THE GREAT MIGRATION!
THE ANNUAL GREAT MIGRATION
Migration details
WHEN TO GO?
The allure of the Serengeti and Masai Mara extends throughout the year, offering a captivating wildlife experience regardless of the season. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Migration isn't a one-time event; it's a perpetual cycle that unfolds year-round. The vast Serengeti ecosystem is a dynamic landscape, and while the migration's location may vary, the spectacle of animals on the move is a constant. The wildebeest, zebras, and other herbivores engage in a continuous circular migration, following the availability of fresh grass and water. This means that visitors can witness the breathtaking phenomenon of migration at different stages, from river crossings to calving seasons, providing a unique and immersive experience at any time. Whether it's the lush greenery of the rainy season or the dramatic river crossings during the dry season, the Serengeti and Masai Mara offer a year-round invitation to explore the unparalleled wonders of East Africa's wildlife.
PEAK "MIGRATION SEASON"
In late July and early August, the Masai Mara region transforms into a theater of nature's grandeur as the annual Great Migration reaches its climax. This extraordinary spectacle unfolds along the Mara River, where hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and other herbivores undertake the perilous journey from the southern Serengeti in Tanzania to the lush plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. The Mara River crossings become the focal point of this awe-inspiring event, as the migrating herds face the daunting challenge of navigating through crocodile-infested waters. The air is charged with anticipation as the animals gather on the riverbanks, hesitating before plunging into the currents. The heart-stopping moments of river crossings are both a testament to the instinct for survival and a dramatic display of the circle of life. It's a riveting chapter in the natural history of East Africa that draws wildlife enthusiasts and adventurers alike, seeking to witness the raw beauty and drama of the animal kingdom in its most primal state.
A year-round invitation to explore the unparalleled wonders of East Africa's wildlife!
WHY YOU’D LOVE IT!
Enter classic safari country—the Serengeti in Tanzania! Endless, beautiful & wild: plains teeming with the Big-5, zebras, giraffes, countless rare species and so much more…
Spend unforgettable days at the unforgettable Tarangire National Park where your luxury safari lodge, fantastic game safari, magnificent views and renowned elephants await.
UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngorongoro Crater is home to splendid wildlife, including rare black rhinos, hyenas and lions.
Serengeti National park, Serengeti meaning an ‘extended place’, is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, never mind Africa
Revel in the diverse wild terrains and exclusivity of Kenya’s Olerai Conservancy!
OVERVIEW
Itinerary at a glance
◽️ DAY 1 | Kenya
Arrival in Nairobi
◽️ DAY 2-3 | Tanzania
Tarangire NP
◽️ DAY 4-5 | Tanzania
Ngorongoro Crater
◽️ DAY 6-7 | Tanzania
Serengeti NP
◽️ DAY 8-10 | Kenya
Olerai Conservancy
◽️ DAY 11 | Return
End of safari
MAP
MAP
Visualize your journey!
DAY 0 | Dates to be updated
DEPARTURE
Travel
DEPARTURE
Your adventure starts now!
Embark on an African safari and anticipate breathtaking landscapes, encountering diverse and majestic wildlife in their natural habitats, and immersing yourself in the rich cultural experiences of the continent.
* See your safari itinerary for transfer logistics
DAY 1
NAIROBI (Kenya)
Nairobi overnight
📍 Tamarind Tree Hotel
TAMARIND TREE HOTEL
Bed & Breakfast, drinks excl.
Nairobi is Kenya’s capital city. In addition to its urban core, the city has Nairobi National Park, a large game reserve known for breeding endangered black rhinos and home to giraffes, zebras and lions. Next to it is a well-regarded elephant orphanage operated by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Located in Nairobi, with easy access to Nairobi's Wilson airport. The perfect arrival spot and arrival overnight accommodation.Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is approx 10 miles away
B&B
HOTEL
OVERNIGHT
DAY 2-3
TARANGIRE NP
Safari days!
📍 Nduvo Camp
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Area Overview
Safari days
NDUVO CAMP
Camp Overview
Full board, premium drinks excl.
Each day on safari in Africa is a magical experience, whether you’re exploring the savanna on foot or in a 4x4 vehicle in search of the Big 5 or taking to the sky in a hot-air balloon to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration. Every single day is steeped in the promise of a unique adventure and cherished memories.
Although each day is unpredictable to a certain extent, based on the time of year or location, there is a general format or schedule that safaris tend to follow, but, as a rule, safaris do follow a familiar rhythm that combines thrilling game viewing with ample time to relax in between—a dream vacation in anyone’s book. One rule of thumb is that there are usually two game drives a day: one in the early morning and one in the late afternoon, when animals are at their most active.
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FULL BOARD
TENTED CAMP
GAME VIEW
DAY 4-5
NGORONGORO CRATER
Ngorongoro Crater experience
📍 Plantation Lodge
NGORONGORO CRATER
Area Overview
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 200sq miles 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.The rainforests of the crater walls are home to elephant, buffalo, leopard and cheetah, making for spectacular game viewing.
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.
Safari days
Ngorongoro Crater! Another great day in your safari adventure - Experience one of the world's most astonishing and renowned natural wonders, the Ngorongoro Crater! This volcanic crater forms stunning backdrops to some of the most fertile and richest grazing grounds in Africa. Based on fossil evidence, various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years.
Crater decent day schedule:
Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a full-day game drive, exploring the panoramic, short-grass prairies along the floor of this ancient volcanic caldera. Home to rare black rhinos as well as lions, hyenas and gazelles, this incredible “Lost World” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
7:00 am: Morning breakfast at the lodge.
7:30 am: Drive to Ngorongoro conservation area and descend in the crater for a game drive for the rest of the day. Lunch will take place at the picnic site inside the park.
4:00 pm: Depart Ngorongoro highlands and be transferred to lodge
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PLANTATION LODGE
Guest Lodge Overview
Bed & Breakfast, drinks excl.
Set on hills in Karatu area mid-way between Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area, a mere 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 neighboring coffee plantation, visits to a local farm adjacent to the lodge, and the bountiful gardens of tropical plants and colorful flowers which are the center-piece of the lodge.
*Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, by road or plane - see your safari itinerary for details. Arrive, check-in and enjoy drinks in the main tent. Get ready for your next safari experience!*Please see your safari itinerary for transfer logistics
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B&B
GUEST LODGE
GAME VIEW
DAY 6-7
SERENGETI (Central)
Safari Days
📍 Noana Moru Camp
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Area Overview
Experience the Serengeti wildebeest migration like never before. Get ready for an exhilarating journey through the vast plains, accompanied by herds of zebra and other majestic wildlife.
Witness this annual spectacle of nature as the wildebeest migrate in search of fresh grazing and better-quality water. With the precise timing of their movement dependent on rainfall patterns, every moment is filled with anticipation. Join us on an extraordinary adventure and discover the true essence of Africa.
Activity: Safari Days!
Each day on safari in Africa is a magical experience, whether you’re exploring the savanna on foot or in a 4x4 vehicle in search of the Big 5 or taking to the sky in a hot-air balloon to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration. Every single day is steeped in the promise of a unique adventure and cherished memories.
Although each day is unpredictable to a certain extent, based on the time of year or location, there is a general format or schedule that safaris tend to follow, but, as a rule, safaris do follow a familiar rhythm that combines thrilling game viewing with ample time to relax in between—a dream vacation in anyone’s book. One rule of thumb is that there are usually two game drives a day: one in the early morning and one in the late afternoon, when animals are at their most active.
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NAONA MORU CAMP
Camp Overview
Full board, excl. premium drinks
Perched beside the famous Moru Kopjes, offering great views over the Serengeti plains in the southwest Serengeti! Home to the rare black rhino that finds shelter in the thickets, the kopjes (hills) rise up over the dramatic Serengeti! plains near the magnificent saline lake of Magadi and its famous flocks of pink flamingos.
The main tent and lounge area is large, spacious and open to the views, with comfortable couches, rugs and wooden furniture adding that old explorer atmosphere. Meals are often served outside under the flat-top acacias and beneath the blanket of a billion stars. If you're feeling private, dinner can be arranged on your tent's veranda.
The canvas tents are very large (you will be surprised) with netted windows you can open fully. The bathroom is fitted with a ceramic wash basin with stylish taps, a mirror, a supply of natural bathroom products, and linen to suit the number of people expected to occupy the tent. This area also has a woven grass mat and clothes rack. Solar lighting illuminates all areas of each tent.
ACTIVITIES
Activities are cantered around daily game drives in the Serengeti National Park.
Transfer to camp* - please see your safari itinerary for transfer logistics. Settle into your remote, authentic camp. Next up...the boundless Serengeti!
FULL BOARD
TENTED CAMP
GAME VIEW
DAY 8-10
MASAI MARA GR
Safari Days
📍 Kichwa Tembo Camp
MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE
Area Overview
Witness the theater of nature unfold before your very eyes, where herds of majestic elephants roam freely and stealthy predators like lions and leopards command the landscape - Masaai Mara Game Reserve.Feel the thrill of tracking the iconic Big Five and be captivated by the annual Great Migration, a breathtaking spectacle of millions of wildebeests & zebras crossing the Mara River in search of greener pastures.
The world-renowned Masaai Mara Game Reserve needs little introduction. Also locally known simply as The Mara, this game reserve in lies 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
When it was originally established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary the Mara covered only 200 sq. mi of the current area, including the Mara Triangle. The area was extended to the east in 1961 to cover 703 sq. mi and converted to a game reserve. The Greater Mara Ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies
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. There have been some 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 birds species recorded on the reserve. Reliable rains and plentiful vegetation underpin this extraordinary ecosystem and the millions of herbivores it supports. The Masai Mara is a unique area with a constant and unrivaled flow of wildlife throughout the year.
From July to October the Mara becomes a backdrop for one of the last great natural wonders of the world, when 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra surge up from the Serengeti plains in their annual search for the seasonal grasses that sustain them. Wildebeest, zebras, impalas, elephants, Masai giraffes and several species of gazelle all call the Mara home. This vast concentration of game accounts for high predator numbers, including cheetahs, leopards and the highest lion densities in the world.
Twice daily game drives, luxury accommodation, delicious dinners and starlit nights!
Activity: Safari days!
Each day on safari in Africa is a magical experience, whether you’re exploring the savanna on foot or in a 4x4 vehicle in search of the Big 5 or taking to the sky in a hot-air balloon to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration. Every single day is steeped in the promise of a unique adventure and cherished memories.
Although each day is unpredictable to a certain extent, based on the time of year or location, there is a general format or schedule that safaris tend to follow, but, as a rule, safaris do follow a familiar rhythm that combines thrilling game viewing with ample time to relax in between—a dream vacation in anyone’s book. One rule of thumb is that there are usually two game drives a day: one in the early morning and one in the late afternoon, when animals are at their most active.
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KICHWA TEMBO
Camp Overview
Full board, excl. premium drinks
The classic tent is positioned to offer mottled shade from the camp’s surrounding forest (perfect for biding enthusiasts) and provides limited views of the Sabaringo River. They are set away from the main guest areas and afford additional privacy. Oversized beds are perfectly positioned to make the most of the views, while stained cypress wood furniture combine with tribal decorative elements. The generously sized swimming pool is set among the trees and surrounded by lush lawns and spectacular view
ACTIVITIES
Set out in an open 4x4 safari vehicle in the company of your guide in search of the incredible wildlife in the Masai Mara. Professionally trained guides will ask you about your favorite wildlife and will do their best to ensure that your preferences are met, whether it is tracking a particular species or spending more time enjoying each sighting, getting to know the habits of the animals. They will also tell you about the vegetation of the region and will explain the behavior of the animals that you come across. In some cases, the guides will be able to identify individual animals and let you know about their history and habits. If the Great Migration is passing through the area, your guide will attempt to catch up with it and spend some time in the midst of the massed herds
FULL BOARD
TENTED CAMP
GAME VIEW
DAY 11
RETURN
DEPARTURE
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! Goodbye to the safari life, feeling relaxed, mesmerizing scenery, great food, family time, and romantic memories.
Morning road transfer back to the airport for your outbound flight... dreaming of the trip of a lifetime!
TRAVEL INFO
- Health & Vaccines, Visas & Passports, Connectivity, Power adaptors, Travel insurance, Credit Cards, Tipping guide,Packing list and more
◽️ Preparing for your trip
PREPARING FOR YOUR
SAFARI
Pre-Travel Information
Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the return date of your arrangements and have a minimum of three blank visa pages excluding endorsement pages. Travellng with minors - in addition to having a valid passport and valid visa (if applicable), children under the age of 18, traveling through Botswana’s borders, must be in possession of a certified copy of their unabridged birth certificate (one that shows the particulars of a minor and those of both parents). A child under the age of 18 traveling to Botswana and/or South Africa with just one parent must carry an affidavit signed by the other parent consenting to such travel. Failure to produce the necessary documentation may result in travelers being turned away at port of entry. Insider Tips Zimbabwe and Mozambique visas each use up a full passport page. If you are visiting both countries we recommend a minimum of four blank pages. Post Covid passport renewals are taking much longer than in the past so don’t leave applying for a new passport until the last moment as there iust a chance you won’t receive it in time to travel. Keeping your passport safe is key as there is nothing worse than having to spend precious holiday time replacing it. Make at least two copies of the ID page of your passport, visa (if obtained in advance of travel), Covid-19 vaccine passport, travel itinerary, travel insurance, credit cards and any other travel documentation. One copy can be an image scan and the other a hard copy which you can give to a family member, business associate or close friend for safekeeping When it comes to health risks and medical precautions, Machaba Blue is only able to offer limited advice as outlined below. Those with underlying chronic conditions should ideally seek medical advice prior to planning their journey. Prior to traveling to Africa, we highly recommend you visit a medical professional such as your GP or local travel clinic for advice on what health precautions need to be taken. This visit should take place at least 4-8 weeks prior to departure as it will determine the need for any vaccinations and/or antimalarial medication as well as identifying any other medical precautions. Currently no mandatory vaccinations are required when entering Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. Please check if this is still the case when visiting your GP or travel clinic. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required by visitors coming from a country where yellow fever occurs, or if they have been in transit for more than 12 hours at an airport in a country here yellow fever occurs. Malaria is present throughout southern Africa and in certain areas of South Africa. Insider Tips INCLUDED ____________ * As indicated on your detailed safari itinerary EXCLUDED ____________ * Unless otherwise indicated on your itineraryPASSPORTS
HEALTH
VISAS
GRATUITIES
PACKING LIST
BAGGAGE
TRAVEL INSURANCE
SAFETY GUIDELINES
INCLUDED & EXCLUDED
KENYA VISAS
- Note that you need to apply for a MULTIPLE ENTRY visa for Kenya
- Visa cost is $ 34 + $ 50 processing fee per person
- Local host details to be supplied for Tanzania & Kenya applications
TANZANIA VISAS
- Note that you need to apply for a MULTIPLE ENTRY visa for TANZANIA
- Visa cost is $ 101 + $ 50 processing fee per person
- Local host details to be supplied for Tanzania & Kenya applications
UGANDA VISAS
- Note that your need to apply for a SINGLE visa for Ugand
- Local host details to be used for Uganda applications
PASSPORTS
- Email or Whatsapp a clear color copy of your passport
- Expiration date valid at least 6 months past return dates
- Please check the number of blank Visa pages required by each country
CONTRACT
- Download the Safari Contract
- Take a picture with your phone of the first & last page and email back
- Include APPENDIX C / Indemnity for each person going on the safari
GUEST INFORMATION
- Download the Guest Information sheet
- Fill out for each person going on the safari and email back