THE GREAT MIGRATION SAFARI KENYA – TANZANIA IN STYLE

Meet and greet upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International airport (JRO) exit point by our team, pick up and transfer to your Karatu hotel. Check in freshen up and spend the rest of the day at your hotel, an oasis of serenity amidst one of Africa’s most vibrant cosmopolitan capital cities. Overnight stay in Karatu (with breakfast included) BB

After an early breakfast, pack your bags and depart with your driver to Ngorongoro Crater, an early start to the day is best in order to avoid the later influx of tourists into the Ngorongoro Crater. The park gate opens at 0600 Am, so it is best to be there as close to this time as possible. There are a number of lions which are typically larger in size than an average lion due the large amount of game in the area. The crater floor tends to get very busy, with there often being numerous vehicles at any wildlife sighting.

The Ngorongoro Crater is a large, unbroken, un-flooded caldera, formed when a giant volcano erupted and collapsed some three million years ago. Had it not become a caldera, it is possible that the volcanic mountain would be about the same height as Kilimanjaro. The caldera is 600m deep, 16km across and 265 sq km in area. Enjoy the spectacular scenery and game viewing, in what has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. Many of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino can be seen grazing on the open grassland of the crater floor, surrounded by some of the 25,000 large animals that occupy the crater, including lion, cheetah, wildebeest, eland, zebra and gazelle. Flamingo, among other bird species, can often be seen feeding at Makat Soda Lake as well. Late -afternoon drive to your lodge in Serengeti for your overnight stay. (with lunch, dinner & breakfast)

Highlights:
 A natural wonder of the world and is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
 The crater is packed with wildlife, including the big 5.
 Best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include black-mane males.
 Flamingos and a variety of other water birds around the soda lake on the crater floor.

Relax with a full day in the endless plain of Serengeti with game drives – unequalled for its beauty and home to the Great Wildebeest Migration. The huge herds of plains game such as wildebeest, zebra and antelope dominate the park while the attendant predators such as lion and cheetah are to be found amongst the many kopjes scattered across the plain. Its landscape varies from open grass plains in the south, savanna with scattered acacia trees in the center, hilly, wooded grassland in the north, to extensive woodland and black clay plains to the west.

Highlights:
 Meet the Masaai people of Tanzania (optional)
 Visit the Cradle of Mankind (optional)
 The Serengeti – host the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of animals indigenous in the area.
 Entering the Big cat area of Tanzania
 More than 30 species of large herbivores and nearly 500 species of birds

Depending on your preference, there are a couple of options with regards to how your day is structured in the Serengeti. One option could be to start your day with an early morning Balloon excursion followed with picnic breakfast at the end, second option is to break camp early and head out with a picnic breakfast on a morning game drive, returning to camp in time for lunch. Alternatively, you can eat breakfast in camp and head out with a picnic lunch on an afternoon game drive, returning in the mid-afternoon. In the evening transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay. (with lunch, dinner & breakfast)

Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Masai Mara Ecosystem (Wildebeest Migration)
Every year, around 1.5 million wildebeest; 350,000 Thomson’s gazelles; 200,000 zebras; and thousands of eland and other ungulates (hoofed animals) participate in ‘the greatest wildlife show on Earth’, The Great Wildebeest Migration throughout the Ngorongoro, Famous Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystem, when the grassy plains of the southernmost Serengeti begin to dry and the start of short rain in Mara the ever-moving columns of wildebeest follow an age-old route in search of grazing and water that takes them across to the plains of the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya

From December to March the Wildebeest migration congregates around the Ndutu area (the area is shared in both Ngorongoro – Serengeti), in the far south of the Serengeti. April to May, the Wildebeest migration moves north into the plains of the central Serengeti. Between June and July, the Wildebeest migration splits in two; one group goes West into the Western Corridor before crossing the Grumeti River, the other heads directly to the North of the Serengeti. August to October the herd has reformed, and meanders on the Kenya and Tanzania border, along the banks of the mighty Mara River. Returning south from the beginning of November. Unpredictable Nature the path of the Wildebeest migration is dependent on rain and that is what determines late or early crossing between Serengeti and Masai Mara (as also shown in the migration map below) however the dry & crossing seasons may change every year due to global warming. The three groups of migrant grazers take advantage of different heights of grass, which means they stick to their own kind with only a small overlap in their distributions.

It is unclear how the wildebeest know which way to go, but it is generally believed that their journey is dictated primarily by their response to the weather; they follow the rains and the growth of new grass. While there is no scientific proof of it, some experts believe that the animals react to lightning and thunderstorms in the distance. It has even been suggested that wildebeest can locate rain more than 50km away the endless plains of East Africa bear witness to the great annual migration of over a million wildebeest and zebras as they make their way between Kenya and Tanzania in search of fresh grazing pastures and water. In the latter case, the herds may split and later re-group.

Serengeti to Isebania/Sirare crossing the border & proceed to Maasai Mara Kenyan side;

Depart after early breakfast with lunch box driving to the Tanzania/ Kenya border of Isebania/Sirare to arrive from 1200hrs onwards and proceed to Maasai Mara game reserve. Masai Mara has an amazing landscape that resulted from the same tectonic forces that created the Great Rift Valley millions of years ago. Enjoy a game drive en-route to the border, your camp. Overnight Maasai Mara (with lunch, dinner & breakfast)

Isebania – Masai Mara (Approximately a 4 Hours’ Drive): After border formalities and thereafter crossing to the Kenyan side by our team, proceed to the world famous Masai Mara game reserve. Masai Mara Park formalities and transfer to your lodge with game drive en-route. Check in at the lodge and enjoy dinner and overnight stay

Masai Mara Game Reserve: The Maasai Mara (also known as the Masai Mara, and locally simply as The Mara) is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people (the ancestral inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Maasai language of Maa, due to the many trees which dot the landscape. It is world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs and elephant, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and other antelope, to and from the Serengeti every year known as the Great Migration. The Masai Mara “Big Five” are the Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino.

The Greater Mara Ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies, including: Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.

Early morning breakfast and depart the lodge with your packed lunch boxes for a full day game viewing across the rich tree studded grassland and rolling hills. At lunchtime, our guide will pick a scenic (and safe) spot where you will enjoy your lunch and hear animals howling, birds chirping and the mighty Mara River flowing across the savannah bringing life to the park. After watching more of the spectacle that never gets dull, head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

*Note* On this day clients can choose to have AM & PM game drives this need to be organized with our driver guide the day before.

EXTRA OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS MASAI MARA:
Masai Village Visit: A visit to a Maasai Boma (Masai village tour) is an interesting experience. On arrival at the village, you can expect to be greeted in the traditional manner, excited children and adults welcome you with song and dance, at certain times, and one of the dancers will jump up and down gracefully. The jumps are several feet high and as they jump higher the singers will raise the pitch of their voices. You will be invited to try jumping – (dancing), too. Thereafter receive a warm welcome into the unique oval, dome shaped homesteads (called Manyatta). The homesteads are made of cow dung and clay plastered over stick frames with thatched roofs, it is the job of the Maasai women to build these sturdy dwellings. Get a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history, culture and lifestyle of these Maasai. There is also the opportunity to learn about some of the customary practices, such as fire-making or beadwork, and to speak to the villagers in their homes.

Masai Village Visit Tour Supplement: $20 per person

Masai Mara Balloon Safari Experience: The adventure begins just before dawn. Guests assemble at the launch site for a briefing as the flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crews inflate their craft. As the dawn breaks the hot air balloon fills and then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-colored canopy, you’re off for a wildlife viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. What amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness: the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara. The flight lasts around an hour, drifting wherever the air currents take you. There are ample opportunities for photography and video filming. Then your Kenyan Hot Air Balloon Safari finishes with a flourish. In the time-honored tradition of balloon flights, the world over, you toast your return to earth with a champagne breakfast, cooked wherever you land.

Kindly note* Balloon Safari age limit 8 years and above: Balloon Safari Supplement: $450 per person

Masai Mara – Nakuru (Approximately 5Hours’ Drive)

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast, check out from the safari lodge and enjoy a final game drive en-route to Lake Nakuru. Check in at the lodge, have lunch served and day at leisure to enjoy the facilities the Lodge has to offer. In the evening, thrill up your day by enjoying a ‘Spice’ game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park which has a spectacular landscape of bush land; housing a huge diversity of wildlife not forgetting the famous white Rhino and the panoramic views of the beautiful sceneries along the shores of the lake offering you an opportunity of seeing millions of migratory birds and huge numbers of flamingo (Depending on the season). In the evening transfer back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Lake Nakuru National Park: Lake Nakuru National Park is plentiful and magnificent, the Park is a home to stunning flocks of lesser and Greater flamingos, which literally turn the lakeshores into a magnificent pink stretch (Depending on the Season). The bird life here is world renowned and over 400 birds’ species exist here, White Pelicans, Plovers, Egrets and Marabou Stork. It is also one of the very few places in Africa to see the White Rhino and rare Rothschild Giraffe.

Nakuru – Nairobi (Approximately a 3 Hours’ Drive) – Depart: Enjoy a relaxed breakfast, check out and drive to Nairobi. Upon arrival in Nairobi, transfer to JKIA airport for your International flight home. here you will bid farewell to your guide for your onward journey. it is with great regret to inform you that your Tanzania & Kenya vacation has come to an end. While the memories will last forever, we do hope you will return one day to retrace the steps of the adventure you just completed with us. We wish you a safe and enjoyable trip to your next destination/flight home. NB; Speak to us to add beach holiday in Diani beach Kenya or Spice Island of Zanzibar.

END OF YOUR TANZANIA & KENYA HOLIDAY