Tanzania North During their Short Rains (November – usually)

This must be one of the best wildlife destinations in Africa with the wildebeest/zebra migration in the Serengeti being one of the star attractions. Choosing a time which will give you the chance of all this amazing region has to offer without having to share it with a crowd of other people can only enhance the experience.

Experience Holidays, based in Hailsham, writes for The Wealden Eye magazine…

The trick here is selecting a camp site that is remote, wild, still very Africa but with all the amenities that you need with excellent service and guiding as standard.

If you are willing to take the chance of going during the short rainy season, then you will improve the quality of your safari. Yes, you may experience an African thunderstorm (dramatic, noisy and spectacular but usually over within the hour) but the experience has benefits. Seeing the plains and trees turn green, then having all the wild flowers coming out and seeing the baby topis and impala add something in the way of a big extra.

We also know a company that will ensure that your campsite is exclusive, in a special location and far from the other travellers you may have seen during the day. Their aim is to give you such a good experience that you will start planning your return before too long. They will look after you from the moment you land to the time you depart – in style.

The following is a suggested itinerary for your safari in the short rainy season to Northern Tanzania:

Day 1 – Arusha/ Kilimanjaro Airport
Currently there are no direct flights to Kilimanjaro Airport but there are plenty of choices for indirect flights at very reasonable prices. Depending on the time that you arrive you could head for your first camp or stay overnight in or around Arusha. There is plenty of choice for the overnight from 5 star luxury to staying on a coffee farm.
Consider adding a day here to explore the little visited but a jewel of a National Park – Mount Meru National Park with its perfect caldera offering a sanctuary to its wildlife on the floor of the volcano and beautiful rain forests throughout the Park.

Day 2 to 5 – Tarangire
After breakfast you head towards Tarangire National Park along good tarmac roads before turning off to a private concession that exists along the border of the Park. Tarangire is famed for its giant Baobab trees and big herds of buffalo and elephant. You camp is located along the dry riverbed and is just 10 tents in all. The waterhole right in front of the pool and dining room is very popular with the local wildlife, particularly elephant. You could be sipping your G&T by the pool watching the elis jostling for their drink.
We suggest 2 or 3 nights here to explore the Park and see the wildlife that lives in the Concession. The swamp in the Tarangire is a mecca for birders and huge herds of buffalo and elephant. Being on a Concession allows you to take a walking safari of a night drive. Then snuggle up in your warm bed to the sound of lion and/or hyena calling.

Day 6 – 9 – Central Serengeti
If you have time you could add in a couple of nights staying in a camp or lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and having a full day down in the crater. This is a world of its own and has all the big 5 here to see as well as flamingo on the lake at certain times of the year.
You have the option of driving to the Serengeti perhaps stopping at the Olduvai Gorge to learn about our very earliest ancestors or catching a 45 minutes flight to Seronera Airstrip where your next guide will pick you up. You are in the centre of this huge National Park (30,000 square kilometres or a quarter of the size of England) and well placed to follow the ever going migration of wildebeest and zebra. This migration is one of the largest in the world and is governed by the rain fall and water availability in the Serengeti and Masai Mara in Kenya.

Your game drive starts immediately you leave the airstrip and if the migration is in the central area (very likely at this time of year) you will see huge herds of zebra, wildebeest and the other plains animals. Along with them come the predators – lion, cheetah, hyena, leopard mand all the attendant birds such as vultures and scavengers like jackal. Where we recommend staying is in a hidden valley with no passing traffic, apart from the animals, and peace and quiet for the perfect sundowner, delightful meals and sleep only interrupted by lion roars and hyena calls. It really is worth planning this part of your trip carefully. Having passing vehicles in front of your campsite takes a lot away from the experience.

While here plan a balloon trip at dawn for an experience of a lifetime. The captains of the balloons are very experienced and will give you varying height chances to photo the plains, kopjes and animals. Finish with a champagne breakfast under an acacia tree on the plains that you have just flown over. Exhilarating and unforgettable.

Day 9 – 12 – North Serengeti
Have a game drive to the northern part of the Park and notice the change between savanna and lightly forested hills. Here the Grumeti and Mara rivers dissect the Serengeti here and at the right time of the year you could witness the famous river crossings by the migrating herds. The rivers are full of hippo and crocs and you can see why the animals hesitate to be the first to jump into the murky water. This region has everything to offer with leopard often seen resting on the rocks, waiting for darkness.

Your camp site here is tucked into the rocks of one of the kopjes that dot the plains here and give stunning views across the plains and acacia forests. The service, meals and ambiance are second to none. A great place to end your safari.

Day 13
This morning you will fly back to Arusha and make your connection for the return flight home.

We are a call or an email away from you visiting one of Africa’s iconic destinations