14-Day Tanzania Photographic Safari

Overview

Tour highlights

• Five nights near the Mara River in the north
• Land Cruiser with removable windows for shooting
• Guide with photography know-how, one per vehicle
• Full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Sunrise and sunset drives in the central Serengeti
• Charter flight from Kogatende back to Arusha

1. Day 1 Arrival and a Quiet Night Outside Arusha Stay Upscale country lodge between the airport and ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Your driver meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the private transfer of about 50 minutes to your lodge on the edge of Arusha. Nothing is planned for the rest of the day, so you can sleep off the flight, charge batteries and check your camera gear. Your guide will want to hear what you most hope to photograph, so it is worth drawing up a wish list over dinner.

2. Day 2 Tarangire: Elephants Among the Baobabs Stay Tented camp or tented lodge in the Tarangire areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave after an early breakfast for Tarangire National Park, about two hours away. Game drive your way to camp, looking for elephant herds along the Tarangire River and the huge baobabs that make strong subjects against an open sky. After a break in the middle of the day, head out again in the afternoon, when the light softens and the big cats begin to stir.

3. Day 3 A Full Day With Tarangire’s Herds Stay Tented camp or tented lodge in the Tarangire areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   A long day in the park with a picnic lunch means you can wait at a promising sighting rather than move on. Elephants coming down to the river make good subjects, and the park also has lions, giraffes, zebras and a wide variety of birds. Your guide can angle the vehicle for side light or a clean background, and the window openings let you shoot close to eye level.

4. Day 4 Morning in Tarangire, Afternoon in the Highlands Stay Lodge or camp in the Ngorongoro highlandsMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Take one last morning drive in Tarangire, then set off for the Ngorongoro area, a journey of around three and a half hours. Pause at a viewpoint on the Rift Valley escarpment above Lake Manyara, a fine spot for wide landscape frames. Arrive in the highlands in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day resting and preparing your gear for an early start.

5. Day 5 Full Day on the Crater Floor Stay Lodge or camp in the Ngorongoro highlandsMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater soon after the gates open, when the light is soft and mist can still cling to the walls. Spend the whole day on the floor with a picnic lunch. Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, lions and spotted hyenas are common, and black rhino are present in small numbers. The crater walls make a dramatic backdrop for wide shots of the herds.

6. Day 6 Through the Highlands to the Central Serengeti Stay Tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Cross the highlands and drop onto the Serengeti plains, a drive of about three hours plus time for game viewing. Watch for gazelle herds and ostriches as the grassland opens out. The short-grass plains suit cheetahs, and lions are often seen resting on the granite kopjes. Reach camp in the afternoon, then head out again for a sunset drive while the sky turns orange over the plains.

7. Day 7 Sunrise and Sunset Predator Drives Stay Tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Be out at first light, when lions are often still active after the night and the low sun gives warm, raking light. The central Serengeti, around the Seronera area, has resident big cats all year. Return to camp at midday to rest, back up your images and recharge batteries, then go out again for the late afternoon. Hyenas and vultures at a kill can give you strong action sequences.

8. Day 8 Retima Hippo Pool and the Seronera Valley Stay Tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Today includes a visit to the Retima Hippo Pool, where crowds of hippos jostle for space in the water, giving you interaction shots and close-ups of yawning bulls. Spend the rest of the day along the Seronera River, a good place to search for leopards resting in the trees. Finish with one more sunset session on the central plains before dinner.

9. Day 9 Game Drive North Toward the Mara River Stay Tented camp or lodge in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara RiverMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Pack up and drive north, about three hours plus time for wildlife along the way. The landscape changes as you go, from open plains to rolling hills and woodland. You reach your camp in the north in the afternoon, and your guide explains how the herds behave at the river, where crossings tend to happen and how to be ready when they start.

10. Day 10 First Day at the Mara Crossings Stay Tented camp or lodge in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara RiverMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    In the crossing season, the day revolves around the wildebeest. Herds gather on the bank, sometimes for hours, before the first animal jumps and the rest follow in a rush of dust and spray. Your guide chooses a position with a clear view, and patience pays off. Crocodiles wait in the water. Morning and afternoon drives give you two chances at the action, with a rest in camp between them.

11. Day 11 Waiting for the Herds to Jump Stay Tented camp or lodge in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara RiverMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    No two crossing days are alike. Some days the herds cross several times; on others they mass on the bank and then turn back. Use the waiting time to photograph the details: rising dust, zebras mixed in with the wildebeest, vultures in the trees, crocodiles basking on sandbanks. Your guide stays in radio contact with other guides to hear where herds are building up along the river.

12. Day 12 Beyond the River: Northern Serengeti Wildlife Stay Tented camp or lodge in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara RiverMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Give the river a rest for part of the day and explore the wider north. The hills and open plains here hold lions, cheetahs, elephants and giraffes, and the long golden hour before sunset is ideal for wide scenes and animal portraits. Your guide keeps an ear on the radio, so if a crossing starts to build, you can head back to the river quickly.

13. Day 13 Last Full Day at the River Stay Tented camp or lodge in the northern Serengeti, near the Mara RiverMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Spend your final full day wherever the action is best, whether that is a crossing point on the Mara or a pride of lions nearby. Take time over lunch to review your images with your guide and decide which shots you still want, then go after them in the afternoon. In the evening, enjoy a final dinner in camp and pack for tomorrow’s flight.

14. Day 14 Charter Flight to Arusha and Departure Meals Breakfast, Lunch

    A short drive takes you to the Kogatende airstrip for a charter flight back to Arusha, with wide views of the Serengeti and the highlands below, so keep a camera handy by the window. In Arusha, enjoy a relaxed lunch in town and a last chance to talk through your favorite images before your private transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport, in good time for your flight home.

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