The annual migration in East Africa is a
memorable safari experience and a dream for many overseas visitors. Kim Emmanuel looks at some of the best places to stay when viewing
the migration.
1.Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp
Robert Dixon, Senior Marketing & Digital Manager of Sanctuary Retreats, recommends the three of the group’s camps to best enjoy the wildebeest migration. “Rain is what motivates the migration and rules where the herds will be throughout the year,” said Dixon, adding that the best time to visit is July to October.
Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp in Tanzania is a seasonal camp that is located in the Western Serengeti from April – July, in the Northern Serengeti from August – November and in the Southern Serengeti from December – March each year.
This camp will move between three different locations, literally following the migration as it travels across the Serengeti, offering guests year round access to this incredible spectacle.
The camp offers 10 luxury safari tents each with their own en-suite bathrooms, indoor bucket shower and personal tent attendant.
2.Serengeti Serena safari Lodge
Serengeti Serena safari Lodge is located in the Serengeti National Park, 335 kilometres from Arusha, Tanzania where guests can enjoy a ringside seat of the annual migration of the wildebeest.
The lodge comprises 66 rooms of which one is a suite, two are handicap rooms, 26 twin rooms, 21 double rooms and 16 triple rooms (three pairs connecting rooms).
The lodge is accessible via a one hour flight from Arusha Airport to Seronera Air strip, followed by a transfer to the lodge 27 kilometres away.
Apart from witnessing the wildebeest migration, guests can enjoy game drives, hot air balloon safaris, walking safaris, nature walks, the swimming pool, acrobatic shows, cultural dances, video shows, a local guitarist, and board games.
3.Governors’ Camp
Governors’ Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara is one of the best places to experience the migration.
"The camp presents an unmatched migration experience, more especially due to its ideal location and perfectly executed game drives," says Dave Bennett, Chief Sales Officer at Wilderness Safaris.
The camp is ideally located just north of several crossing points and adjacent to the renowned Paradise Plains where the BBC has filmed much of their migration footage.
The Governors’ Camp Collection comprises of seven luxury safari camps and lodges. The group also operate two aircraft, which are used to fly clients to and between camps.
4.Mara Serena Safari Lodge
The lodge provides views over the savannah and down to the hippo-filled Mara River, where guests can view the annual migration.
The lodge comprises 74 rooms (including five family rooms and one suite, all of which are non-smoking), a central dining room, internal and external bar, swimming pool and sundeck, Maisha Safari Spa and Gym, and gift shop and business centre. Other facilities include satellite television, WiFi, 24-hour medical services, a conference centre and events facilities.
Transfers to the lodge by road from Nairobi are approximately five hours in duration, while Mara Serena Airstrip is two kilometres from the Masai Mara Serena Safari Lodge.
5.Sanctuary Kusini
Sanctuary Kusini is the only permanent camp in the remote southern part of the Serengeti, Tanzania, and is ideal for seeing cheetah and wildebeest that congregate on the grassy plains in the calving season from mid-December to March.
Sanctuary Kusini comprises 12 tents each with its own personal attendant, mosquito netting, hairdryers and in-room safe.
The camp's communal areas include a dining area, lounge and library, as well as a campfire.
6.Sanctuary Olonana
Sanctuary Olonana is a tented safari camp on a private stretch of the Mara River in Kenya's Masai Mara.
During the annual wildebeest migration, the action happens on the camp's doorstep.
The camp comprises 14 tents with en-suite bathrooms and offers game drives, cultural visits, bush dinners, sundowners, balloon flights and scenic flights.
In Nairobi, scheduled flights depart from Wilson Airport (approximately 45 minutes) to the Mara.
7.Porini Lion Camp
Porini Lion Camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya, is the ideal base for the main Serengeti-Mara migration. The camp has some of the biggest big cat densities in Africa and this provides a lot of big cat action when the thousands of wildebeest are around.
Night game drives during migration time is when the lions, leopards, and hyenas are most active and offers opportunities to watch a hunt or a pride noisily feasting on a wildebeest. The camp is also situated in easy reach of some of the key Mara River crossing points for those that may be interested in seeing them.
8.&Beyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp is a luxury lodge located in the Western Serengeti, Tanzania, in the path of the Great Migration and its river crossings.
The lodge comprises 10 tented safari suites with overhead fans, outdoor showers, swimming pool, and Safari Shop. It can accommodate 20 guests.
Apart from the wildebeest migration, guests can also witness the topi, a species of antelope, migration from the lodge.
9.Porini Mara Camp.
Porini Mara Camp in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, the first conservancy in the Mara, Kenya, set up as an exclusive area for wildlife and with a room density not exceeding 1 tent to 700 acres, is the ideal place for the calving of the Loita migration. This occurs at the same time as the calving in Ndutu, Serengeti and offers great photography opportunities and memories of new life and at times death by the over 30 lions found in Ol Kinyei.
10.Sayari Camp.
Sayari Camp is located in the far north of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
It comprises 15 tents that are split between two wings, with six tents in the smaller camp, to the north of the swimming pool, and nine in the bigger camp on the south side. Each wing has its own lounge and dining area, and a central swimming pool linking the two.
Each tent has its own en-suite bathrooms, with spacious showers and egg-shaped baths large enough for two, and offers views of the Serengeti plains.
