MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AND WILDEBEAST MIGRATION
Tour
February 19 through March 6, 2012
Join professional wildlife photographer Piper Mackay on an adventure of a lifetime to photograph the great migration and the Mountain Gorilla’s. You will have an unforgettable close up encounter with mountain gorilla families and experience the last greatest migration on earth during their birthing season.
There are two things everyone should experience at least once in their life:
1. Stand on the great plains of the Serengeti in awe of the mystery of the last major animal migration on our fragile planet.
2. Walk along with the great giants, the critically endangered mountain gorilla’s and know you have just had a truly great experience.
What makes this safari unique?
Most safari’s either offer a photographic wildlife safari or Trekking with Gorilla’s and this safari is offering both. Africa is a magical and unique continent that many people dream of experiencing. It can be a tough decision to choose between a safari (hoping to return again) or the incredible opportunity to trek among the mountain Gorilla’s whose numbers are shrinking at an alarming rate. I have worked hard with my outfitter to be able to offer both of these unique experiences in one trip.
This safari will focus on photographing the critically endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda , the wildebeast migration during their birthing season and the amazing possibility of photographing the big 5 in the Ngorongo Crater. Mix this with the luxury accommodations and you have more than hundreds of great photographs, but an experience of a lifetime.
Piper is a professional photographer with a lot of experience photographing African wildlife. She will be shooting alongside you at all times and will be able to provide assistance or answer questions about camera settings, exposure, equipment or anything else that may arise. This is a unique opportunity for all of us to share our knowledge and experience with each other. Because of this unique location and the luxury accommodation this tour is open to everyone and not just photographers.
Safari Highlights
- Two private treks to photograph the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Encounters with the mountain gorillas is perhaps one of the most dramatic and thrilling wildlife experiences possible.
- Expert guides will accompany us for the gorilla treks. We will also have the services of trackers (who will locate the gorillas) and porters to help carry gear.
- We have private 9 passenger 4X4 Land Cruisers with only 3 people per vehicle. Every person will have their own row with 2 window seats available for the best viewing and photographic opportunities.
- Luxury accommodations including 3 nights at the very exclusive Lake Masek tented camp in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where we will be photographing the migration.
- Experiencing the birthing season of the wildebeast migration
- Visiting Ngorongoro Crater, the 8th natural wonder of the world, and having an opportunity to photograph the big five; Lion, Leopard, Bull Elephant, African Buffalo and Black Rhino
- All flights, both international and inter Africa flights are included in the price.
The Itinerary
February 19, 2012 (Day 1)
Depart on your adventure of a lifetime
February 20, 2012 (Day 2)
En-route
February 21, 2012 (Day 3)
Arrive in Tanzania where a director from Best Value will meet you to escort you to Kibo Palace Hotel in Arusha. Settle in to your African dream.
February 22, 2012 (Day 4)
Today you will awake slowly to the exotic birdcalls in an amazing new world with the aroma of Tanzanian coffee brewing. You will meet in the main dining room for breakfast and have a safari briefing with your guide. You then hop into your Land Cruisers, crossing through the Maasia Steppe on your way to Lake Manyara National Park stopping in route at a local village.
The park itself is nestled at the base of the 2000 foot, Great Rift Valley. Trees of the forest are home to troupes of monkeys, baboons, and elephants which can often be seen amongst the famous Baobob trees. Also, in the acacia woodland, lions can be found lounging under the umbrella trees, while enormous hippos roll themselves in pools along the lake shore.
Your accommodations are at the Lake Manyra Serena Lodge standing high on the edge of a towering terracotta escarpment with panoramic views over the glittering alkaline water of Lake Manyra. The lodge offers a unique blend of tranquility, wildlife discovery and ornithological richness. Grouped around a central ‘Vanishing horizon’ pool, this highly unusual lodge features a simple timbered reception area, built in traditional African style, which is accessed via a bridge over a small stream.
February 23, 2012 (Day 5)
You depart for the Ngorongoro Crater, often called “Africa’s Eden” and the 8th Natural Wonder of the world”. Enjoy the amazing views across the 16-mile span of this beautiful place before pulling into the stone archway of your beautiful lodge, sitting on the rim of the crater. Every room has a balcony over looking the crater. You will have time to settle in, have lunch and relax before driving down to catch the beautiful evening light in search of the big five; Lion, Leopard, Bull Elephant, African Buffalo and Black Rhino. Please note, at this elevation the nighttime temperatures are cool year-round (40-55 degrees F or 4-10C). Make sure to bring warm layers with you on safari.
February 24, 2012 (Day 6)
You will wake up early for a quick bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee before departing for the crater floor. Your journey will take you through this beautiful and serene landscape while in search for the Big 5; one of the only places on earth where you may see all of the big five at once. To maximize your time in the Crater you will enjoy a wonderful lunch at a scenic picnic spot in the crater. Before sunset it is time to depart from this Garden of Eden for the comfort of your beautiful lodge.
February 25, 2012 (Day 7)
Rise for a hearty breakfast before you depart for the Serengeti where we will make our way around the southern edge of the crater rim, spotting the occasional buffalo along the way. Enjoy the beautiful game drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area arriving at our camp in time for lunch. For a true authentic African Safari we will be staying in deluxe safari tents built on raised platforms with private veranda’s overlooking the lake. The interiors are beautiful and comfortable, with large beds, traditional wooden furniture and African furnishings. The camp is eco-friendly as all the electric power is supplied by solar panels and water is collected during the rainy season. All the products used are biodegradable in order to ensure that the environment is kept pristine. We will meet again in the early afternoon for our first game drive in search for the migration.
February 26, 2012 (Day 8 )
Rise early today. As the cool, fresh air fills your lungs you’ll feel invigorated and rejuvenated, ready for another great day on safari. This unique location is whiteness to the wildebeest Migration. There is an abundance of wildlife such as lion, leopard, cheetah and elephants. Roll down the windows or stand up to through the customized roof hatch and enjoy this unhindered 360 views, and the possibilities for what lies ahead.
We will return to camp for an early lunch followed by a short afternoon repose. You may also choose to take a walking safari with a Masai as your guide.
Around 2:30 we will head out again and will stay immersed in the bush until the last possible moment: you must be back at the camp by 6pm. Enjoy a delicious evening meal sharing the exciting moments of the day and then off to bed early to write in your safari journal and get a good nights rest.
February 27, 2012 (Day 9)
We have another full day in this beautiful area. Begin with a very early start, grab some coffee and a light snack so we can hit the road at 6am when driving is permitted. We may take a picnic lunch with us so we can maximize our time finding the migration and seeing a birth.
Having experienced amazing wildlife viewing throughout the day, dinner is sure to be an exciting and engaging affair as we swap stories about what we saw. The conversations can continue around the campfire with a night cap.
February 28, 2012 (Day 10)
Spanning nearly 6,000 square miles, the Serengeti has even more to offer you. After a delicious breakfast, a new perspective is in order and you will game drive across the vast Serengeti and arrive at your new location in time for lunch. After lunch you may relax or go for a swim in the pool that sits up on a hill overlooking the vast plains of the Serengeti. We will meet in the early afternoon for our evening game drive.
February 29, 2012 (Day 11)
Today you have the option of joining a Serengeti balloon safari (additional fee and advance reservations required to ensure a spot) The experience begins with an early rise (approx 4am) and pre-dawn drive to the balloon launch site, where you will be given a balloon briefing prior to take-off. As the sun rises, you lift gently off the ground, enjoying a bird’s eye perspective as you skim over the tops of acacia trees, meander over the Seronera River and finally touch down. You’ll be greeted with a champagne toast and treated to a full breakfast.
For those who do not join the balloon ride this morning, we will also rise early, grab a quick snack and cup of coffee as we will start our game drive at 6am. We will enjoy a morning game drive and have a bush breakfast before picking up those who went on a balloon Safari and return to the lodge for lunch and then meeting again around 3:00 for our afternoon game drive.
March 1, 2012 (Day 12)
You will rise early today, have a hardy breakfast and game drive on our way out of the Serengeti and to the airport where we say good by to Tanzania and start our new adventure. We will fly into Nairobi where you will have some time to relax at the beautiful Serena Lodge, where you will have a chance to catch up on email, begin viewing all your photo’s or just lay back with a good book and cold beverage.
March 2, 2012 (Day 13)
Transfer to the Nairobi airport for our flight to Kigali, Rwanda. We will be met on arrival at the airport and journey through the beautiful terraced hillsides that characterize so much of Rwanda’s landscape, gradually climbing to the base of the awesome Virunga volcanoes to the Gorilla Mountain Lodge. We will have a briefing of our gorilla trek prior to dinner. I am also going to try to arrange a visit by someone from the Diane Fossey foundation.
March 3, 2012 (Day 14)
This will be one of the most amazing experiences you will have in your lifetime. Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. If you are lucky you can get to the Gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base in time for a late lunch and then be able to enjoy the local people and beautiful scenery. Some gorilla families however are more elusive, and trekking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy (photography of the Gorilla’s is best in light mist and cloud cover).
March 4, 2012 (Day 15)
Go gorilla trekking again! this time to see a different group. If time allows we will visit local community projects or walk to Lake Bulera.
Enjoy one last meal in Africa and reflect on one of the most amazing adventures and experiences.
March 5, 2012 (Day 16)
Leave for Kigali. Time permitting; go for a tour of the city including a visit o the market, a pottery project, handicraft shops, and the genocide memorial. Later transfer to the airport for your flights home.
March 6, 2012 (Day 17) Arrive Home
Gorilla Tracking Information
The gorillas you will track in Volcanoes National Park will belong to one of the five ‘habituated’ family groups; The Susa Group (38 individuals), The Sabinyo Group (11 individuals), Group Thirteen (18 individuals), the Amahoro A group (15 individuals), or the Umubano Group (8 Individuals). Eight permits per day are issued for each group which means there are only 40 individuals per day that can visit these gorilla’s making this an extraordinary opportunity to be one of them.
The gorilla permits are in extremely short supply, and are often booked as much as 18 months in advance. Only persons over the age of 15 are allowed to track the gorillas.
Through the Diane Fossey foundation (Gorilla’s in the Mist) , these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually made them used to the presence of humans which allows a few privileged visitors to interact with them briefly in the wild. They are by no means tame and are still completely wild animals and can only be visited by humans for an hour a day at the most.
Experienced guides will accompany you on your tracking, many of whom have been involved in the habituation process themselves. These professional guides will brief you in detail on your arrival on the various aspects of “gorilla etiquette”.
Gorilla tracking is a year-round activity, with no season. The rain forest is moist, and it rains very often in the Volcanoes National Park, even in the dry season. Over cast skies and mist are the best photographic conditions for photographing these black primates against a lush green forest.
Tracking commences every morning from the park headquarters at 8:30 AM. The gorillas cover large distances overnight, and they are never consistently in one area. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts. Because of this, the time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as half an hour to as much as 8 hours before returning to camp.
The Verunga Volcano range, ranges in elevation from 5500’-9000’. The trek usually begins along a trail through farmland but soon turns into following the guide and tracker through the dense jungle growth. It can be moderately strenuous which means participants do need to be physically fit to enjoy the trek. However, this does not mean you have to be able to climb Mt Everest or run marathons to make the trek. If you maintain a regular cardiac exercise schedule 3 times a week you should be fit enough for this amazing opportunity. The pace is slow to moderate and the guides are accommodating and helpful, offering a hand when necessary.
Once the gorillas are located, we will be allowed a maximum of one hour with then. After this we will return to the park headquarters and our camp.
Price Includes:
- Round trip airfare from the US to Arusha Tanzania
- Inter Africa flights
- First class accommodations
- Two gorilla trekking permits
- Guaranteed row and window seat in private 4X4 Land cruisers
- All National Parks and Game Reserves entrance fees
- All meals and non alcoholic beverages
- Membership to the Flying Doctors Service while on Safari
The Cost
The cost of this all-inclusive safari is $10, 790 per person including ALL airfare. The price is based on double occupancy, single Room supplement is $1995 if available.
(Above prices based on payment by check. If paying by credit card add $395 service fee)
What’s NOT Included
- Visas
- Airline departure taxes (650-850 subject to change at time of ticketing)
- Travel Insurance
- Personal purchases (including curious, spirit liquors, telephone calls, internet laundry, etc.
- Gratuities
- Optional extra activities ( balloon rides, walking safaris, etc)
- Pre- and post –safari tours
- Meals or accommodation before or after the safari (except as noted in the detailed itinerary)
What Do I Do Next?
Our groups are small, so space is limited especially on this trip offering both a wildlife safari and the gorilla trekking. If this is something you have always really wanted to do then now is the time to register and secure your spot with a $1500.00 deposit. Remember, the space is limited and when they spots are spoken for that’s it. To reserve your spot or if you have any questions please email Piper at piperc55@mac.com or Prem from Best Value Safari’s at info@somaksafaris.com