Serengeti.

[sCuzzZy]

The famous Serengeti.

I'm planning a trip to catch the great migration either end 2016 or early 2017.

Would like to ask if anyone has experience with either Tanzania/Botswana or the likes.

Which period and which country should we be in to catch the crossing. And any recommended agency?

Will really appreciate any advice! Cheers.

 

[butterbarter]

I went last Sept. I went Masaai Mara in Kenya, and then to Tanzania: Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, and finally to Olpopongi Masai Village.

Of these, I think Masaai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater were the better ones, where you can see the Big 5 and many many animals.

Lake Manyara and Tarangire were smaller and less impressive, and I think you could skip these and not miss much since the animals are repeats of what you see in the first 3 parks, although the terrain is different.

The migration happens all year round, only differing in direction. Depending on when you go, the herds, esp the wildebeest, could be more numerous in Kenya or Tanzania. During Sept, the wildebeests were mostly in Kenya.

You'll have to do a bit of research or ask your trip agent for advice. I used Makasa Tanzanian Safari, which was excellent. It is run by a Dutch woman and her white Tanzanian husband, catering to the slightly upper market. As such, the accommodations, the guide and SUV were top notch, but pretty pricey (about US$4000 per pax for twin sharing, not including air-tickets), but very well worth the money. The camps all had proper beds, in-tent toilet and showers, and most had in-tent electricity too. Some had wifi as well.

I didn't go Botswana.

The famous Serengeti.

I'm planning a trip to catch the great migration either end 2016 or early 2017.

Would like to ask if anyone has experience with either Tanzania/Botswana or the likes.

Which period and which country should we be in to catch the crossing. And any recommended agency?

Will really appreciate any advice! Cheers.

 

[butterbarter]

If you like taking photos, take the longest lens you can. 600mm would barely be long enough as the vehicles have to stay fixed dirt roads and the animals can be anywhere from beside the road to 500m away.

1000mm and above would not be overkill if you can lay your hands on such a lens. You'll need 2 cameras: 1 for the long shots, and 1 wide one for scenery and animals nearby.

 

[jarvis]

I went only to Tanzania.

I would say that Tarangire and Serengeti were great. I won't bother with Lake Manyara. which then leaves whether to bother to make the special trip to Ngorongoro Crater.

Tarangire is famous for the elephants but apart from that, we managed to find quite a few leopards and cheetahs - we were lucky since they aren't that easy to find and we didn't see anymore of them at the other places we visited.

Serengeti is for the crossings. We saw quite a few over the 4 days we were there. Pity though that the massive one that we were waiting for on the last day didn't start crossing. We did see an aerial view of the build-up as we were flying out.

Lake Manyara is semi-forested so you don't see many things unless you're extremely lucky. Ngorongoro Crater is quite nice, but if that's all you're going to see question if you want to take essentially 2 days just to do it (you fly in the morning but it's best to get into the crater early in the morning so your first day is basically do nothing much - or you go Lake Manyara and be disappointed).

I was told that the difference between Kenya and Tanzania is that Kenya is catered more to the mess market crowd so you end up with a lot more landrovers rushing for the same things (like at the crossing area). Tanzania is less touristy but that also means it's more expensive.

I was using a 400mm and it was fine most of the time. Sure, there are shots that I wished I had a longer lens but unless you're willing to spend or have friends you can borrow from, just shoot in raw and crop the photos. Also, there's luggage weight limits for the internal flights. While I see that many people's bags obviously exceed the size and weight limits, do you want to take the risk that your bag is going to be left on the tarmac if the flight is full. I assume that you are aware it's small planes and you have no issues with taking small prop planes - and I mean about 15 seaters. Google Air Excel (we flew with them but there's many others).

I went with a tour operation in the UK called Yellow Zebra. Also asked at quite a few operators (SG as well as UK) but in the end, we went with Yellow Zebra. Just drop the various operators a line and most of the time, they will call and you can chat with them about what they have, the benefits, etc. That's what they do for a living so they ought to have better / more information. Most tourists only go there once.

Lastly, it's all about luck. mother nature will show you what she wants to show you. there are no guarantees.

 

[sCuzzZy]

Really appreciate it guys. looks like Tanzania alone should be sufficient. But for late Dec/early Jan, is Tanzania the spot for the migration. I understand Serengeti actually cross borders. Also, Are the agency mentioned not based in SG then?

And how did you guys fly in?

Does it make sense to fly into Kilimanjaro and travel from there? I've did some small research and notice there are a few options but I though I want to avoid internal flights. Partner is hardly a fan of planes.

 

[sCuzzZy]

I went last Sept. I went Masaai Mara in Kenya, and then to Tanzania: Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, and finally to Olpopongi Masai Village.

Of these, I think Masaai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater were the better ones, where you can see the Big 5 and many many animals.

Lake Manyara and Tarangire were smaller and less impressive, and I think you could skip these and not miss much since the animals are repeats of what you see in the first 3 parks, although the terrain is different.

The migration happens all year round, only differing in direction. Depending on when you go, the herds, esp the wildebeest, could be more numerous in Kenya or Tanzania. During Sept, the wildebeests were mostly in Kenya.

You'll have to do a bit of research or ask your trip agent for advice. I used Makasa Tanzanian Safari, which was excellent. It is run by a Dutch woman and her white Tanzanian husband, catering to the slightly upper market. As such, the accommodations, the guide and SUV were top notch, but pretty pricey (about US$4000 per pax for twin sharing, not including air-tickets), but very well worth the money. The camps all had proper beds, in-tent toilet and showers, and most had in-tent electricity too. Some had wifi as well.

I didn't go Botswana.

How many days was your package? I was quoted by an agency here for a 8 days package that's about 6.8k USD per pax excluding air tickets. I thought that's quite steep.

 

[butterbarter]

Mine was 2 weeks, of which 10 days were for the safari itself. First 2 days were Nairobi (Giraffe and Elephant centers) and last 2 days were in Moshi just resting and chilling out and visiting a local coffee plantation.

Just drop the operators an email to inquire. My operator is Makasa, based in Moshi, Tanzania. They arrange pickup from the airport and handle everything everything until you get on the flight home.

My trip was 3 person private tour, not a package tour, so it was very flexible and customizable. I think operators in Singapore will have additional markup, so best to arrange directly with those in Africa.

How many days was your package? I was quoted by an agency here for a 8 days package that's about 6.8k USD per pax excluding air tickets. I thought that's quite steep.

 

[butterbarter]

Got my air tickets from Skyscanner.com.

The Serengeti spans Tanzania and Kenya. The part in Kenya is known as Masaai Mara, while the part in Tanzania is known as Serengeti national park.

Operators in Tanzania will advise you against going Kenya, and vice versa.

I was in both Masaai Mara and Serengeti NP, and I enjoyed them both. In kenya, the guides use radio walkie talkies to inform each other of the presence of animals. So once someone spots a large animal, the guide will drive over to check it out. The disadvantage of this is that there can be many vehicles around a major sighting. The advantage is of course that you have very high chance of seeing big animals up close.

In Tanzania, they don't use radios but rely on the guide's experience. Of course this means the quality of your safari depends on the guide's experience. If he sucks, your trip will suck too. Once you have a guide, you are stuck with him for the rest of the safari, so make sure you get an operator with a good reputation.

The wildlife sightings in both were great, so I can't really say which one is better. Afterall, they are both part of the same Serengeti ecosystem.

But I suggest you don't rule out Kenya so quickly. What's important is that you check the migration pattern and then decide to see one or both. You are already spending alot of money and time going there, so adding a few hundred dollars and a couple of days is not going to be an issue. However, note that you need a yellow fever jab and certificate ($100+ from TTSH) if you are going Kenya.

Where you fly into and outof depends on your itinerary. If you are including Kenya, you can fly into Nairobi. If tanzania only, then fly into Kilimanjaro airport as it is nearer to the safari parks. Are you going to Zanzibar? The flight to Zanzibar is from Dar es Salaam airport, so you have to plan accordingly.

Really appreciate it guys. looks like Tanzania alone should be sufficient. But for late Dec/early Jan, is Tanzania the spot for the migration. I understand Serengeti actually cross borders. Also, Are the agency mentioned not based in SG then?

And how did you guys fly in?

Does it make sense to fly into Kilimanjaro and travel from there? I've did some small research and notice there are a few options but I though I want to avoid internal flights. Partner is hardly a fan of planes.

 

[butterbarter]

Ngorongoro crater is famous for black rhinos. We managed to see one there, the only one of the trip. Black rhinos are highly endangered, and even Ngorongoro has only about 30 left.

For this reason, I suggest going Ngorongoro if you are determined to see the Big 5. If you are lucky, you might see the rhinos in other parks, but the chances are highest here.

I went only to Tanzania.

I would say that Tarangire and Serengeti were great. I won't bother with Lake Manyara. which then leaves whether to bother to make the special trip to Ngorongoro Crater.

Tarangire is famous for the elephants but apart from that, we managed to find quite a few leopards and cheetahs - we were lucky since they aren't that easy to find and we didn't see anymore of them at the other places we visited.

Serengeti is for the crossings. We saw quite a few over the 4 days we were there. Pity though that the massive one that we were waiting for on the last day didn't start crossing. We did see an aerial view of the build-up as we were flying out.

Lake Manyara is semi-forested so you don't see many things unless you're extremely lucky. Ngorongoro Crater is quite nice, but if that's all you're going to see question if you want to take essentially 2 days just to do it (you fly in the morning but it's best to get into the crater early in the morning so your first day is basically do nothing much - or you go Lake Manyara and be disappointed).

I was told that the difference between Kenya and Tanzania is that Kenya is catered more to the mess market crowd so you end up with a lot more landrovers rushing for the same things (like at the crossing area). Tanzania is less touristy but that also means it's more expensive.

I was using a 400mm and it was fine most of the time. Sure, there are shots that I wished I had a longer lens but unless you're willing to spend or have friends you can borrow from, just shoot in raw and crop the photos. Also, there's luggage weight limits for the internal flights. While I see that many people's bags obviously exceed the size and weight limits, do you want to take the risk that your bag is going to be left on the tarmac if the flight is full. I assume that you are aware it's small planes and you have no issues with taking small prop planes - and I mean about 15 seaters. Google Air Excel (we flew with them but there's many others).

I went with a tour operation in the UK called Yellow Zebra. Also asked at quite a few operators (SG as well as UK) but in the end, we went with Yellow Zebra. Just drop the various operators a line and most of the time, they will call and you can chat with them about what they have, the benefits, etc. That's what they do for a living so they ought to have better / more information. Most tourists only go there once.

Lastly, it's all about luck. mother nature will show you what she wants to show you. there are no guarantees.

 

[sCuzzZy]

Got my air tickets from Skyscanner.com.

The Serengeti spans Tanzania and Kenya. The part in Kenya is known as Masaai Mara, while the part in Tanzania is known as Serengeti national park.

Operators in Tanzania will advise you against going Kenya, and vice versa.

I was in both Masaai Mara and Serengeti NP, and I enjoyed them both. In kenya, the guides use radio walkie talkies to inform each other of the presence of animals. So once someone spots a large animal, the guide will drive over to check it out. The disadvantage of this is that there can be many vehicles around a major sighting. The advantage is of course that you have very high chance of seeing big animals up close.

In Tanzania, they don't use radios but rely on the guide's experience. Of course this means the quality of your safari depends on the guide's experience. If he sucks, your trip will suck too. Once you have a guide, you are stuck with him for the rest of the safari, so make sure you get an operator with a good reputation.

The wildlife sightings in both were great, so I can't really say which one is better. Afterall, they are both part of the same Serengeti ecosystem.

But I suggest you don't rule out Kenya so quickly. What's important is that you check the migration pattern and then decide to see one or both. You are already spending alot of money and time going there, so adding a few hundred dollars and a couple of days is not going to be an issue. However, note that you need a yellow fever jab and certificate ($100+ from TTSH) if you are going Kenya.

Where you fly into and outof depends on your itinerary. If you are including Kenya, you can fly into Nairobi. If tanzania only, then fly into Kilimanjaro airport as it is nearer to the safari parks. Are you going to Zanzibar? The flight to Zanzibar is from Dar es Salaam airport, so you have to plan accordingly.

Great tip! Where did you land in? I was checking Makaea website and looking at their sample itinerary. Did they arrange for you to get into Kenya for Masaai Mara?

 

[jarvis]

And how did you guys fly in?

Does it make sense to fly into Kilimanjaro and travel from there? I've did some small research and notice there are a few options but I though I want to avoid internal flights. Partner is hardly a fan of planes.

If you're going Tanzania, one option is Turkish Air as it flies from Istanbul to Kilimanjaro.

If your partner is not into small planes, then I seriously suggest you look elsewhere instead. To get from one place to another it's about 30 min to the longest I flew was about 2 or 2.5 hours. but it's like a bus stopping at many different air fields along the way (I think the 2 hour plus flight we stopped about 8 times). If you're driving, you'd easily spend the whole day driving over dirt roads to cover the same distance you spend 2 hours in the air to cover. But cuz it's a small plane, you do feel the bumps a lot more so if your partner doesn't handle planes well, seriously reconsider.

As for the use of the radio, my guides in Tanzania were also using the radio. It's a necessity.

Each of the game lodges I stayed at had their own rangers / drivers - except for Manyara / Crater as we stayed outside the crater.

the problem with going between Tanzania and Kenya is that even though it might be next to each other, you can't cross the border at the reserve. Instead, you've got to get to the city then fly across the border so that will add quite a bit onto the cost.

We did go to the Singapore operators (Country holidays and I think at least 1 other), but the costing was higher and the person didn't seem as knowledgeable or confidence inspiring as the UK operator we went to in the end. And anyways, it's all private. the landrover was only for our own group and I see some landrovers only have 1-2 persons.

 

[butterbarter]

I landed in Nairobi. I spent 1 day in Nairobi visiting the Giraffe center (you can pet and feed giraffes) and the elephant orphanage. Obviously this part is optional but we wanted to get a small taste of Nairobi.

The next morning the guide drove us to Masaai Mara, arriving at around 1pm for a late lunch.

After Masaai Mara, we drove to the border where the Kenyan guide handed us over to the Tanzanian guide, and we then continued to Serengeti, arriving at the Serengeti camp in the late afternoon. From there on, it's all within Tanzania and we went everywhere by jeep. The rides between locations ranged from 2-6 hours.

We departed for Singapore from the Kilimanjaro airport.

Makasa arranged everything, including the Kenyan part (airport pickup, hotel, city tour, safari, and border crossing) . They outsourced the Kenyan part to a Kenyan company as Tanzanian companies were not allowed to conduct safaris in Kenya. But Makasa (lady boss' name is Selma) remained the only point of contact and the whole arrangement was seamless to us, except for the transition from Kenya to Tanzania where we changed guides and vehicles.

All we did was buy air tickets and showed up at Nairobi Airport on the agreed time. I checked other operators and even some of the packaged ones cost as much as our private tour, so I think Makasa's prices are very reasonable.

Just to give you an idea of the type of accommodations Makasa arranged for us, here are the links to the camps I stayed in in Masaai Mara and Serengeti National Park:

http://ilkeliani.com/

http://kenzanluxurycamp.com/

Very nice camps in the middle of the wilderness.

Great tip! Where did you land in? I was checking Makaea website and looking at their sample itinerary. Did they arrange for you to get into Kenya for Masaai Mara?

 

[sCuzzZy]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the help.

Other then Masaai Mara and Serengeti NP, and the crater. Anywhere else would you folks recommend to visit? Trekking Kilimanjaro maybe?>

 

[jarvis]

It really depends on what floats your boat. If you're fit and into trekking, then Kili is certainly one of the things that many people do - BUT you need to be prepared for it. You've also got to lug gear along so in terms of luggage and stuff you need to consider whether it works

e.g. heavy camera gear for the safari which you will be carrying while trekking so you probably will want to hire porters... and your trekking gear while you're going for safari which means your luggage will probably exceed the total 15kg weight limit (including hand carry as well as checked baggage) for the local flights - they might not enforce it strictly, but you'd never know. You could possibly do the transfers by road instead, but that's going to be eating into your time + each night at the safari will easily cost you USD500 per pax so it's usually best to minimise transfer times so that you can do as many game drives as possible (e.g. fly in the morning, land and do a drive before heading to the resort for lunch then rest and do a late afternoon drive before going for a sun-downer). I know of people who flew and got the luggage transferred by car separately - hence they did both kili as well as the safari. Everything can be arranged for a price.

Other places that people often tag on are Victoria Falls or Zanzibar. I didn't manage to do either. Instead, I stopped over at Istanbul since I took Turkish Air.

anyways, speak to the tour operators. Don't just go to one - approach a few and see what they say then go with the one you're most comfortable with. Also, they may give you different views - they deal with such things a lot more so they will know what can / cannot be done, time of year, etc. The options are very varied - if for example, you (or your partner) is very particular about proper toilet / bathing facilities, then it might be something you want to highlight. If as you mentioned, your partner has issues with flying, then they might give you suggestions based on places that might be easier to do land transfers, etc. There are many different camps / areas available (the last flight I took stopped many times and I also saw a lot more landing strips on the charts since I was sitting in front), and I think any tourist would likely only have visited a handful so our experiences would be a lot more limited than the tour operators.