Walking to the Serengeti

Start where the best adventures begin… off-the-beaten-track. Sitting on the rim of the awesome Ngorongoro Crater, your camp is the perfect base to explore this natural utopia. An extra day here means you can explore the lesser-visited craters on foot: the densely forested Empakai and the lush Olmoti in the highlands. After days out hiking, return for a cocktail by the campfire and soak up the views. Nowhere else in the world can you watch the sun rise in the Ngorongoro Crater and the sun set in the Serengeti.

It’s time to explore the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive caldera. Strategically positioned on its crater rim, you’re the first out to explore its wildlife mecca. Steal out at the crack of dawn to see the astounding game that roams the sprawling savannah. You’ll come across extraordinary wildlife such as silver-cheeked hornbills, spotted hyena and herds of Grant’s gazelles. It’s also where you can see the highest known density of lions on the planet.

Rise early to make the most of the morning light. Led by a Maasai guide and an expert ranger, you’ll make your way from the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater towards Tanzania’s greatest wildlife hot spot, the Serengeti. It’s one of the most dramatic walks in the world, as you plunge downhill from the crater rim with views of the looming Gold mountains and the Olduvai Gorge, a site that held the remains of our earliest ancestors. Arrive at the Serengeti in the mid-afternoon and refuel on a cookout brunch.

Spend the day watching one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth. The great wildebeest migration is one of life’s most rewarding sites, best experienced from a mobile camp. Explore with highly knowledgeable guides near-obsessed with chasing the migration and enjoy unlimited game drives. You can linger for as long as you please. Follow the mass movement of wildebeest in their millions, thundering across the rivers (Feb and March) and swarming the plains for greener grass.

Yesterday you spent the day chasing the wildebeest migration but today the Serengeti has more tricks up its sleeve. Head out in a 4x4, scouring the endless plains for roaming lion, cheetah and bickering hyenas. You’ll no doubt be treated to the sight of large herds of zebras and giraffes as well as smaller creatures like dik-diks (antelope types) and colourful bee-eaters. Request a private vehicle so you can make plentiful photo stops and tailor the day exactly to your wildlife endeavours.