Tanzania Comfortable Safari | Flamingos, Caldera, Serengeti & Migration | 7 Nights Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Central Serengeti & Western Corridor

In terms of proximity to national parks, Arusha is probably the best-located town in Africa. Crouched beneath the conical Mount Meru, it was the perfect springboard for our week-long affordable African safari. As the afternoon heat began to subside, we left Arusha and headed west with the sun, ultimately descending to the shores of our first Great Rift Valley Lake. We bounded up the steps to our thatched rondavel and took in the view of Lake Manyara from our private balcony. Within minutes, we’d already seen ten different species of bird – a promising sign! To make the most of our time with the Great Rift Valley flamingos, we left Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge before breakfast the next morning (but after our coffee). Framed by the Mto wa Mbu escarpment, the lake drew us just as magnetically as it did the many migratory birds for which it’s a vital stopover. On our game drive into Lake Manyara National Park, our guide gave us an impromptu Swahili lesson and advised us to look out for the area’s renowned tree-climbing lion. We didn’t see them, but we did see several hundred flamingos before we continued our journey.

The road climbed steadily so that looking back, we had wonderful views of Lake Manyara. Our next destination was the semi-mythical Ngorongoro Crater, the sort of place where it was easy to imagine that prehistoric creatures could have clung on. Speaking of clinging on, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge was perched, eagle-like, on the very lip of the crater, ensuring superb views down to its blue-green mosaic floor from our private balcony. It was hard to tell where our stone-built room ended, and the crater edge began – it was seamlessly integrated with the boulders and vines. We got up early the next morning to go down into Ngorongoro Crater; it was well worth any missed sleep. Our driver expertly negotiated the hairpin bends and proved just as adept at conducting a mesmerising game drive. We’d read that the crater held Africa’s greatest concentration of lion, and we weren’t disappointed. They were indeed concentrating: intent on making a meal of a hartebeest. A young male triggered the ambush prematurely, and the antelope cantered away to safety. Following his flight, we spotted one of the creatures we’d most wanted to see: a black rhino, horn standing proud of the golden grasses.

Our three-hour drive to Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge became a four-hour game drive as we traversed the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Before entering the fabled Serengeti, we stopped to visit what could be where our species started out from. Olduvai Gorge has proven to be a rich seam of paleoanthropological discoveries, including some of the oldest stone tools used by our ancestors. On an itinerary that was all about epic journeys, it seemed appropriate to be able to travel back in time several million years just by descending into the ravine. After freshening up at the lodge, we watched the light fade while enjoying cooling G&Ts. Our room at Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge had a reassuring solidity to it, from the gleam of polished wood to the dull glow of bronze. As we sipped our coffees on our balcony the next morning, overlooking the Mbingwe Valley, we determined that there was no doubting we were now in Great Wildebeest Migration territory. Heading out on our game drive, we passed stragglers at first, but then longer and longer lines of wildebeest, stoically tramping towards fresh green pastures. This was no myth of hoofprints; this was a population on the move. On our next trip here we’ll plan for a walking safari, to see the herds from the ground.

The bulk of the herds were in transit between the Central Serengeti and the Western Corridor, drawn unerringly onwards by the promise of fresher shoots. The grass is always greener on the other side of the Grumeti, joked our guide, referring to one of the major river obstacles that lay in front of the herds. Our drive to Kirawira Serena Camp was nothing less than a Serengeti game drive. By the time we reached our luxury tent, with its echoes of past safari legends of screen and page, we’d already seen several thousand antelope; from our private balcony we saw many more. To be able to spend the entire next day amid the lowing, pawing herds was a magical experience. From wonderful silhouettes of horns against by rosily-lit dust to the whites of the eyes of an uncertain gnu, we took some of our best photographs in the Western Corridor. My favourite though was the statuesque cheetah, sitting bolt upright on a termite mound and watching the masses file past, like a critical drill instructor. It was hard to tell whether he approved of us, but as the late afternoon sun made his deep-set amber eyes glow, I clicked the shutter one last time. Flying from the Grumeti back to Arusha the next day meant that we reversed a journey of days in minutes and gave us a new perspective on the paths we’d trod.

From the vehicle transfers between lodges – long enough to give us a sense of the epic journeys taking place around us without ever becoming wearisome – to the organic, almost rustic feel of the accommodation at each lodge, our affordable African safari gave a us a true sense of connection with the Earth. We felt as though we were tuned into the rhythms of life playing out all around us, and our safari antennae definitely became more sensitive with each new lodge. The timing of our journey across northern Tanzania – June – was perfect, as it meant that we were joined on our traverse by columns of wildebeest up to 40km long. While we were travelling in search of new safari experiences, their needs were rather more mundane: grass and water. Wherever they found them, they would pause for a day or two to replenish their depleted energy stocks, giving us time to catch up before they pressed on again. Despite the grandeur of the skies and the impression that the horizon was always receding ahead of us, the most important wildlife locations are all within easy-enough reach of each other, meaning that they could be combined into a single itinerary. With each inter-lodge transfer essentially becoming a game drive, we never felt we were missing out on what was happening, even on the days that we moved on. To be on a journey of discovery, in the midst of so many other travellers, gave us a genuine sense of belonging.