Walking safari in the Eastern Serengeti

Walking safaris at Nduara Loliondo – a uniquely designed safari camp located in the Eastern Serengeti, Tanzania. Constructed as a combination of the Mongolian Gers and local Maasai bomas, the camp celebrates two different nomadic lifestyles in comfort and style.

The accommodation consists of six large yurts, decorated with a distinct African feel. Each of the light and spacious rooms has full en-suite with toilet and hot water  bucket showers. The design of the yurts ensure that guests are kept cool during the day with flaps that can be rolled down at night time to hold the warmth. The camp has a large dining and lounge area where guests can relax between activities on the soft furnishings.

As the camp is located outside of the National Park this allows much greater freedom in terms of the game viewing activities available and this is one of the main attractions of Nduara Loliondo. In addition to the more traditional game drives, guided walks and night drives add an exciting dimension to the safari.

Game viewing is exceptional during the dry season as the migration spills out of the Serengeti National Park into the Loliondo area with elephant, lion, leopard and antelope all seen regularly as well as a wide variety of bird life.

For more details and suggestions, please contact Opulent Africa.

The Infamous Migration

The Migration; over a million Wildebeest, Zebra and Thomson’s Gazelles continually strive for sustenance on the Serengeti Plains. The annual migration of these animals does not follow a set time and route, however an educated guess can lead you to what is considered by many to be the greatest show on earth.

One of the wildebeest’s favourite haunts is the short grassy plains of the southern Serengeti. It is here during February and well into March that several hundred thousand calves are born, an event intensified by the numerous predators that wait in anticipation in the wings. As the area’s resources are gradually exhausted the herds will move away from these hallowed plains as late as they can with plans to return as soon as possible.

The routes taken by the herds are not well worn pathways with last year’s hoof prints to lead the way, they are ever changing. Millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle go forwards, backwards, to the sides, they mill around, split up, join forces, walk in a line, in groups, they spread out, and often they just hang around.

One can never predict with certainty where the migration will be and when; the best you can do is draw on past experience.

From May onwards, the short rains subside and the vegetation begins to recede. The southern and eastern area of the Serengeti is no longer the best location for a growing herd, and the exodus starts with a few hundred wildebeest taking their first steps towards the northern and western plains in search of lush pastures and a more dependable water source.

By early July the first wildebeest could already have reached the Mara River, ready to brave the crocodiles laying in waiting for them to cross into Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park. Not all of the herd cross the river. Some remain in the Serengeti. Some cross and – as if tempting fate – re-cross again for no apparent reason. However, the majority of the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle will reside in the Mara until October, when it is inevitably time to head back.

The infamous crossing of the Mara river buy large numbers of the migrating herds is elusive, rapid and unforgettable. The wildebeest almost show a fear of the river, it is clear that they are aware a danger lurks beneath the surface. The herd will mill around and procrastinate contentedly until some subliminal trigger ignites a sudden outbreak of mayhem and a chaotic free for all begins. Hundreds of clambering legs kick out as they stampede, stumble and fall down the banks into the river below.

The majority are lucky and the relative safety of numbers has helped in their plight of the river crossing. They struggle out of the river the other side, wet, relieved and unscathed by the hundreds of crocodiles that decide the fate of many. Others are not so fortunate and will not be returning to their birthing grounds in the south.

The Timeless Plains of the Serengeti National Park

We live in a world where everything changes, everything in our lives, from the jobs we do, to the places we live, the clothes we wear to the language we use.  But there is one area on the planet where the needle of time has worn a circular groove and where it is still possible to walk and wonder at the past. Here obeying ancient biological imperatives, millions of hooves thunder along timeless routes in the greatest of all wildlife spectacles.  This is the Serengeti.  This is how it has always been.

When the dry season begins, over one and a half million wildebeest, 250,000 Thomsom’s gazelles and about 200,000 zebras thunder north to find fresh pastures in the Masia Mara, before then moving southwards for the whole cycle to commence again.  

 

The Wildebeest thunder through a variety of reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat.

The Serengeti is justifiably famous for its dense concentrations of wildlife, especially the big cats, as well as being the host of the pathway for the great Migration, the annual race to find enough water and green grass for survival.

 

The Serengeti National Park is formed of three distinct areas, the Seronera Valley and Seronera River, the Western Corridor and the Northern Lobo area that extends northwards to join the Masai Mara.  This immense expanse was discovered in 1913 by Stewart Edward White at a time when great stretches of Africa were unknown to the white man.  A tailor made safaris into the Serengeti allows you to recapture the moment experienced by White all those years ago. 

 

Research your luxury safari and choose from a variety of luxurious camps and lodges and benefit from the most experienced and professional guides.  Wake up and feel like you are the only person for miles, in the safe knowledge that you are also being looked after.