We were dreaming of an African Serengeti Safari and after researching all the different companies and tours offered we finally booked and I can tell you we definitely found the best safari in Africa with our African Serengeti Safari! Let me help you to decide if this is for you.
What is a safari?
A safari is one of the most incredible experiences you will ever take part in. Honestly I wasn’t sure about this statement a month ago before we actually did it but let me tell you now I can say it is life changing! Technically speaking it means ‘a safari is an overland journey, traditionally in Africa, to observe or photograph wildlife in their natural habitat’ but in reality it is so much more!
Why Choose an African Serengeti Safari?
We finally settled on an African Serengeti Safari because as our first safari experience we wanted it to be as good as it can possibly get…and the Serengeti is known to be the best place in Africa to see animals. What I wasn’t prepared for was actually how good it was! When Mike told me that the Serengeti was the best location for safari I was thinking “but is it too late, has it been ruined or over touristed?” The answer is a solid no! The Serengeti is the perfect place to visit for safari and especially for your first African safari. Check out my detailed blog here on why an African Serengeti Safari is the best choice.
The Best Safari in Africa
The absolute best safari in Africa is with the company we booked, Safari Soles. This local Tanzanian owned company made our safari a complete joy. Every day we had an experience that was unforgettable and unexpected. Our safari consisted of 5 nights in the Serengeti and two nights in the main town of Arusha. I have written a blog on how we chose the best safari in Africa, which will help you decide if this is for you. We booked a midrange tour which included very comfortable accommodations, excellent food and a private guide and jeep complete with an esky of cold soft drinks, wine and beer to have during the drives and lunch. It was the best complete safari, we were incredibly happy!
Best time to visit the Serengeti:
We wanted to go in the best time for the weather, animals and also the great migration. We chose to go in July (10th to 17th July) as it seemed to be a good fit for us. The weather was excellent, slightly cool but not cold, blue skies and almost no rain. The animals were plentiful and the great migration was definitely on its way.
That said, we were a little too early for the full migration to be underway and had we been a week later or in August it would have been in full swing. Of course this will change yearly and your booking has to suit when you can actually get away as well. We were really happy with our experience and were glad we went when we did. I didn’t want to be there in the rainy season as it would have made game drives less enjoyable.
Our African Serengeti Safari Itinerary
Our itinerary was across 7 days. 5 days were spent on game drives in national parks, one before and one after within the town of Arusha. I am not exaggerating when I say this safari was one of the highlights of my life. It was so unbelievably good that I would redo it all now in a heartbeat! The whole tour ran according to this timeline:
Day 1 of our African Serengeti Safari
On day one we were picked up from our hotel in Arusha (alternatively you can be picked up from the airport) and taken on a tour of Arusha and then to a hotel with dinner included. We went to see the Masai Market of Curios and Crafts, which is a full on experience with lots of Masai people selling beautiful jewellery, material and handicrafts.
The guide then took us to the Cultural Heritage Center where you will see lots of art, craft, masks, jewellery, spices and more. This is a huge place to wander through, you can buy from here and some of the money goes back into the community as well. More on this in our Arusha blog.
Finally we went to the local market, full of fruit and vegetables the guide will show you around and help you understand this local experience. It is all hustle and bustle with the busyness of everyday life.
We were dropped off at our accommodation for the evening, Njiro Legacy Guesthouse. It was clean and comfortable and the perfect place to relax before starting out the following day. We ate a big dinner and got an early night as the adventure of our lifetime started the next morning, bright and early!
Day 2 of our African Serengeti Safari
Our first real safari day! We were picked up by our main guide Freddy and instantly we knew we were in good hands. He was friendly and organised. We loaded up our luggage and got comfortable in his jeep, our home for the next 5 days! This is when we realised early in that having a private tour is absolutely the best way to do a safari. We only had to share the jeep space between us, giving us the room to walk around during game drives and view the animals from whatever area of the car we wanted to.
Our first game drive
We set off for Tarangire National Park and suddenly entered our first game drive. It was an exciting moment, as we slowly drove through the park we started getting glimpses of our first animals! We saw some very cute mongoose and giraffe before finding a family of elephants. They were huge and happily frolicking in the river.
We stopped for lunch over looking a river at a picnic site. Lots of other jeeps were there for lunch and it was a jovial atmosphere with guides greeting each other and sharing moments from the day. Freddy served us an incredible hot lunch, all silver service on reusable crockery and cutlery. With lots of dishes to choose from we had a little buffet served up right there in the park! Lunch was perfect, we ate hungrily while appreciating the views. The jeep also had an esky full of soft drinks, wine and beer. We were able to enjoy a white wine with lunch and Mike loved having a beer in the afternoon while driving.
As we moved on we found more elephants eating trees, stopping we watched as they slowly moved toward us, a family of 3 happily eating and totally unconcerned that we were sitting in a jeep watching them. They came so close to our jeep that I couldn’t believe it was real. You could see every inch of them so near, their gentle eyes scanning us before turning back to their food. It was truly the first of many magical moments.
We spent the night at an incredible guesthouse called the Farm of Dreams and it was just that. We slept in the cutest little bomba and the service and food was excellent! I was catered for as a coeliac perfectly as well. The whole property was stunning, it would have been easy to spend a few days here.
Day 3 of our African Serengeti Safari
Day 3 and we were up and about early. We had an excellent breakfast and headed out to meet Freddy and find out where we were going that day. We were to enter the Serengeti! After a long drive we passed the very significant Olduvai Gorge site where the oldest skeletons have been found. We visited the small museum there before continuing on to pass through the gates to the Serengeti National Park. It was such an exciting moment, we had been thinking about it for so long.
Entering the Serengeti
Another few hours of driving took us in to the thick of the park. It was a true Savannah, with plains as far as the eye could see. We took a game drive towards the north where we would be spending the night. Along the way we saw African Buffalo, Pumba and giraffes.
We were making our way slowly around some trees when something caught Freddy’s eye. It was a mother and baby lion sitting under a tree, eating a fresh kill. We pulled up and were able to sit and watch in silence and the mother panted, exhausted after her hunt, gazelle at her paws. Slowly she recovered and the baby that had been playing near her suddenly took interest as the mother began to eat.
Slowly she recovered and the baby that had been playing near her suddenly took interest as the mother began to eat. Freddy explained that usually the female will take the kill back to the pride, this kill was done to teach the baby how to eat. The little lion cub followed his mother and started ripping at the gazelle while the mother helped.
Another car noticed us and joined, their presence slightly annoying to the lion who bared her teeth in warning. Standing watching them eat, such a natural thing yet so incredible to us was a moment we wont soon forget. We were closer than I ever imagined to such a powerful animal and it was exhilarating.
Lunch in the Serengeti and the beginning of the Great Migration
We stopped at another picnic site for lunch and lingered over our meal, remembering the lions and feeling so lucky to have witnessed it. As we began the journey north we suddenly came across hundreds of zebra and wildebeest also heading north for the Great Migration! Stopping the jeep we were surrounded by them. It was the first time we had ever seen so many in one place and it was breathtaking. We watched them crossing the road ahead of us and milling about while Freddy explained about the Great Migration, how the animals move and where. We also saw some beautifully coloured birds and pumba.
Our first tented camp
In the afternoon we headed further north towards our camp for the night. We were staying in the northern Serengeti National Park at a migration camp. We weren’t sure what to expect as we drove along the bumpy 4WD track into the camp. Pulling up we were faced with possibly the prettiest camp set up we have ever seen. Large tents set up around a central tent for reception and restaurant. Lanterns twinkling in the evening light it was perfect. Our tent was unbelievable. It was huge and contained a full king sized bed (one of the most comfortable of our whole trip), pristine linen sheets and full bathroom attached with warm running water. We couldn’t believe that this was all set up and moved each season. Set in the deep Serengeti we felt like explorers from yesteryear, it was pure magic!
We ate at the restaurant and were served a three course meal, the chef coming out to greet us and check we were satisfied. Each course was delicious and filling, exactly what was needed after a long day driving. Freddy was able to join us for dinner and we recounted our excitement of the day.
As we were in the Serengeti we needed an escort to walk between the main house tent and our camp tent, the lovely Masai guards were on hand to escort us, checking the ground and surrounding bush for animals.
Day 4 of our African Serengeti Safari
We woke up early and enjoyed the sunrise over the Serengeti plains. This was a breathtaking moment, surrounded by the wilds of Africa, hidden away in the little migration camp we watching in silence as the sun lit up the sky.
After a big buffet breakfast of eggs, sides, juice and coffee ( and some divine gluten free pancakes! ) we were ready to go. Today we were heading to the Mara River, the Great Migration hot spot known for wildebeest water crossings. While we were early in the season there were lots of wildebeest around and we hoped we might see the start of a run.
Mara River, home of the Great Migration!
We made it to Mara River and checked out some of the vantage points. Thousands of wildebeest were surrounding us, everywhere we went they would move back and forth around us. Apparently they mill around for days on end before deciding to cross. I had no idea of exactly how many there were, and zebras! There were hundreds and hundreds of them.
We ate lunch in our jeep while we watched the wildebeest go back and forth and surrounding us. It was so interesting watching them decide what to do. Freddy set up our buffet along the front area of the jeep and we had our picnic with the animals!
We watched some wildebeest and zebra started to cross. Sadly there was a huge 5m crocodile in the water and it snatched up a zebra. Pulling it down and under so quickly we could barely blink. In a really rare sighting a hippo came over to the crocodile and started trying to eat at the zebra. Hippos are usually herbivores but there have been some reports of a hippo eating meat. Our guide was astonished to see this live. He said it was so rare and hadn’t seen it himself ever. We watched for a while before it was time to head back into the centre of the Serengeti, toward our next camp.
Incredible animal sightings
On our way back through towards the central Serengeti National Park we passed a pack of lions who were on the move and two males that were tracking a zebra, which luckily realised what was happening and got away. As we moved on there was suddenly a group of cars and we went over to check it out.
Freddy noticed that in the distance there was a leopard, one of the more difficult of the Big 5 to spot. He decided to move to a quieter position for us to watch…his instincts were exceptional because the leopard started walking right toward us, eventually walking right under our jeep! Silently we started at each other with massive grins on our faces, everyone around us taking pictures as it is so rare for a leopard to get so close to cars. The leopard was beautiful and we watched as it slunk off into the distance heading for a tree to rest in. Two days on safari and we had already checked off 4 of the Big 5!
Safari Haven Tented Camp
We kept heading towards our next camp and arrived at yet another gorgeous tented camp. This is a permanent camp and it was every bit as beautiful as the night before. A full sized bed complete with bathtub, full bathroom and an extra outdoor shower, it was perfect. We felt that same giddy feeling that comes when you realise you are in the Serengeti staying in the middle of nowhere surrounded by exotic landscape and animals. There really is something special about being in nature and this is one of the most spectacular nature experiences you can have.
Our dinner that night was as good as the day before, eating as we recounted our experiences that day. The leopard and crossing featuring in our highlights. The buffet was filling and before long we were heading for bed, dreaming of our incredible experiences.
Day 5 of our African Serengeti Safari
After an early buffet breakfast we were off, hitting the road to game drive the central and south Serengeti before ending our day in the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area.
Cheetahs
We drove towards the south with Freddy scanning the plains to spot any wildlife, he slowed and stared into the grasslands. We couldn’t quite pick up what he saw until he pointed it out with binoculars. A cheetah! We parked up and waited to see what it would do when we noticed there were two cubs in the grasses as well. The mother and babies were play fighting having a ball.
We watched in awe as the babies raced around chasing each other when the mother unexpectibdly leapt up on the back of our jeep! Mikes head was mere centimetres from the cheetah! Freddy was calm and told us that this was something they liked to do to get a higher vantage point across the grasses. We were not in danger and she would get down when she had decided that she was satisfied with her view.
The babies were trying to get up on the back as well, their tiny legs too small to jump yet, only succeeding in scratching a little of the jeep. The mother cheetah jumped down and slowly wandered off with her cubs. We were in shock, what an absolutely mind blowing experience!
Driving further on we saw some more lions, the baby cubs even crossing the road in front of us as we stopped and watched them walking through the grasses. The Serengeti is really an incredible place full of life.
Ngorongoro Crater Camp
Sitting in silence as we drove, we tried to process the event of the day. We drove back over the main road out of the Serengeti and I was sad to leave. It felt like such an incredible few days I could have stayed a week in there. We headed towards the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area and the air turned chilly. This area is higher and quite cold. Our home for the night was Angata Ngorongoro Camp, located right on the rim of the crater. We arrived and were shown to our tent. It was really pretty, sitting overlooking the lush greenery of the area. Mist started rolling in and the temperature dropped further when we scuttled out to dinner. Dinner started at 7pm sharp, a 4 course meal that was served with precision. Everything was delicious, while we ate Freddy filled us in on the following days itinerary.
Day 6 of our African Serengeti Safari
Our last day of safari arrived and I was hit with a sadness that soon this would finish. I was enjoying it all so much I longed for more time! Early morning before the sun rose we were driving through the mist toward the crater entry point. We were one of the first jeeps in line. The entry point has one way in and out and the road is quite demanding on the driver. Freddy expertly manoeuvred the steep entry and we descended into the crater.
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the must visit locations in Tanzania, a large volcanic caldera, famous for scenery and abundant wildlife. This is one of the few places you have the opportunity to see the rare black rhino! Sadly we just missed a sighting but the rest of the crater more than made up for it. As it was dry season there wasn’t as much greenery but the animals were still abundant. We saw some honey badgers that Freddy excitedly told us were very rare to see!
We had breakfast by the Hippo Pool, a huge lake that attracts the big animals and it was a beautiful location. There was even a coffee van there selling coffee and snacks! Eating our big breakfast served up in such a stunning location, it was hard to believe we would soon not be dining in such amazing locations.
Lions
We spent the rest of the day driving around watching more incredible animals. Driving further in we saw a big pack of hyenas, zebra, wildebeest, lots of hippos and flamingoes. There was a huge pride of about 24 lions including big males, females and cubs of varying ages all lying by the river, lazy after eating.
Eventually we headed out of the crater and back towards civilisation. It was a sad moment when we realised we were no longer going to wake up in incredible tented camps overlooking the savannahs of the Serengeti.
We ate lunch along the way and arrived at our guest house for the next two nights, Arusha Farm House. We said a sad goodbye to Freddy, who now felt like a long lost friend, and hope to come back and do another tour with him soon!
Arusha Farm house was an excellent base for the next stage of our tour. It was clean, comfortable and the food was great!
Day 7 of our African Serengeti Safari
The final day of our safari had come and today was different! We me our guide for the day, Enock, who was young and ready to go. He was to take us to the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro where we would hike to a waterfall and take part in a coffee plantation tour before finishing our day at some hot springs. During the drive to Mt Kilimanjaro we talked about the similarities and difference of life in Tanzania and Australia and learnt as much as we could from his perspective.
Before we knew it he was kitting us out with gumboots as a recent rain had turned the path in to muddy We started our hike to the waterfall and slid our way along the muddy track. When we arrived we were met with huge cascading falls. We raced out for a photo to take in the ferocity of the water before heading back to the coffee boys.
Coffee Plantation
Upon arrival we joined up with another group and watched a demonstration of growing, harvesting, roasting and grinding the coffee to become the beans we use in our drink. It was interesting to see, particularly learning about the history of where the original coffee plantations came from. The ‘coffee boys’ sang songs while roasting and grinding the beans which was so well done and entertaining. We all got to take part in pounding the beans as well which was fun.
We sat down to drink some of the fresh brew which was lovely before being served up a delicious meal. This was one of the best we ate on our trip! A buffet of dishes served in clay pots were waiting for us, including the unique banana soup which was delicious!
Hot Springs
After lunch we went to the hot springs, a natural waterhole where locals come to swim. It was lovely and warm and we spent a good couple of hours relaxing in the water and floating through the passage between the two pools. There is a rope swing you can jump from if you are game and tires to hire for floating if you are not a confident swimmer. This is a pretty spot and we were glad to rinse off after the mornings muddy hike.
Enock left us at the Arusha Farm House where we were ready for another lovely dinner. We finished our night by the outdoor fireplace and enjoyed coffee and ice cream before turning in. This was such an incredible experience. We couldn’t fault Safaris Soles and truly recommend them for your safari experience, we both can’t wait to return to Tanzania and the Serengeti to do another safari. It has stolen our hearts, Safari Soles made our safari dreams come true!
Where Next?
Best safari in Africa
Why Choose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari?
What to do in Mt Fuji in one day
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What to do in Langkawi, Malaysia for 3 days.
