Safari highlight:
- 12 days wildebeests and zebras migration / photography in Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro National Park - Tanzania.
- Calving of the wildebeests. Brilliant interaction between predators and prey- the new born calves attract many predators.
- Departure dates: January to March every year.
- Selected experience guide sensitive to photographers requirements.
- Specially outfitted photographers 4WD safari Land Cruiser vehicles.
- Unlimited game drives in search of great photography opportunities.
- Annual cyclical Wildebeests and Zebras migration.
- Mara / Serengeti eco-system - 30,000 sq km's wilderness. Endless plains scattered with the odd umbrella thorn tree, creating the quintessential African scenes.
- 2 million herbivores and predators. Unparalleled sightings of Lion and Cheetah and good leopard sightings
- A must for professional and amateur wildlife photographers.
- This is the place to see millions of animals crossing endless plains.
- The birthing of the wildebeest calves- a serene scene to say the least.
- Excellent birding- From small sparrows to large raptors.
- The attraction of smaller predators.
- Beautiful African sunsets over the Serengeti plains.
- Elephants, Giraffe and other large mammals.
- Water holes filled to the brim with snorting and fighting Hippopotamus.

Spend 12 glorious days in the best of Tanzania's Parks, home to what is considered the "Greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth". Nothing can be prepare you for this million of animals spread out over plains stretching to the horizon and beyond. This is the calving season and the plains ring out with the bleats of newborn wildebeest calves. It's a time of new life, lots of action and stunning scenery on the classic African plains.

This Safari is designed to catch up with the annual migration as the wildebeests return to the southern plains sorrounding Lake Ndutu. The rains have fallen; causing the grasslands to flush green and the plains, littered with close to a million maternal beasts, give off a sense of blissful calm. Yet amongst all the grazing mothers and young lurk the predators. The calves and ewes attract a host of predators, from cunning Jackals to the swift Cheetah and ofcourse Lions and Leopards.

This is probably one of the best times to view predator prey interactions in the Serengeti and Mbango Safaris have ensured that you will have front row seats on these scenes as we cover the plains of this fascinating wonderland.

Day 1: 1 night accommodation Meru Game Lodge. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be transferred to Mt Meru Game lodge and sanctuary where you will overnight.

Day 2: 1 night accommodation Maramboi Luxury camp- Tarangire. An early morning departure sees us head towards Tarangire National Park to stay in the permanent tented lodge of Maramboi. As a photographic destination, Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators - and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed; so it provides excellent opportunities for good photographing the more unique and different animals- some of which you wont see again on this tour.

Day 3 - 6: 4 nights accommodation at Nasikia Luxury camp. Nasikia Luxury camp. This morning you start out from camp onto the open plains of the Southern Serengeti. This area is very close to the well known game viewing areas but is better placed for the main attraction of the area- the calving of the wildebeest. The Wildebeest move south to these wide open plains for two reasons: They are attracted by the short, fresh, sweet grass to graze on, and they can see potential predators from a fair distance away. So it is here that the animals drop their calves by the millions. Of course the predators are never far off as they are always nearby for an opportunistic meal. Sightings of cheetah, lion and black backed jackal are all common relatively common and there is a strong possibility of seeing a hunt or even a kill.

Day 7 - 9: 3 nights at Serengeti Sopa Lodge. You move from Nasikia to the central plains, where many of the wildebeest will be. This is classic Serengeti, with its rocky kopjes and lonely trees on the plains. Sopa Lodge is in the middle of the rocky Kopjes area and shows off the Serengeti in its grandness. Just sitting on the deck one can see for miles and miles.

Day 10 & 11: 2 nights at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. This morning we head towards the Ngorongoro crater. The crater needs no introduction: it is a concentration of animals like no other in the world. The entire big 5 are often seen in one day as well as excellent predator interactions. Throw in a lake filled with flamingos and the crater walls ascending as a perfect backdrop and you have a scene made for an artist and camera. It really is a sight to behold.

Day 12: After a morning breakfast at the lodge, we drive back to Arusha, arriving in time for lunch. Afterwards transfer to Moshi and catch the international flight home. This is unfortunately the end of the safari.

Order of safari: The Serengeti offers a variety of options to the nature photographer. We will employ the technique of early mornings and late afternoons in which to drive out on the plains. These hours are the most productive for animal and predator movement and also for photography. As is often the case in East Africa, all day game drives are a common. Some days might be all day affairs- with packed lunches, of course. Midday hours of the day are generally used to rest, talk about various sightings, behavioural theories and photographic techniques. Your hosts will also conduct informal discussions on a few of the evenings, using previous images and images taken on the trip to discuss various techniques and results. There will be opportunity for feedback and technical discussions whilst back at camp.

We will be combining all these methods throughout the Safari to enable us to achieve maximum results from our time there.

Weather.
During our tour we can expect most days to be dry and fairly sunny, temperatures ranging from 20- 30oC, depending on altitude. Overcast weather, particularly in the afternoons, may not be infrequent, but rain is unlikely except on high ground such as Ngorongoro Crater where afternoon precipitation is a possibility. The weather can be chilly between sunset and sunrise in June and October.

Client Comments: "We believe John is one of the best East Africa guides we have met. His knowledge of wildlife was extensive and he helped everyone to spot as many different species as possible. We greatly enjoyed seeing such a wide variety of mammals and birds in Tanzania and we intend in due course to travel again with Mbango Safaris." J and J G, London. 

Entry requirements. Most of Europe nationalities passport holders and most other nationalities require a visa for Tanzania which is obtained in advance from the nearest embassy.

You will also need to have various vaccinations and take malaria prophylactic. Please consult the nearest embassy about your requirements as soon as possible before traveling.

Tour price, tour reports, detailed tour plan and how to book your place. For the tour price, tour reports and a detailed tour plan and in order to book a place on this holiday, please call us now on: 00 254 20 600 14 54. Alternatively, fill our online booking form or email us at: safaris@mbangosafaris.com giving us your contacts.  

Once we have received your request / booking we will confirm your booking and send you all the further details necessary for you to prepare for your holiday. At peak times our confirmation may take up to a day or two to reach you; normally we aim to do it within a day.