Great planes of East Africa
DATE 11 – 20 Dec 2023 (14 days) xFULL
Extension Ngorongoro Crater: 8 – 11 December 2023
TOUR LEADER Greg du Toit
GENRE wildlife
FEE 14,995 USD from Arusha, Tanzania
DEPOSIT 2,500 USD per person
GROUP SIZE 9 guests
SINGLE SUPPL. 3,250 USD for a single room
LEVEL all experience levels
This tour is fully booked. If you want to put your name on the waiting list, in case a space opens up, please fill out the booking form at the bottom of the page!
A BIG CAT & MIGRATION SAFARI
Wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows Africa like his back pocket. So we asked him to set up a trip for Squiver and include the best photographic locations he could think of in Tanzania. And so he did!
Squiver is proud to announce a new tour with Greg du Toit as the photographic tour leader, taking a group of just 6 guests to one of the world’s most beautiful places: the great plains of East Africa. An awe-inspiring 9-night big cat and migration safari in the Serengeti! With the possibility to extend the tour with 3 nights at the Ngorongoro Crater.
1 Night in Arusha
This will be a 9-night tour starting in Arusha (Tanzania), in a very comfortable lodge. The next morning we drive to the local airport from where we fly to our first camp. Let the adventure begin!
4 nights in Ndutu – Olakira Camp
We fly you to the far south of the Serengeti and take you to Olakira Camp for 4 nights. The area is known as Ndutu, and we will be just outside the park in the NCA (Ngorongoro Conservation Area), where we can go off-road. This will allow us to get you close to where you want to be!
At the time of the year we go, the grass is short and green. The short rains may have made the roads a bit muddy, but the skies will likely still be filled with drama. A great time to visit!
The predator photography is excellent! Olakira Camp is the best place in all of Africa to photograph cheetah hunting. But the other big cats are around as well, as it hosts lots and lots of lion. The area has beautiful umbrella acacias, and it offers a classic East Africa look for your photographs.
Greg has been going to the Serengeti for 12 years now and has carefully selected this camp for this tour.
Olakira is a mobile camp, so it moves twice per year, following the migration, and in December, it will be in one of the best parts of the Serengeti. It is a real traditional mobile camp, with bucket showers, but your every need and comfort is taken care of!
On this safari, we aim to intercept the world’s largest land mammal migration as the herds head south to their annual grazing grounds. To see and photograph the great plains of the Serengeti filled with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest is a sight to behold, and especially at a time of year when there are not a lot of other cars around. Depending on where the big herds of wildebeests are, we should be able to catch up with them at either camp. Their sheer numbers will blow your mind!
4 nights in the Serengeti – Namiri
Our next camp is Namiri, and it is incredible! Firstly it is luxurious, so after spending 4 nights in a mobile camp, you will be blown away by the looks of this camp. But more importantly: it is the Serengeti’s best-kept secret, as it is tucked away in a hidden corner to the far far far east. This corner of the park has almost no other cars, and it has a series of incredible granite koppies.
There are large prides of lion, cheetah, and plenty of other plains game in this area. The cheetah use the granite koppies as vantage points, and lions often sit on the rocks, which makes for incredible photography.
Greg uses this camp a lot, and in his opinion, it is located in the best part of the Serengeti. It is so remote that we’ll be able to sneak off-road if we need to, but there is a good road network, and every series of koppies has a road around it, so it is great for photography.
After a last game drive on the last day, you will fly back to Arusha for your international flight home.
EXTENSION TO THE NGORONGORO CRATER
The Ngorongoro Crater hardly needs an introduction… As we’ll be staying relatively close to the Ngorongoro Crater, it makes sense to offer you a 3-night extension to the crater. The full days are spent down on the crater floor, with a midday picnic break under a shady tree.
The Ngorongoro Crater formed around 2.5 million years ago when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. Now an enclosed ecosystem and World Heritage Site, the Crater is the best place in East Africa to see the Big 5. Measuring in at around 600 meters (1,970 feet) deep, the Crater’s floor covers about 260 square kilometers (100 square miles). Its surprisingly diverse habitats support around 30,000 animals!
As it’s a crater, the animals are basically “trapped” inside. They can get out but have no reason to. This means you are guaranteed to enjoy the density of wildlife that this unique environment has to offer! In December, the crater will be lush green, resulting in amazing shots.
You will be staying at The Highlands lodge during this extension; a truly magical place. Set high on the slopes of the Olmoti volcano and far from any other camp, The Highlands offers views all the way to the Serengeti and easy access to the famous Ngorongoro Crater. It’s a stylish high-altitude camp, deliberately positioned deep in the highland wilderness for maximum privacy. The setting of the lodge is beyond spectacular, with the most amazing architecture!
Ngorongoro extension: the price of the extension depends on the number of people interested. Please let us know if you would like to join the extension when booking this trip!
INCLUDED IN THE TOUR FEE
- all accommodation (9 nights)
- all meals & drinks (full board)
- exclusive use of hides and safari vehicles
- flights, including 40kg of luggage in total
- all park fees
- highly experienced guides
- Safari vehicles with just 3 guests per vehicle
- in the field instructions
- image reviews
- lots of fun!
The Tanzanian Government has a proven track record of bumping up park entry fees, concession fees, fuel levies, VAT, and other taxes without notice (unless you count two days as notice) and not honoring anything, even if previously paid in full. This means that all government fees that are part of the tour fee are subject to change.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR FEE
- international flights
- travel and cancellation insurance
- gratuities
- items of personal nature
Please read our Terms & Conditions for all Squiver photo tours.
If you would like to take out cancellation insurance, it needs to be arranged upon booking. You can get cancellation insurance through a third party, or we can arrange it for you if you live in The Netherlands, Belgium or Germany. For more information go to: www.squiver.com/insurance.html.
