Serengeti National Park

Absolutely amazing, fascinating, beautiful and awe inspiring.

We felt that every aspect of our safari was wonderful. With hindsight we would have flown direct to the Serengeti and not driven from Arusha. Our accommodation was great and our guide (Cyprian Joseph with Ranger Safaris) was knowledgeable and friendly.
We would thoroughly recommend the Serengeti as a safari destination.

A once in a lifetime experience

We assembled a 14 day trip to Tanzania through a wildlife photographer and Essential Africa as the tour operator. Our group was 6 photographers plus our local guide Ally and Karine Aigner (photographer) for the entire trip. Given their experience they set up 4 days in the southern Serengeti and then 8 more in the northern Serengeti at a total of 3 different camps. The flat plains of the south was very different from rolling hills of the north and the Mara River. Generally there is more wildlife in the south during February than in the north but we certainly did not lack in sighting in the north and in one area near the Kenya border we witnessed a herd of several thousand animals. The limitations of the Serengeti National Park are that you must stay on the trail with your vehicle so we spent much of our time in the Ngorongoro Preserve to permit off road adventures. The advantage to this was also minimizing contacts with other vehicles and the disruption multiple vehicles have to the wildlife. In the northern camps we saw no more than 3-4 other vehicles each day in comparison to the south where you can have a dozen vehicles around a leopard sighting. We always left at 6 am and stayed out until the park closing at 6:30pm with a short stop back at the camp near lunch unless we were traveling a good distance and then we brought along lunch with us. Our first camp was a tent camp and once you get used to the bucket showers it was really quite comfortable. The northern camps were permanent camps, had superb accommodations and all three had excellent service and food. Weather was generally excellent with rain only as a short part of two days. The bush plane flights between camps were an added adventure that was a blast but a little tight on space if you are large. All members of our party totally enjoyed the adventure and other than short bouts with tse tse flies there were really no complaints at all. In terms of wildlife we had a huge number of sightings and saw most major species with the exception of rhinos (OK we saw one about a mile away) and many opportunities to photogragh all of the large cats from very close up. Hard to ask for more than that. Simply put it was a fabulous trip that was superbly planned and run.

An amazing experience

It was my first African experience and, after some safaris, it is still the best.
I think Tanzania, and expecially Serengeti NP, it is the best place for spotting anf photographing wildlife.
So, as I said...one the best places to spot animals.... unforgettable Seronera river area for leopards, Moru Kopjes and Gol Kopije for lions..lots of them with cubs.
For more flexibility I stayed in a camp (tents managed by my local guide team.. with the possibility of using all the facilities of the camp, such as toilettes and showers).
Gol Kopjes also very good to spot the great migration (on march when I went there).
Another marvellous place is the Retima Hippo Pool where, in a small pond closed to a small river, you can spot more than one hundred hippos .

The Serengeti was more than I imagined and everything I hoped for. 2 days in Namiri Plains and 3 days at Nat Hab's private mobile camp allowed us to witness the Great Migration numerous times. Up close access to lions, cheetahs and leopards was a life-changer as they looked into my eyes. The vast endless golden grass gave cover to predators looking for the next meal. As a photographer, I was able to "take only memories" and share them with others.

Really exciting

One of the most exciting safari that I have done. The scenery is fantastic and the landscapes are gorgeous. We stayed at Serengeti for three night in a new lodge that was very comfortable. During the safari we have been lucky to observe fantastic hunting scenes, and all kind of animals Cheetahs, Lions, Buffalos, Elephants, Leopards and so on.
The Weather has been fantastic, every day sunny, dry and not so hot. One of the best thing of the winter season is the absence of mosquitos.

the open Savannah offers a wide field for game drives

Same as Ngorongoro Crater it is a must see, but way to crowded, do not visit it during August as it is peak season and you have safari vehicles all over the places!

Tanzania Northern Circuit - Too crowded

Hi Folks,

Just a quick one to let you know about my experience in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

We had an amazing well organized safari with Serene Tours Tanzania, in fact this is the second one I did with them. The first one was back in January in the South of Tanzania. But for the North of Tanzania I am a bit disappointed, it was way too crowded and spent quite some times at gates of the parks.

My advice to you guys, do not do the same mistake as I did. Start with the North of Tanzania first, do not do the safari in August as it is peak season and then only do the South of Tanzania. Doing so you will have a different feel of your safaris and will not remain and a mixed feeling.

This been said, Tanzania is well worth it but, you need to be careful when you choosing the itineraries as well as the time of the year you will visit!

Enjoy Tanzania,

Xavier

Excellent experience at the Serengeti National Park

We just came back from a 11 day safari in northern Tanzania followed by a 3 day stop over in Zanzibar. We visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and ended up in iconic Serengeti National Park. In the Serengeti, we visited central Serengeti and the northern part near the Mara river. We stayed at lodges and tented camps.
Throughout our stay, we found the lodging to be excellent that far exceeded our expectations. The highlight of our trip was staying at the Lemala tented camps in the Serengeti and the Maramboi tented camp near Lake Manyara. The experience of staying in the bush and experiencing nature as it was intended was a pure bliss.

In term of the flora and the fauna, we felt we were in the garden of eden. We got to see all the animals we wanted the see (the big five) and much much more. I am an avid photographer and I was able to get some good memories of this place. Some pictures at: https://500px.com/sanjeevdas/galleries/tanzania and https://www.flickr.com/photos/sanjeev_das/albums/72157668524942593.

Amazing to see the animals in wild, in their natural habitat !

Serengeti is one of world's renowned National Park for maintaining its Natural habitat. As a first time goer to Africa, i would say Serengeti kept up to its name. Quite lucky to witness big five and many other animals and birds. As a enthusiast photographer, I would say it is a brilliant opportunity if one wants to picture wildlife.