Luxury Migration, Lake & Crater Safari

Upon arrival at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a vehicle waits to transfer you to Wilson Airport, where you board a scheduled flight to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. A game drive from the airstrip to the opulent Kichwa Tembo Bateleur Camp is the perfect introduction to this legendary reserve.

The endless, undulating grasslands are so vast that clouds, herds of game and clusters of trees resemble leopard spots on the landscape, giving rise to the Maasai (also spelled Masai) name “Maa”, which means ‘spotted’. Today, locals refer to the Reserve as the Mara.

The Mara comprises the northern-most section of the Mara-Serengeti eco-system, a magnificent wilderness encompassing 25,000 square kilometres of natural migration route. The Great Migration involves the seasonal movements of vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle and topi through the eco-system. The Mara has a richly varied resident game population, including the Big 5 and rare species like cheetah, bat-eared foxes and Roan antelope.

More than 470 bird species have been recorded here, including 60 raptors. Among the resident species that top the must-see list are vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds and African pygmy falcons. The national bird of Kenya is the aptly-named lilac-breasted roller, a whimsical beauty that puts on a dazzling performance, flashing its jewel colours against the muted tones of the bush.

Kichwa Tembo Bateleur Camp is located in a private concession in the Western Mara. The vast plains are best explored by vehicle on early morning and late afternoon game drives. Guided bush walks provide a more intimate viewpoint of the environment and spot-lit night drives add a thrilling sense of adventure with the chance to see rare nocturnal species. All game-viewing is in the care of expert rangers. One of the Camp’s delightful traditions is stopping at a scenic spot for refreshing sundowners during the late afternoon drive.

Bateleur Camp is located where the iconic final scene of “Out of Africa” was filmed. Ingeniously set within the shade of a forest bordering the grasslands, it is the most comfortable place to pass the heat of the day. The sparkling pool offers a refreshing escape with glorious poolside loungers and the attentive service of your personal butler. The central lounge is classically colonial with some quirky touches and plenty of homely comfort. The tented accommodation is a perfect blend of romantic canvas and polished hardwood, with generous bathrooms and magnificent views from each private deck. The sophisticated palette of muted gold and natural tones, combined with richly textured fabric, create an elegant environment. You may well find yourself seated at the carved writing desk, pen poised above a postcard, quite lost in the splendid view of endless, rolling plains.

After an early morning game drive and a delicious breakfast, you return to the airstrip for your flight to Wilson Airport. There, you board a scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. One more air transfer delivers you to Lake Manyara, the area Hemingway described as, “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. A game drive transfer brings you to the enchanting Lake Manyara Tree Lodge.

Manyara’s lush forests are alive with skipping blue monkeys and the joyous honking of hornbills. Where the forest gives way to picturesque plains, the eye is drawn past clouds of flamingo on the lakeshore, up to a line of pale purple volcanic peaks – the jagged towers standing guard over the legendary Maasai Steppes.

Inland from the floodplains lies a narrow belt of acacia woodland. Home to Manyara’s infamous tree-climbing lions, the welcome shade also shelters those graceful giants, African elephant, and diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik. Clans of banded mongoose add an endearingly comical touch to the woodland panorama.

Manyara is a birder’s delight thanks to the combination of wetlands, woodlands and hot springs. Birds flourish here with over 400 recorded species in the area. While the thousands of flamingos put on the most ostentatious show, Manyara is a haven for many large, migratory water birds, including pelicans and storks.

Explore this extraordinary Park during your stay in the lodge’s delightful tree houses. Elegantly furnished and very comfortable, the tree houses are cradled in the boughs of an ancient mahogany forest.  When you are not out exploring, the Lodge’s charming lounge competes with your suite for the most pleasant place to languidly observe the bountiful life of your forest surrounds. For a highly recommended treat – especially on the day you arrive - book a deeply relaxing spa massage.

The Lodge offers daily game viewing expeditions led by expert guides, as well as night drives that offer fascinating insights into the rich nocturnal life of the Park, and the chance to spot elusive creatures like aardvark and bat-eared foxes.

After breakfast, depart Manyara Airstrip for a short flight to the plains known to Maasai as Siringitu, “the place where the land moves on forever”. Tanzania's first game reserve, the Serengeti National Park, is one of the planet’s last remaining natural migration corridors and one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Its climate, vegetation and fauna have remained mostly unchanged over the past million years. The natural instinct that drives the annual Great Migration of more than a million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra is so powerful that neither drought nor crocodile-infested rivers can halt it.

The drive to Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp wets your appetite for more. After settling into your suite, you waste no time taking your place on the afternoon game drive. There is so much to see here that the drive lasts until sundowner time, when your ranger selects a scenic spot to stop and delve into the generous picnic hamper supplied by Grumeti’s kitchen.

After sunset, the game drive continues with a deftly wielded spot light illuminating the fascinating nocturnal creatures that emerge only after dusk. You return to camp in time to freshen up and join your small band of fellow explorers in the charming central dining area. The emphasis at Grumeti Camp is on simple luxury and a romantic, close-to-nature ambience. Activities focus on witnessing the migration spectacle on daily game drives or from the air in early morning hot-air balloon rides.

After an early game drive and delicious breakfast, catch your scheduled flight from Lake Manyara to the dramatic and breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. This is a place of rare wonders – from its miraculous terrain to the abundant fauna and flora it supports, from its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to the harmonious coexistence of its people and wildlife. On arrival, a waiting guide transfers you to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.

The Crater was formed by a massive volcanic eruption, which left the world’s largest intact and un-flooded caldera. Your route from the lodge descends over the lush rainforests of the rim, 610m down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 260 square kilometres. This encircled haven provides a year-round home to 25,000 large mammals, including black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, eland and gazelle, along with Africa’s densest population of lion. The rim’s rainforests shelter elephant, mountain buck, buffalo, hyena, wild dog, leopard and cheetah.

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is architecturally spectacular. Perched on the edge of the crater, every suite offers impressive views. Glamorous opulence rules this Lodge, from the chandelier-lit bathrooms to the personal butler service and very fine dining. Spend your day game viewing and exploring the crater floor, stopping to picnic on the grasslands amidst the grazing herds. Return to the Lodge for sundowners on the crater’s rim and sumptuous feasts in the domed dining area.

After breakfast, you begin your journey home. Scheduled flights take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport and on to Wilson Airport in Kenya. A driver awaits your arrival and transfers you to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight home. You have seen spectacular sights and created unforgettable memories – simply close your eyes to feel the warmth of the African sun on your skin, catch the scent of wild sage on the cool evening air, and hear the low, spine-tingling moans of lions at dusk. All these extraordinary moments you have witnessed on your journey!