed in the safari style of oldendays – simple, but comfortable with every need being taken care of. Each campcomprises of only 10 tents, each comfortablyfurnished with proper beds, duvets, ecofriendly toilet and shower ensuite.The Serengeti is unequalled for its beauty and contains more than three million largemammals spread over the vast endless plains.

It is here, at certain times of the year, that wemay 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 centre 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.

Africa’s most famous national park covers an area of almost 15000 sq km and is world renownedfor its dense predator population and the annual wildebeest migration. The park is part of the much larger 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 woodlandand isolated areas of granite rock outcrops called koppies. Animal migration is linked to the annual rainfall patterns and its effect on their feeding habitats. Formerly the home of the Maasai tribe who displaced the Datoga pastoralists in the 17th century, the name Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word serengit, meaning ‘endless plain’.

The national park was created by the TanzaniaGovernment in 1951 and became famous through the work of Professor Bernard Grzimek (in particular his book ‘Serengeti ShallNot 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 did 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 popularanimals 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.  

Day 9 (19 March) – Serengeti-Arusha

From the central area of Serengeti, we will fly back to Arusha, a pretty flight over the Ngorongoro highlands.

Met on arrival and transferred to Kigongoni Lodge or similar, for the final night.

Picnic lunch will be supplied for the flight out. Dinner for own account this evening. 

Day 10 (20 March) – Safari Ends

Breakfast at your lodge, and a transfer to the Kilimanjaro Intl Apt, ends your safari.