Serengeti National Park

Vast plains filled with wildlife. Beautiful views especially at sunrise/sunset.

The scenic is amazing, with the endless grass plains. It has a great animal diversity to offer, from the animals we saw: lions (many of them, cubs, hunting/eating, in small groups, a large families of 15 lions...), cheetahs, leopard, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, crocodile... The list is long.

The worlds most famous safari National Park. Not only for the animals but also for the beauty of the landscape.

Not many animals and bad roads. Beautiful nature though.

Less wildlife, savannah is not exceedingly scenic, less birds, although the ones found were exquisite.

Wildlife was more spread out in the Serengetti.

we saw all big 5 and thousands of other animals and birds; could not see cheetahs and other animals near wetland, due to severe rains
the road to Serengeti is very dusty; a facial mask is a must

We saw the migration. So maybe we saw 10 000 or 100 000 animals. It was just incredible.

Mere photographs cannot describe this experience.

Mt goal for this journey from Arizona to Tanzania was specifically for The Great Migration in Serengeti National Park. The roads were very, very rough and bumpy, but to be expected. It is what it is. The weather was ideal, the food just fine, but three experiences were my highlights: (1) our guide was amazing. He sensed where the animals were and usually got our safari vehicle in position before all of the others - therefore - some incredible closeups of the Big 5 and many others. (2) the Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp was a unique experience. It was all of our favorite lodging. (3) the Great Migration images are in my mind, heart and soul forever. This quote, from me, says it all: “My passion in photography is to capture the essence of the culture, the people, the beauty of their country as well as reflect on how they live. The images for this journey in Africa, for The Great Migration, cannot be captured in a few photographs. One has to experience it. And then, it will never be forgotten.”

If you love to photograph wildlife this is the place to be

An amazing place to see wildlife and scenery that can change so quickly from one area to the next. We went in September/October and the temperature was around 30°C and not uncomfortable when travelling in a 4x4. As there were four of us it was not too bad to get some good positions for taking photos. More than this, the harder it will be to position yourself to get those shots.

We stayed at the Serengeti Serena Lodge which was very pleasant. The food and accommodation was good although you do not spend that much time in your hotel. There was also a swimming pool which was another positive.

Our guide Ahmad was brilliant. He had great knowledge regarding the animals and areas we visited. His listened to what we wanted to do as well as giving us great advice. He helped make our holiday a great experience.

We also visited Lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Each environment we visited was different but special in its own way. We found the Tanzanian people to be very friendly and loved English football!

We saw so many animals including the big five and most of the small five.

Be prepared for tipping hotel staff and your guide at the end of your trip. Make sure you have adequate American dollars in small notes. If you need Tanzanian shillings these can be obtained from an ATM. We got ours at the airport. This is useful for villages and markets.

If you visit a Masai village you will be charged an entrance fee. However you will be allowed to take unlimited photos. Be aware that they will show you gifts to purchase after the tour. If you can try to visit a local market as it is an amazing experience. Photos of people are difficult as they expect payment in return.

All in all I would highly recommend. This was a holiday of a lifetime.

One very important note. There are toilets at the entrances to the parks we visited and at the picnic grounds. They were well maintained.