I was fortunate to guide small group safaris during August/September and again in October. It will take a while but I’m going to report on each area and camp that I visited. My first stop in late August was Tanzania’s Northern Serengeti and we stayed at Lemala Camp, a seasonal tented camp that sets up in the Wogakuria area of the Northern Serengeti, approximately 15 km from the Mara River.
The Migration
Finding the migration is a key element when planning a Tanzania Safari.
Photo © Bill Given
A typical safari to East Africa will focus on finding the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’, the astounding migration of one million wildebeest and a couple hundred thousand zebra. Each year movements of the great herds will vary according to localized rains and grazing conditions, however, there are general historical patterns that can be used to plan for the best locations to enhance the opportunity to experience the spectacle. Conventional wisdom suggests that an August visit should be based in the Masai Mara for the best migration viewing, however times are changing.
Safari in Tanzania or Safari in Kenya?
This August virtually the entire migration was in the Northern Serengeti.
Photo © Bill Given
While it is true that traditionally much of the migration moves into the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya from August through October, an estimated 20% of the herds historically remain spread across the Northern Serengeti. Many believe that percentage is growing and might actually be approaching 50% due to heavy cattle use in the greater Masai Mara area making it less inviting to the herds. This, in combination with the Serengeti park rangers doing controlled burns that produce new productive grazing areas could be driving away the herds. Additionally water in the upper Mara River watershed is being diverted with negative impact on the region.
Certainly this year Kenya was in severe drought and the result was during my stay in late August almost the entire migration was within Tanzania’s Serengeti – lucky me!
The allure of the Northern Serengeti is there are very few camps, Sayari Camp is the largest at 15 tents and it is the only permanent camp, all the others are seasonal. This means there are very few vehicles around and thus the essence of the wilderness remains intact and the unpleasant crowding that occurs in the Masai Mara is avoided. I am bothered when I have to share a sighting with a dozen or more vehicles and I feel it really can interfere with some of the animals natural behavior. I’m more than willing to trade off a little in animal density for a much higher quality viewing experience and that’s how I landed in the Northern Serengeti. I was extremely pleased with the results as we were able to drive off road, had many brilliant sightings, the wildlife diversity and quantities were very impressive, and the most vehicles I ever had at a sighting was 4 – most of the time we found ourselves completely alone!
Wildebeest Crossing the Mara River
Mara River crossings are one of nature's great dramas.
Photo © Bill Given
One of the pinnacle sights in all of the world is to witness the migratory herds crossing the Mara River. This usually involves a slow build up of huge numbers as they gather courage to perform the daunting task, eventually one animal leaps and then thousands will follow - swimming through fast currents and a gauntlet of huge crocodiles. Despite what many might think the crossings actually happen frequently from late July through early November with daily movements back and forth throughout the season. With patience and persistence most visitors to the Northern Serengeti can witness a crossing, the biggest numbers are typically early and late in the season with smaller groups moving daily in between. On my trip we had the good fortune of watching approximately 5,000 individual wildebeest and zebra cross the river. However, this year with drought conditions and the removal of water upstream for agriculture, the river was extremely low allowing the animals to wade through the water rather than making a dramatic swim for it. It was still wonderful to see and one of the highlights of the safari.
Next up Northern Serengeti Big Cats…