Great Migration & Calving

As your international flight touches down at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the morning light, your personal guide and private 4x4 safari vehicle will be waiting just beyond customs. Following a warm Swahili welcome—"Karibu Kenya"—and a brief overview of your journey ahead, you'll depart the city's bustle, ascending the escarpment that reveals your first breathtaking view of the Great Rift Valley below. This geological wonder stretches to the horizon, a tapestry of volcanic hills, acacia forests, and shimmering lakes. You'll arrive at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge in time for lunch, where your reserved Family Room awaits with a queen bed and an extra child's bed, featuring a private balcony overlooking the landscaped gardens that attract wildlife. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater oasis in the valley, and this afternoon presents your first optional immersion: a tranquil boat ride across its surface. Glide past pods of submerged hippos, their ears and eyes just breaking the waterline, and marvel at the spectacular birdlife—from soaring fish eagles to congregations of pelicans and cormorants. As the sun begins to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, return to the lodge for a sumptuous dinner, with the distant calls of hippos providing your first true African serenade. Overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge.

Awaken to birdsong and enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the lodge terrace. This morning, you depart Naivasha with a curated picnic lunch, heading southwest toward the legendary Maasai Mara. The landscape transforms gradually—rolling farmlands give way to open savannah dotted with traditional Maasai manyattas (homesteads). Crossing into the Mara ecosystem, the game drive begins immediately as you make your way to your lodge. Your guide's trained eyes will spot the first giraffe gracefully browsing treetops, herds of impala, and perhaps a distant elephant. Arriving at the spectacular Mara Serena Safari Lodge, perched majestically on the Oloololo Escarpment, you'll check into your room with its king-size bed and child's rollaway. The lodge's design, inspired by a traditional Maasai village, offers panoramic views that stretch endlessly across the Mara plains. Enjoy your first dinner here as the sun melts into the horizon, with the anticipation of tomorrow's adventures hanging in the air.

Today is devoted entirely to the magic of the Mara. An early morning game drive sets out at dawn when predators are most active and the light is perfect for photography. Your expert guide, interpreting animal tracks and communicating with other drivers, will work to bring you into the heart of the action—a lion pride on a kill, a stealthy leopard descending from an acacia tree, or a tower of giraffe moving silently across the plains. Return to the lodge for a hearty brunch and some time to relax by the pool, often with wildlife visible on the plains below. The afternoon drive explores different sectors of the reserve, perhaps following the winding course of the Mara River, where hippos grunt and crocodiles bask. The Mara is a living ecosystem, and your guide will explain the intricate relationships between species, from the symbiotic oxpeckers on a buffalo's back to the competitive dynamics between hyenas and lions. As an optional cultural interlude, a visit to an authentic Maasai village can be arranged, offering insight into the ancient pastoral traditions of this iconic community. Return to Mara Serena as the day cools, for another exquisite dinner under the African stars.

Enjoy an early breakfast and a final, farewell game drive in the Mara as you journey toward the Isebania border post. Watch for last-minute sightings—a herd of eland, the striking black and white of a secretary bird hunting in the grass. After seamless border formalities, assisted by our representatives from both countries, you will meet your new Tanzanian guide and private vehicle. The landscape seamlessly transitions as you enter the vastness of the Serengeti National Park. An afternoon game drive through the Seronera Valley introduces you to this legendary ecosystem. This region, with its signature granite kopjes and winding rivers, supports a high density of resident wildlife year-round. It is a prime area for spotting leopards resting in sausage trees and lion prides lazing in the shade. By late afternoon, you arrive at the intimate and luxurious Baobab Central Serengeti Camp. Your family tent, complete with a queen bed and child cot, offers comfortable elegance under canvas. Gather for dinner at the communal table, sharing stories of the day as the sounds of the nocturnal Serengeti begin their symphony.

After breakfast, you embark on a journey southward, following in the footsteps of the Great Migration. In February, the mega-herds are typically concentrated on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and the adjacent Ngorongoro Conservation Area, driven by the rains and the nutrient-rich soil ideal for calving. Your guide will navigate the tracks, aiming for the incredible spectacle of thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebra. The drive itself is a game-viewing adventure across changing landscapes. By afternoon, you arrive in the Ndutu Plains. This area is the very heart of the calving season. Check into the family-owned Ndutu Safari Lodge, where your private Family Cottage, built from local stone and thatch, offers a cozy retreat with a veranda overlooking the active plains. The atmosphere here is authentic and personal, with the possibility of wildlife wandering through the lodge grounds.

Today is dedicated to a full, immersive exploration of the Ndutu and Lake Masek ecosystems. You will depart early with a picnic lunch, allowing for maximum flexibility. This is peak calving season, and the plains are a nursery—over 8,000 wildebeest calves can be born in a single day. This abundance of vulnerable young attracts predators in remarkable numbers. Your guide's skill in reading animal behavior is paramount; he may position you to witness the tense standoff between a hunting cheetah and a protective zebra mare, or the calculated chaos of a hyena clan attempting to separate a calf from the herd. You'll stop for a picnic lunch at a scenic spot, immersed in the sounds and sights of this primal cycle of life and death. The afternoon continues with more exploration, perhaps visiting the alkaline shores of Lake Ndutu itself. Return to the lodge in the evening, your senses full, for a well-earned dinner and rest.

A pre-dawn start sees you driving east, ascending out of the plains and into the lush, misty highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Your destination is the crown jewel: the Ngorongoro Crater. After completing entry formalities at the rim, you begin the dramatic 600-meter descent down the steep inner wall onto the crater floor. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a self-contained Eden, a natural amphitheater sheltering one of the highest densities of mammalian predators on earth. Your game drive here is phenomenal. You are almost guaranteed to see the Big Five, including the elusive and endangered black rhinoceros. Flamingos tint the soda lake pink, elephants wander through swampy forests, and lions lounge majestically in the sun. You'll enjoy a picnic lunch at the designated hippo pool site, surrounded by this incredible concentration of life. In the afternoon, ascend the crater wall and proceed to the magnificent Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. Built into the rim itself, the lodge offers breathtaking, direct views into the crater below. Check into your Superior Room with a king bed and child's bed, and as evening falls, witness one of Africa's most magnificent sunsets from the lodge's viewing platform, a glass of wine in hand.

After a final breakfast with a view, you bid farewell to Tanzania and begin your journey back to Kenya. The drive takes you through the agricultural highlands of Karatu and Mto wa Mbu before reaching the Namanga border. Our teams will assist with exit and entry formalities. Once back in Kenya, you continue southward, with the ever-present bulk of Mount Kilimanjaro—weather permitting—dominating the skyline to the south. You arrive at Amboseli Sopa Lodge, situated in its own private conservancy with direct views of the mountain. Check into your room with the requested queen beds, unwind, and enjoy dinner, with the silhouette of Kilimanjaro against the twilight sky.

Amboseli National Park is famous for its large, study-friendly elephant herds and its iconic, picture-postcard views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Your morning and afternoon game drives will be timed to maximize both wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities. Your guide will take you to swampy areas fed by Kilimanjaro's underground springs, where elephants, buffalo, and hippos congregate. He will position you at the perfect angle to capture that timeless image of elephants marching across the plains with the snow-capped peak in the background. Look out for Amboseli's other residents, including cheetah, Maasai giraffe, and a wealth of birdlife. Between drives, relax at the lodge by the pool, never losing sight of the majestic mountain. Enjoy a final celebratory dinner, reflecting on the journey's incredible highlights.

If you wish, take one final, optional short game drive at dawn to capture Amboseli in the sublime morning light. Return to the lodge for a leisurely breakfast and to pack. You will then begin the comfortable journey back to Nairobi, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by mid-afternoon. This allows ample time to check in for your evening international departure. You will be dropped at the terminal with heartfelt farewells from your guide, carrying with you not just photographs, but the deep, resonant memories of the Great Migration's most intimate season and the majestic landscapes of East Africa.