The Great Migration: Tanzania & Kenya Privately

Aarhus

Visitors are welcomed to the bustling streets, buzzing marketplaces, and vibrant nightlife of Arusha—a city of flavour, culture, and endless excitement. While the city is often only a stopover for many as it acts as the gateway to Tanzania’s trove of natural treasures, a day or two in the city will treat guests to an inside look at one of the country’s flourishing metropolises.

The legendary plains of the Serengeti with its rumbling Great Migration, the natural wonder of the Ngorongoro Crater, and the historical importance of Olduvai Gorge will undoubtedly entice curious visitors. The wildlife attractions continue with the tree-climbing pythons and lions of Tarangire National Park and the flamingo-dotted waters of Lake Natron and Manyara. Mountaineers will be eager to scale Kilimanjaro or observe the picturesque views from Mount Meru’s summit.

The city can be reached within an hour from Kilimanjaro International Airport or a short 20-minute drive from the domestic Arusha Airport. Visitors can conveniently fly directly from Zanzibar, making the Arusha region an easy add-on to a Zanzibar itinerary. With a pulsating nightlife, traditional markets, number of museums, and array of restaurants reflecting the multicultural nature of the city, Arusha is most definitely worth a stopover en route to or returning from your Tanzanian adventure.

Accommodation: Arusha Coffee Lodge, Aarhus

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Ngorongoro highlands in northern Tanzania offer a multitude of fascinating pastimes to engage visitors. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, the conservation area allows visitors to sample locally grown and brewed coffee, safari through a crater, and hike up another and walk in the footsteps of early man.

The Ngorongoro Crater is famed for being the only intact caldera in the world. A wildlife sanctuary flourishes in its basin where the floor has been fertilised by the volcanic soil, attracting an array of wildlife ranging from lions and leopards to elephants and hippos. Safaris can be taken through the crater and in the Ndutu lake area to the west of the crater, known for its particularly strong wildlife population and the Great Migration passing through annually.

Two lesser craters, Empakai and Olmoti, can be explored on foot with local Maasai guides. The impressive Oldupai Gorge—where a 1.75-million-year-old hominin skull and series of preserved footprints were discovered—allows visitors to walk in the literal footsteps of early man. From safaris in the Ngorongoro Crater, observing the Great Migration from Ndutu Lake, to treks through the magnificent Oldupai Gorge, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area leaves visitors with no shortage of activities to entertain.

Accommodation: Lemala Osonjoi Lodge, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Found in the Lamai Triangle in the north of the Serengeti, Singita Mara River Tented Camp stays true to its name with unobstructed views of the Mara River. Here, safari-goers will have a front-row seat to one of the most exciting spectacles of the Great Migration: the strenuous crossing wildebeest undertake through the crocodile-infested waters of the Mara River.

The Great Migration is a seasonal journey undertaken by scores of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, whose overwhelming presence has caused the Maasai Mara and Serengeti ecosystems to become a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, onlookers can marvel at the perennial cycle of life that unfolds on this tract of African landscape. Year-round, the area surrounding the Mara River is known for sightings of the Big 5 and its high concentration of cats.

Mara River Tented Camp’s main lodge is decorated in a colour palette that pays homage to the local Maasai. Its One-bedroom Tents and Family Tents give off a dreamy, bohemian quality thanks to the drapes of canvas and netting that adorn its interior. Relish delicious fine dining prepared by the on-site culinary team and unwind under the stars with a glass of award-winning wine.

Accommodation: Singita Mara River Tented Camp, Tanzania

Maasai Mara National Reserve

One moment on the deck of Angama Mara will have guests understanding its name. Meaning "suspended in mid-air" in Swahili, this luxury African safari camp is located high above the floor of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, overlooking the awe-inspiring Maasai Mara Reserve, and in the spot where the well-known film Out of Africa was shot.

The Maasai Mara has long drawn eager travellers to its game-dotted expanse, in no small way thanks to the variety of game and large population numbers found there – but also because the greatest wildlife show on all is played out in this region. The Great Migration thunders across this sanctuary annually, but the reserve at large remains a year-round destination.

Spacious tented suites stretch out over two kopjes on the edge of the escarpment and command arresting valley views. Each suite has glass frontage overlooking the plains, spacious viewing decks and in-room dining and lounging facilities. The Mara Triangle is less than half an hour from the lodge and activities on offer include hot air ballooning, walking safaris, game drives and village visits. Safaris here are completely tailor-made and flexible.

Accommodation: Angama Mara, Maasai Mara National Reserve