10-Day Private Itinerary
Visiting: Arusha – Karatu – Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro – Central Serengeti – Mara North Conservancy
The Great Migration is undoubtedly one of the world’s most incredible natural occurrences. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime safari that you need to get right first time. Around 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebra and 200,000 gazelle embark on a relentless migration that sees them following the rain throughout the year, travelling in a clockwise direction around Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
Wildebeest give birth in the grasslands of the Serengeti, Tanzania, around the month of February. Around 300,000 calves are born each year, as the herds move around the south east Serengeti, munching the nutrient-rich grass. The short grass also means they are safer from predators.
Travel begins around April through June. In July The Serengeti begins to dry up. The herds spend the first part of the year in the south east Serengeti where they feed and give birth. As the land dries up, they are forced to move on and embark on the most dangerous part of their journey, thundering through the plains, crashing across rivers and escaping the jaws of hungry crocodiles to reach the fertile pastures of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. No wonder the migration is often referred to as the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.
The wildebeest spend the majority of their year in Tanzania, so there is much more flexibility when planning your safari; the wildebeest are only in Kenya’s Maasai Mara during August and September.
Pre Trip
Main Trip:
Transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport [JRO] to Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge
Check-in to Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge
Resting at the foot of Mount Meru, the sprawling city of Arusha is known as the safari capital of northern Tanzania. It serves as an excellent base from which to explore the remarkably scenic surrounding area which includes majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as the Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro National Parks. Arusha is a good spot to take a day or two off from the safari circuit as it features a temperate climate and lush surrounds. Visitors can look forward to exploring the wildlife-abundant Serengeti National Park; the magnificent Arusha National Park; and taking on the challenge of climbing Mount Meru, Africa’s fifth highest mountain.
Optional Activities Include:
Transfer from Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge to Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro
Stay at Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro
This morning enjoy a hearty breakfast before setting off to Ngorongoro
Today the transfer by road will take approximately 4 hours and there will be snacks and drinks on board the vehicle.
Mto Wa Mbu Cultural Experience will be included at Lake Manyara
This is a truly authentic and unique way to get a glimpse of the way of life in Tanzania. You will meet Sunday who is a hero to many and has a great story to tell. You will be guided throughout enjoying a cultural experience in the village of Mto wa Mbu (on the border of Lake Manyara National Park), where you will spend a few hours exploring the villages using their most favored method of transport in the area.
Local tuk tuks designed to give you a birds eye view and you meander around the narrow streets. You will see the rice fields and learn how it plays such a vital part in the food of Tanzanians. Meet the Makonde carvers, watch the colourful Tinga Tinga painters (try a hand yourself), visit a local primary school which we support before finishing up for a scrumptious Tanzanian lunch in the shade of the Banana trees.
Masaai Boma Experience this evening.
Tomorrow will be a full day into the Ngorongoro Crater for a Crater floor game drive and lunch, returning to the camp later afternoon.
Mto wa Mbu
Bordering the Lake Manyara National Park in the Arusha Region of Tanzania, the village of Mto wa Mbu lies the East African Rift Valley. It serves as a convenient stopover for tourists visiting the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. Visitors can look forward to an authentic cultural experience which could include visiting a traditional home, sampling banana beer, enjoying a delicious Tanzanian meal, and browsing the weekly Maasai Market. The village is set within two wildlife corridors and a variety of animals can be spotted in the area. Look out for giraffe, elephant, hippo, wildebeest, baboon, zebra, and monkey. Other popular activities include walking, hiking, and biking tours.
Game Drives in Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area
Ngorongoro Crater is unofficially the “Eight Wonder of the World”. Visitors will understand instantly when they reach the first viewing point on the lip of the crater and take in the majesty of the ecological wonder.
Descending to the floor of the crater, guests are treated a magnificent wildlife spectacle as they traverse a variety of landscapes, from open grasslands dotted with game, soda lakes coloured pink with flamingo and dense riverine woodland, with the rising walls of the crater framing every view.
A half-day or full-day gamedrive into the Ngorongoro Crater is included in a Game Package
Coffee Tours
The Manor at Ngorongoro is located on a working coffee estate called Shangri-La. Take a tour to learn more about the world’s most famous morning beverage!
Mountain Biking
Take on of The Manor’s mountain bikes and explore the surrounding gardens and coffee estate at your own leisure.
Mountain biking included in Game Package.
Transfer from Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro to Lake Manyara Airstrip
Charter Flight from Lake Manyara Airstrip to Seronera Airstrip [SEU]
Transfer from Seronera Airstrip [SEU] to Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Stay at Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp
This morning after a hearty breakfast you will check out and transfer to the Lake Manyara Airsrtip for your flight to Seronera, Serengeti.
On arrival at the Seronera Airstrip you will be met by friendly Pioneer Guides who will transfer you in open 4×4 vehicles to the camp.
Arrival into Serengeti Pioneers camp and check in for THREE nights on a fully inclusive basis.
Afternoon siesta followed by an afternoon game drive.
The guides in camp will advise of the daily activities as the few days unfold based on the game patterns and weather.
Game Driving
Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp’s prime location allows guests to be in the midst of the drama of the annual Great Migration calving season, which occurs January – March. An evolutionary phenomenon, in the short span of just a few weeks some 400’000 calves are born while the herds reside in the Southern Serengeti region. The event attracts numerous predators, and visitors to the area have the opportunities to witness one of the grandest shows in nature.
When the herds of wildebeest and zebra have left on their journey back north, what remains in the area is an abundance of wildlife and excellent game viewing year-round. The Serengeti is famed for its Big 5, and guests to Serengeti Pioneer Camp will be treated to some of the best game viewing opportunities in East Africa.
Bush Meals
Take a breakfast or lunch hamper on a game drive and enjoy a delicious gourmet meal while taking in the views over the Serengeti.
Lake Magadi
Lake Magadi is a large soda lake, and seasonally home to thousands of pink flamingo, a sight to behold. Year round the lake is home to numerous bird species to be enjoyed, and is an easy drive from camp.
Moru Kopjes
A rocky outcrop with great historical significance to the Maasai people, Moru Kopjes features ancient maasai paintings on many of its boulders. Another fascination of the kopje, are the gong rocks, a geological phenomenon of rocks that produce musical sounds when hit, which were used as a communication tool by the Maasai people.
Transfer from Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp to Discretion Hotel Migori
Charter Flight from Discretion Hotel Migori to Migori Airstrip
Charter Flight from Migori Airstrip to Mara North Airstrip
Transfer from Mara North Airstrip to Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp
Stay at Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp
This morning after a hearty breakfast you will check out and transfer by road to the Seronera Airtrip for your charter flight to Mara North, Via Migori Border post into Kenya.
On arrival at the Mara North airstrip, you will be met by friendly Elephant PEpper Camp guides and transferred into camp in open 4 x4 vehicles.
Arrival at the camp and check in for THREE nights on a fully inclusive basis.
Afternoon siesta followed by an afternoon game drive.
The guides in camp will advise of the daily activities as the few days unfold based on the game patterns and weather. Some surprises along the way will delight guests .
Game Drives
Elephant Pepper Camp has open game drive vehicles. The current fleet are new, specially fitted, 4×4 Toyota Landcruisers. The vehicles are unrivaled with feature enhancements specifically designed for comfort and photography – open sided with 3 rows of seats, photographic equipment stands, and charging sockets. Guests will share game drives unless “exclusive use of vehicle” has been prebooked at an extra charge.
This is the best part of the Masai Mara – a year round game viewing experience like no other!
We are often asked why the game viewing in Mara North Conservancy is better than in the Mara Reserve. The explanation is because cattle are not allowed into the Reserve, therefore from the months of November through to June, the grass is high within the Reserve, and the plains game, followed by their predators tend to avoid the Reserve, and stick to the Conservancy which has balanced grazing, and lush short green grass. During the months of July to October, when the zebra and wildebeest migration flood into the whole Mara eco-system, the grass in the Reserve is trampled and eaten, and game viewing is similar within the Reserve and within the Conservancy.
Guided Walk
Take the time to leave the car behind and enjoy the small things – animal tracks, flowers and micro-ecosystems. All the guides are Bronze or Silver level Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association certified, and some of our guides have guided in this area for 20 years and enjoy sharing their knowledge and can take you on a delightful ramble from camp – a whole new perspective of the eco-system around you.
Elephant Pepper Camp is also perfect for young explorers! Our Guides love organizing fun walks for kids within the camp. Little ones will learn how to make a fire, throw a rungu, fire a bow and arrow and track wildlife. As a memento of their adventure, children can take home their very own cast from the tracks they discovered!
Sundowner
take a moment to sit back, enjoy the spectacular views, the smells, the colours, and the gentle breeze.
Bush breakfasts are a chance to enjoy a full breakfast, al fresco, in the middle of the plains, surrounded by wildlife.
“Sundowners” are a safari tradition – after a day of safari; stop, watch the spectacular sunset; traditionally with a gin and tonic in hand!
Suggestion is to do a balloon safari here – this is an extra cost $ 500 per person
Gamewatchers Hot Air Balloon Safari lifts off at dawn after coffee and a flight briefing. Early morning is the ideal time to see wild animals on the plains, and in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. The one hour flight will give tourists a bird’s eye view of the best East Africa has to offer in the magnificent setting of the Great Rift Valley. After landing, tourists can enjoy a champagne breakfast.
Check-out from Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp
Transfer from Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp to Mara North Airstrip
Charter Flight from Mara North Airstrip to Wilson Airport [WIL]
Transfer from Wilson Airport [WIL] to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport [NBO]
This morning after a hearty breakfast you will check out and transfer to the Mara North airstrip for your flight to Wilson domestic Airport in Nairobi.
Here you will be met and transferred to the Jomo Kenyatta Airport for your onward long haul flights.
Option to do extensions (Quotes on request)
Nairobi – to visit the Daphne Sheldrek Elephant Orphanage as well as the magnificent Giraffe Manor
Zanzibar – for a stunning beach relax after safari including historical Stone Town and the Spice lands
Rwanda or Uganda – for Gorilla Trek
