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East Africa is the quintessential African safari destination in the tradition of Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame. It should be on every nature lover’s bucket list. Africa Safari Expert Tatham Liprini went on an East African safari to some of the region’s most stunning attractions – including the Masai Mara, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. She shares her impressions of her memorable experience.
Tell us about your itinerary
We did a driving circuit in Tanzania and started off with an overnight stay in Arusha, then drove into Tarangire National Park where we spent a night. Tarangire is a great place for ‘fly-camping’, which is an adventurous, private and unique experience, offered as part of a walking safari, where you go on a walk accompanied by a guide to experience a private night out of the main camp. Your walk usually ends when you arrive at a very intimate temporary mobile camp that’s been set up for your convenience. The night is spent sitting around the campfire under a starry sky, with the guide preparing your dinner on the open fire and stories shared about the day’s events.
From Tarangire we drove approximately three hours to Lake Manyara National Park. It is a beautiful scenic drive as you pass the surrounding villages and children who get very excited and wave as you drive by.
It was very interesting to see how landscapes change as you drive from the dry grasslands of Tarangire into the lush forests around Lake Manyara. The next day we headed through the town of Karatu into Ngorongoro Crater.
We spent the day in the Crater, which was amazing! One thing to note is that it can get busy especially compared to Tarangire. Large crowds and high visitor numbers mean that sometimes there can be a queue at the Crater gate.
Our last stop in Tanzania was the Serengeti. It is about three to four hours’ drive from the Crater to the Serengeti, driving via the northern part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (also known as Ndutu). There is lots to see here and you can look forward to a game drive as you head to the Serengeti! A very special sighting during our drive was a cheetah and a serval that we hadn’t seen yet. You can also off-road in this area so you can get closer to the game. It can get very dry and dusty so make sure to pack a buff or scarf.
I really enjoyed the driving circuit and it is a lovely way to experience a lot of the country in a short amount of time. Even though we spent a fair amount of time in the vehicle, I was never bored as there was just so much to see! It is also great as you have the same guide for the entire trip so you get to know each other and form a bond. I was actually so sad to leave Jackson when we headed to Kenya.
Our next stop was Kenya; we flew from Seronera Airstrip to Tarime, where we crossed the border with a road transfer to get to Migori airstrip in Kenya. From Migori we took a flight straight out into the Masai Mara. It only took us about two hours to cross the border so this option makes it really easy to combine the two countries.
We then spent the next few days exploring the Masai Mara and Amboseli as well as the private conservancies in the area.
What were the highlights of your trip?
So many to mention! As this was my first trip to East Africa I didn’t really know what to expect. I guess I have been lucky with lots of safari experiences in private concessions where you can off-road so I wasn’t expecting the game viewing to be as good as it was in the national parks and reserves. I was pleasantly surprised! Even though in many places you can’t go off-road, the game viewing really was spectacular. As I mentioned, spotted over a hundred lions in our 2-week trip!
In terms of the game viewing highlights, one that stood out to me was when we saw a cheetah mother with her 2-month-old cub.
Other highlights included an ‘almost’ lion kill on some warthogs. We sat and watched the lions corner the warthog from both sides and slowly inch their way patiently forward. The poor warthog was completely unaware until the very last second when he was lucky enough to make a narrow escape. We also saw a very rare serval at close proximity and pride of eight lions on a kill.
The two activities that stood out most to me were fly-camping in Tarangire and hot-air ballooning in the Masai Mara. Fly-camping, although not for everyone, is incredible: you have everything you could possibly want in terms of comfort but you are pretty much camping out in the wild so it really is an authentic experience. We had a pack of hyena scouting for leftovers after dinner while we were sitting around the campfire. The hot-air ballooning over the Masai Mara is literally one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced. Watching the sun rise over the Mara and seeing wild animals from above was amazing!
One more unforgettable experience was flying into Grumeti and seeing the Migration. We came into land and we couldn’t because there were so many wildebeest on the runway so had to quickly take off again… it was super exciting!
What did you eat?
Really great food all around, lots of meat and some of the most interesting and imaginative soups I’ve ever seen with loads of fresh, organic and healthy salads and veggies as sides.
Two of the best meals were the 5-course menu at The Manor at Ngorongoro and the huge fresh salad bar at Kichwa Tembo in Kenya… yum!
What were your lodge highlights?
My personal top picks were Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp and Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, although we had extremely comfortable accommodation throughout our trip. The service was especially thoughtful and personal here, and they made us feel so welcome and at home! They sing you an arrival and farewell song that is super catchy (it was stuck in my head for the rest of the trip). Lake Manyara Tree Lodge had the most beautiful treehouse rooms and one of the best outdoor showers I have ever had.
At Serengeti Pioneer Camp they set up a lovely private dinner for us at the pool in the evening. From Pioneer we saw the most beautiful sunrise as the main area is situated on top of a kopje with amazing views.
Top travel tips
All of these areas are must-sees. There is not one destination that we visited that I would not recommend. Remember your sunblock and a hat, and a buff for the dust! Wear lots of layers and thin clothing as it can be chilly in the mornings and evenings but gets very warm during the day. Relax at the beach after your safari, both Kenya and Tanzania combine really well with Zanzibar or Diani beach on the Kenyan coast and are wonderful destinations to add to your East Africa Safari.
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