Tailor made safaris to Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater - Tanzania

Jules is an African Safari expert and has travelled extensively throughout East Africa. Contact us to discuss the best location for your Serengeti & Ngorongoro safari, depending on the time of year. 01728 748209, use live chat or send an enquiry. 

Safaris & honeymoons to Northern Tanzania offer a wide range of spectacular landscapes and holiday experiences.  From mountain peaks to hot, dusty plains and lush valley floors to thick forests there is something in this region for everyone. Birding holidays are rewarding with many unique and endemic species found here as well as the popular 'safari' birds such as Vultures, Ostriches and Flamingos. If you are travelling with children, we can arrange the perfect family safari for you.  The wildlife of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater has been shown many times on our TV screens, so if you have been inspired to travel to these wonderful destinations please get in touch! 

Serengeti National Park is Tanzania's oldest and most well known wildlife destination. Serengeti means 'endless plains' in the local Masai language and it does indeed seems as if you can see forever across the grasslands of this iconic landscape! The plains are crossed by several major rivers such as the Grumeti, famous for the wildebeest river crossing and dotted with rocky Kopjes, these make ideal vantage points ... there is nothing like enjoying a sundowner drink high on the rocks overlooking the Serengeti as night falls and the sounds of the bush surround you .... 

The Serengeti is very seasonal, so get in touch and have a chat with Jules as to the best location for your Serengeti safari, depending on the time of year you are travelling.  Read more here about the Great Wildebeest Migration. Here is a map showing the location of the main lodges and camps in the Serengeti and the movement of the herds throughout the year. 

If you go to the Serengeti in July - September the chances are you could drive all day and see nothing but empty plains and dust devils!  During these months you need to be in the far north where luxury tented camps are placed along the border with the Masai Mara in Kenya which is where you should really head during this time if the aim of your African Safari is to see the migration.  But beware - July and August are also peak travel season for families and the Mara is MUCH smaller than the Serengeti, so book with us to make sure you avoid the crowds! 

We recommend booking small, luxury tented camps for you or if your budget won't allow this we will select some of the safari lodges in the best locations or mobile camps which are set up to follow the best game viewing locations throughout the year. 

Ngorongoro Crater is one of the natural wonders of the world, for many people it's a 'bucket list' must see destination.  It is 19.2 km in diameter, 610 m deep and 304 sq km in area.  The 'crater' is actually a caldera - around two million years ago a large volcano collapsed inwards to create this extraordinary eco-system which today holds some of the most interesting wildlife on the planet. The rich grazing and permanent water supports a resident population of around 25,000 animals which increases around November - January when the Great Migration passes through the NCA. 

There are several resident populations of lion families (around 5 main prides each between 10 - 20 animals) and cheetah who follow their prey such as wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and buffalo. Flamingos dot the shores of Lake Magadi in the crater floor and hippos wallow in the swampy pools. Elephants are restricted to the forests to the edge and sides of the crater, generally only the bulls are found inside the crater in the Lerai Forest area while the females and youngsters stay outside in the greater NCA area and into the Serengeti. Thanks to anti-poaching patrols protecting them the endangered Black Rhino now live in a population of around 20 individuals in Ngorongoro Crater. This is one of the view places in East Africa where you can be sure of seeing rhino. 

                                                                                                                                                               Safari in Ngorongoro Crater (Asilia Africa)

The crater is only a small part of the larger Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) which stretches over part of the southern Serengeti plains and to the north Loliondo and through the crater highlands towards Arusha in the west. The NCA was formed in 1959 and was a pioneering experiment where land use was combined meaning that pastoralism, conservation and tourism would work together. The NCA has since been given World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve status and covers an area of over 8,000 sq km and ranges from 1,020m to 3,587m in altitude. 

We can tailor make African Safaris to include both safari camps and lodges around the Crater and the highlands and treks further afield. One of my favourites is the 'trekking with donkeys' trip from Ngorongoro Crater through Empakaai and Olmoti Craters across the highlands to Oldonyo Lengai and Lake Natron, this area is very isolated and dramatic - here are the suggested itineraries. Treks and fly camping can also be tailored to personal requests for families or groups of friends throughout the Serengeti & Ngorongoro region of Northern Tanzania. Take a look at the Tanzania holidays pages for some suggested itineraries, this one is great for active families.  Here is a suggested honeymoon itinerary taking you through the crater highlands and Serengeti. 

Geology and Archaeology - Two main geological rifts run through the NCA region. Nine volcanoes in the Ngorongoro highlands were formed during the past four million years. One of these, Oldonyo Lengai (Mountain of God) is still active today and treks can be arranged through the highlands and around the mountain. The ash and dust from millennia of eruptions covered the Serengeti plains providing the fertile soils from which wildlife has fed ever since. The earliest signs of man in the NCA is at Laetoli where hominid footprints are preserved in volcanic rock which is 3.6 million years old. Oldupai Gorge is a valuable archaeological site where Louis and Mary Leaky carried out excavations of many hominid and animal remains. Visitors to the NCA can make a stop at the small museum here. 

Culture - Cattle herding people have moved in and out of the NCA for thousands of years, stayed for a while but then had to move on, sometimes forced out by other tribes. The Maasai people arrived about 200 years ago and have since spread over the whole of Northern Tanzania in huge numbers. Don't be surprised to see Maasai pastoralists herding their cattle, donkeys and goats alongside the wildlife! The Maasai area allowed to take their animals into the Crater for water and grazing but not allowed to live or cultivate there. Another tribe found locally are The Datoga, Nilo-Hamitic speaking pastoralists who arrived more than 300 years ago and now live around the Lake Eyasi basin in the Great Rift Valley having been forced out of the NCA by the Maasai. 

                                                                                     Walking safari with Maasai at Empakai Crater through Ngorongoro forests

A note about Maasai villages and tourism - We can arrange for you to meet with local tribes people during your safari holiday to Serengeti and Ngorongoro, but we will always avoid the 'tourist trap' areas, please be wary of Maasai demanding money for taking photos and forcing their crafts onto you.  No responsible safari company will endorse this behaviour and we strongly encourage you to let us book your safari with professional guides and safari companies who work alongside local people to support their way of life and to allow you to meet with them in a truly authentic way. 

Contact us for your perfect African Safari to Serengeti & Ngorongoro - tented camps, luxury lodges, mobile trekking safaris, family safaris and safari honeymoons. 01728 748209, use the live chat or send an enquiry. Have a read of our many testimonials for travel reviews including Tanzania safaris.