Let us introduce you to SkySafari by Elewana. The ultimate African adventure, SkySafari takes a luxury safari to the next level. Guests are whisked between some of the most incredible Tanzania national parks by their luxe executive Cessna aircraft. Game drives begin right from the dirt airstrips and evenings are spent unwinding in lavish camps by the Elewana Collection.
What makes SkySafari by Elewana unique is traveling between national parks, reserves and conservation areas by plane. The travel time on often treacherous roads is cut out, so that you get to experience what you came for – Africa’s wildlife and landscapes.
Watching herds of elephants wallowing in a watering hole in Tarangire National Park, captivated by lions feasting on their kill in Ngorongoro Crater, catching a hippo out of water during a bush walk in the Serengeti and sipping on sundowners nightly as the sun set over some of the world’s most stunning landscapes are all memories that are as vivid several years later as the day we experienced it. A Tanzania safari with SkySafari by Elewana is truly one that makes a lifetime of memories.
Thinking of booking your SkySafari by Elewana experience? We’d tell you not to hesitate for even a second. When it comes to the best luxury safari companies, many choose to offer Elewana Collection’s luxury safari lodges are their accommodation option anyway. So why not book right with the source?
Our safari in Tanzania is the number one travel experience we’ve ever had, and no other African safari will probably ever live up to it. Take a look at the day by day SkySafari experiences, outstanding accommodation and all the wildlife we saw:
Day 1: Arusha | Day 2: Burka Coffee Estate | Day 3: Tarangire National Park | Day 4: Tarangire National Park | Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater | Day 6: The Manor at Ngorongoro | Day 7: Serengeti National Park – Grumeti River | Day 8: Serengeti National park – Grumeti River | Day 9: Serengeti National Park: South Central Serengeti
Day 1: Arusha Coffee Lodge
Our SkySafari by Elewana luxury Tanzania safari began with one night at Arusha Coffee Lodge, located on the Burka Coffee Estate. After 24 hours of travel from Italy to Kilimanjaro, we hardly wanted to do anything more than relax around the beautiful Arusha Coffee Lodge and our plantation suite.
SkySafari guests are automatically upgraded to one of Arusha Coffee Lodge’s 12 spacious plantation suites. They radiate out from the original land owner’s house that dates back to the early 1900s. With an outdoor terrace where you can watch the monkeys play and swing in the trees and inclusive room service, it’s the perfect welcome to begin a Tanzania trip.
There is a swimming pool and the Peaberries Spa offers massages. There’s also two onsite restaurants and a sumptuous buffet luncheon in addition to room service.
We didn’t do much but relax and unwind from the long journey so that we’d be feeling rejuvenated for early wake-up calls and long days of game drives over the next nine days.
Day 2: Burka Coffee Estate & Tarangire
Our first morning of our SkySafari by Elewana began with us venturing out on the optional 1-hour tour of Burka Coffee Estate. If you’re a coffee lover, don’t miss this tour and the fascinating look at how coffee goes from bean to cup.
Burka Coffee Estate
Burka Coffee Estate was founded in 1899 by German settlers that brought the Arabica coffee bean from India. Today the Swiss-German business is privately owned, employing some 300 permanent employees that live right on the estate. Our tour began among the coffee trees, naturally, where we learned how Tanzania’s oldest coffee grower produces the near perfect bean.
Coffee cherries grow and ripen on the trees. When ripe, the coffee cherries are picked by hand. The men and women are paid by the number of baskets that they collect. Supervisors provide a quality control so that unripe cherries aren’t collected, since unripe cherries produce a very bitter taste when roasted. Since the cherries ripen at different rates, pickers might return to the same tree more than 10 times in a season.
The first coffee trees were planted at Burka Coffee Estate in 1918. All the fields are individually marked with the number of coffee trees, their date of planting and variety. We saw some fields that were planted in 1950.
If picking sounds like a tedious process, you’ll probably appreciate your coffee beans even more after hearing about the shucking, drying and roasting process they go through. A coffee bean is actually inside three layers. The next step after picking the ripe cherries is to take a pod out and let the pod dry for six days. The beans are then shucked from the pod, but they have yet another protective layer of silk on them which also has to be removed before the beans can finally be roasted.
Arabica coffee makes up 80% of the world’s coffee trade and there are 28 different varieties. We learned that Arabica beans have 1.5% caffeine, which is reduced by how long the bean is roasted for. So a dark roast will have less caffeine than a light roast. Starbucks is a major client of Burka Coffee Estate and the Starbucks Blonde Roast has more caffeine than a light roast, but will have a milder and easy-drinking taste.
Finally it was time to taste some coffee grown, picked, roasted and brewed right from Burka Coffee Estate. The estate has a lovely garden where you can enjoy the resident monkeys playing on the trees and all the birds chirping while sipping on your cuppa joe.
Also onsite is a mini market of handicrafts all made right there by the disabled. You’ll find everything from blown glass where they blow glass into really interesting things like elephant coffee mugs, paintings, jewelry and scarves.
The visit to Burka Coffee Estate takes one hour and is well worth it for an interesting look at how coffee is produced.
SkySafari by Elewana’s Private Jet
That afternoon we boarded our SkySafari by Elewana’s Cessna Caravan, an executive-class private jet with luxurious individual leather bucket seats that holds just nine passengers. The flight is shared between up to nine total SkySafari guests. Unlike other African safari holidays, the flight transfers between parks make things simple and maximizes your time enjoying the wildlife and wonders of Tanzania, Kenya or both.
Just before landing at Kuro Airstrip, we flew over herds of African elephants playing and drinking in the swamp. Not even out of the plane yet, everything we imagined sub-Saharan Africa to be was materializing before our eyes.
SkySafari guests are told to pack light and soft-sided luggage like a duffel bag is encouraged. I managed with a teeny, tiny green duffel. That was all of my luggage for a nearl two weeks safari to Tanzania with a beach add-on in Zanzibar. Our camera bag was bigger… And yes, it’s totally possible to pack so little when traveling with SkySafari by Elewana since they offer services like laundry at each lodge and camp. Check out our guide for how to pack for an African safari.
Landing in the middle of Tarangire National Park meant our first game drive started right then and there. We saw tons of elephants, giraffes and monkeys that still make us giggle. Mother Nature sure does have a sense of humor sometimes. The Blue Ball Monkey was officially added to the new species list in 2012.
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Tarangire Treetops
After an amazing first game drive, we arrived to our first African bush accommodation: Tarangire Treetops. Every single one of the Elewana Collection lodges and camps we stayed at were extraordinary, but Tarangire Treetops was our favorite of their lodges in Tanzania.
Every kid loves their tree house and has probably begged mom and dad to sleep it in at least once. But tree houses aren’t just for kids anymore. Tree house hotels offer adventurous travelers a chance to bring out their inner tree-climbing kid. Built into the branches of thousand year old baobab trees, you can realize your childhood dreams of sleeping in a tree house with the sounds of the African bush all around you at Tarangire Treetops.
The Tree House Rooms at Tarangire Treetops
Led by Maasai tribesmen to our tree house, we climbed up the spiral steps and threw open the trap door to our new home for two nights during our stay in Tarangire. During daylight hours, it is safe to walk to and from the tree houses to the main lodge on your own, but the Maasai do all the heavy lifting of your bags and make sure you get settled in okay.
The rooms are incredibly spacious with a sitting area for relaxing, comfy king size bed, private balcony and desk (in case you need to get a little work done while on safari like us). Our tree house looked out across the tops of the baobab and marula trees, and it was serene listening to the birds sing their songs.
Our glamping experience was complete with a full en-suite bathroom with dual rain shower heads and hot water, which was heated by the Maasai building a fire beneath our tree house. You simply let the main lodge know what time of day you like to shower, and the Maasai come build a fire to heat up your water. Also convenient with having an en-suite bathroom is that at nighttime when you cannot leave your tree house without a Masai escort, we never had to worry about needing a middle of the night bathroom break.
Other in-room amenities included slippers, a hair dryer that actually had enough power to dry my hair in a reasonable amount of time, universal adapter plugs and whiskey and snacks to enjoy while relaxing in your tree house. We had a walkie-talkie to call to the main lodge in case of any problems or if we needed an escort during dark hours. Laundry services are also available and after a dusty day of game drives, you’ll definitely be taking advantage of this SkySafari by Elewana amenity.
Dining at Tarangire Treetops
We were continually impressed with the food all throughout our SkySafari by Elewana. Elewana Collection’s camps and lodges are almost all located in remote locations where delivery of supplies is challenging. Yet, chefs at each of the camps and lodges created delicious menus with a range of variety. We never got bored with the meals and Tarangire Treetops was no exception.
To prepare you for a full day of game drives and bush walks, the breakfast menu offered several different options from omelets to pancakes served on the main lodge deck overlooking the pool and a watering hole where elephants and other animals regularly come to drink. On Valentine’s Day, we even enjoyed mimosas with our breakfast.
Lunch was equally as good, with one meal enjoyed on the deck of the main lodge and another as a bush lunch served during our game drive. While we saw others with their sad-looking box lunches that had sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, we enjoyed hot multi-course meals with soup, baked chicken, pasta salad and fruit. Wine, water and sodas were always on offer.
Both of our dinners at Tarangire Treetops were served in the boma, a type of fenced in enclosure surrounded by acacia thorns with a central fire pit. Because we dined by candle light, we weren’t able to capture dinner photos, but dinner was always a three-course affair with starter, main course and dessert.
The Main Lodge at Tarangire Treetops
The main lodge is set around a huge baobab tree with a lounge area overlooking the watering hole that is perfect for enjoying sun downers. A huge in-set fire pit offers another place to relax and sip a glass of wine before heading back to your tree house for the night. The main lodge is also equipped with wifi, just in case you don’t want a total digital detox while on safari in Africa.
Admittedly we didn’t sleep the best at Tarangire Treetops. But we ran into some couples doing SkySafari by Elewana in reverse, and they didn’t sleep a wink at Serengeti Migration Camp. We had slept fantastic there. I think that if you are on your first African safari, it just takes a few nights to get used to the sounds of the African bush. After all, Tarangire National Park is teeming with wildlife. And as we saw on our night safari game drive in Tarangire National Park, the animals don’t sleep just because the sun goes down.
Day 3: Tarangire National Park
Our second day at Tarangire National Park was spent on game drives, both during the day and a night game drive. We came across quite a lot of skulls and bones on the plains, the remnants of what cheetahs and lions leave behind. Our game drives were filled with tons of elephants moving in herds of up to 300 individuals, giraffes, blue ball monkeys and baboons. And we spotted our very first lions of the safari.
We came across a herd of around 30 elephants, a small herd really considering it’s not uncommon to see herds of up to 300 in Tarangire National Park.
We’d seen other large herds over our three days in the park, but this was truly a treat. A large watering hole was relatively close to the road and the elephants loved snorkeling in the water and then coating themselves in the mud. The mud actually keeps them cool and works like a sunscreen to protect them from the intense African sun. It also helps to keep the pesky biting insects away.
30 Stunning Wildlife Photos from Tarangire National Park
Elephants herds like this one are families and consist of females and their young. Male elephants leave the herd between the age of 12 – 15 years of age and form their own groups. The female aunts all work together with the moms to protect the babies in the group.
When it’s time to move on from the watering hole, the matriarch of the group moves away from the herd, turns her back and gives the “let’s-go rumble” while flapping her ears. This spurs a series of back and forth vocalizations within the group before the entire family finally departs. And when you have a couple of teenagers that are allergic to listening, the leaders of the herd will come pull you out of the watering hole and tell you to get your butts moving along.
Day 4: Tarangire & Ngorongoro
The last morning at Tarangire Treetops began with a game drive/transfer from the camp back to the Kuro Airstrip. We’d be flying on to Ngorongogo Crater later that day for the next stop of our SkySafari.
Our Tarangire guide, Elly, was determined not to send us off to Ngorongoro Crater without first finding the tree-climbing cats of the Tarangire. And he didn’t fail to deliver.
Just before a bush picnic lunch on the way back to Kuro Airstrip, Elly found us a pride of lionesses lazing in the sun with their cubs. His ability to pick out wildlife we’d never have spotted on our own was a true testament to the intimate knowledge SkySafari’s local guides have of their area.
By this third morning in the African bush, we’d already checked off three of Africa’s Big Five. There was no doubt we were on the best safari in Africa.
The Manor at Ngorongoro Crater
That evening, and on our 12th wedding anniversary, we arrived to the lovely Manor at Ngorongoro Crater after another flight on the SkySafari Cessna Caravan. The Manor at Ngorongoro Crater sits high on a hill overlooking the Shangri-La Coffee Estate on the rolling hills south of Ngorongoro Crater. The Manor combines old world grandeur with a homey feel that made us feel more like we were visiting with old friends than staying at a hotel.
The elegant manor prides itself on its friendliness and service. That was evident from the moment we climbed out of the Land Cruiser and were greeted with refreshing drinks. Before long, we were escorted to a picnic on the lawn with local cheese, meats, vegetables from the manor’s very own garden and nice cool glasses of lemonade. The snacks hit the spot after our flight from Kuro Airstrip in Tarangire National Park to Manyara Airstrip, and the long drive up to the Manor due to an afternoon rain. By the time we’d finished, our butler had already transferred our bags to our cottage and we had nothing to do but relax after a busy morning wildlife spotting in Tarangire.
The Cottages at The Manor at Ngorongoro
There’s 9 luxurious cottages and each has two guest suites per cottage. The suites are cozy with an upscale farmhouse feel. We loved the central fireplace that you could enjoy from the living room or while lying in bed.
The bathroom has heated floors, which are a treat for your feet with the cooler temperatures in Ngorongoro, separate rain shower and a pedestal bath that would gloriously be drawn when we returned from dusty game drives.
While the main Manor House does serve tea, coffee and drinks, we could also relax in our cottage or on our patio with tea, coffee and whiskey right in the comfort of our own cottage. We practically didn’t want to leave.
The Main Manor House
The main Manor House is equally as inviting, with tasteful decor and amenities to keep guests entertained. There are plenty of places in the main house to steal away for a bit of privacy and numerous fireplaces to curl up in front of. Even in Tanzania’s hottest months, the nights are cool and a crackling fire is lovely.
If you’re looking for little more to do than compare game drives with the other guests over appetizers and drinks, head to the billiards or movie rooms downstairs. You can even arrange a wine tasting in the Manor’s wine cellar. Or leave the men to the billiards and movies and head to The Manor’s on-site spa for a little pampering.
There’s plenty to do outdoors, too. With on-site stables, you can arrange a horseback ride or a bike ride around the Shangri-La Coffee Estate. There’s also lawn games like croquet or just lounge around the gorgeous pool.
With the Adirondack chairs overlooking the rolling plantation and pastures where the Manor’s own horses graze beckoning you to curl up with a good book, you can’t help but want to spend time on the lovely grounds. The view was so pretty that on our final day at The Manor, we opted to skip the game drive to Lake Manyara National Park and enjoy lunch on the lawn looking out to the plantation.
Dining at The Manor at Ngorongoro
We ate well on our entire SkySafari, but The Manor is faced with far less challenges with supply deliveries than the other Elewana Collection camps and lodges in the African bush. And because big game wildlife don’t wander the grounds, they even have their very own herb and vegetable gardens. We had our favorite meals at The Manor, including a surprise dinner especially created for us because the staff had got word that we were celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary.
We were treated to a private table in our own romantic room of the main Manor House decorated with candles and rose petals. We enjoyed prawns, carpaccio right from The Manor’s farm, and lamb with vegetables from the garden. We enjoyed a delicious bottle of South African red wine and were presented with a cake specially made and decorated for us.
Breakfast is an a la carte menu and I highly recommend the eggs benedict with cheese from the farm.
A picnic lunch is sent with you on the Ngorongoro Crater safari and was an impressive spread of pasta salad, roasted chicken, cucumber salad and dessert. If you opt to stay at The Manor, you’ll have your choice from the day’s lunch menu and to dine outside at a table set up on the lawn.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, is like a big bowl where the scenes of Disney’s The Lion King come alive. One of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa can be observed on Ngorongoro Crater’s crater floor. Unlike the Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara where the animals are in a constant migration while following the rains in search of water, the wildlife stays year round in Ngorongoro.
It didn’t take long after we’d descended into the Ngorongoro Crater before we spotted our first lions: three males just sitting in the grass. Two of the lions were just watching. Waiting. As the third lifted his head and then decided we weren’t very interesting, we realized there wasn’t going to be much excitement from this pride. Despite our very early start, it was already nearing 9am and chances we’d be witnessing a kill were slim.
Lions tend to hunt at night or very early in the morning. Much of the rest of the day, usually around 20 – 22 hours, lions do exactly what we’d just observed – sleep. Sounds like an easy life, right? After all, lions are the king of the beasts.
Wrong.
Lions actually have quite a hard life, despite their reign over the African savannah and place at the top of the food chain. Lions aren’t fast animals, especially in comparison to their common prey like wildebeest that can reach top speeds of around 80 kilometers per hour and effortlessly maintain their speed over long distances. Lions have terrible stamina.
Up ahead we saw a commotion and what seemed like all of the vehicles on a Ngorongoro Crater safari gathering. Earlier a pride of lions had taken down a Cape Buffalo and while we didn’t see the kill itseld (the guides estimated the kill had probably occurred between 5 – 6am), we did witness the lions feast on their kill. It might sound gruesome to watch them eat, but we were fascinated. This was the real Africa and the circle of life.
Usually it is the female lions that are responsible for hunting, but this pride was made of up four males and just one female. A group hunt typically only has a 30% success rate and of the majority of hunts that scientists have observed, the most successful ones occur at night with dense cover. So here on the wide open plains of Ngorongoro Crater, this kill was something special to witness in the circle of life.
Lions expend all of their energy in the hunt and when plenty of food is available, like with this Cape Buffalo that they’d killed, they will gorge themselves into near immobility. There is a hierarchy in who eats first, with the pride leader (usually the largest male) eating first. He’d already had his share and the others were feasting when we’d arrived. Hyenas and jackals sat waiting nearby, just hoping for any morsel.
Impatient, the jackals were practically fearless. No matter how many times the lioness warned them off, they were persistent in trying to get any piece. One little jackal finally succeeded, only to have the chunk of meat literally ripped away from him by a hyena moments later.
We continued to watch for a while as the lions took turns eating and ripping open the body to eat the heart, liver and kidneys. The pride leader rested in the shade of our line of safari vehicles, blood still dripping from his mane. We were in no danger – he’d just gorged himself into a sleep and still had plenty for later.
We reluctantly left the lions as the pride leader slowly wandered down to a puddle for a drink. The day was really just getting started and we already had tales we’d be telling to the newcomers at The Manor that evening.
I’ve mentioned a few times now how blown away we were by how close we got to the wildlife. Tim’s selfie with this male lion should give you an idea of just how close the animals come. The safari vehicles offered a welcome bit of shade in the wild open plain in Ngorongoro Crater and just as the lions were unfazed by our presence, elephants and other wildlife would just amble between the vehicles without a thought.
The reason most of the animals stay year round in Ngorongoro Crater is the year round presence of several lakes in the 100mi² crater. Thousands of pink flamingos love to feed off the plankton in one of Ngorongoro’s salty lakes.
Flamingos weren’t the only birds, either. Tanzania is a treat for birding with more colorful birds that we’ve ever seen anywhere else in the world. From the little ones like the iridescent blue superb starlings to the ostrich, the largest living bird in the world, we can’t even begin to count all the ones we saw.
The Ngorongoro safari was a full 10-hour long day and our packed lunch was served comfortably with a table and camp-style chairs set up for alongside another of Ngorongoro’s lakes with hundreds of resident hippos. Ngorongoro Crater was the only place where we even saw other Tanzania safari tours, and the difference was evident as we watched nearly all the others around us sit in the dirt and try to scoff down sandwiches from paper bag lunches.
Ngorongoro Crater is the one place where you could check off all of Africa’s Big Five in one day. The Big Five, a name conceived by Africa’s big game hunters, are the lion, Cape buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard. After lunch, our guide’s agenda was to find us our two remaining Big Five: rhino and leopard.
With only 26 black rhinoceros estimated to live in Ngorongoro at the time we visited (it was announced to be estimated around 50 by the Ngorongoro Chief Conservator in 2018), the rhinos are hard to spot. We count ourselves incredibly lucky to have seen two grazing together. It was the perfect end to our day in Ngorongoro Crater.
Of the Big Five, only the leopard continued to remain elusive.
Day 6: The Manor at Ngorongoro & the Serengeti
Our last morning at The Manor, we had the option of a game drive at Lake Manyara or to relax. Nearly a week into our Tanzania trip, we opted to sleep in a little and relax before the next several days in the Serengeti. The Manor has a gorgeous pool, horseback riding from their own on-grounds stables, a spa and even things like croquet on the lawn. We enjoyed lunch on the lawn overlooking the coffee plantation. It was a perfect little break from long days and extremely early mornings.
After another flight to Lobo Airstrip in the Serengeti and a short game drive, we arrived to Serengeti Migration Camp located right in Serengeti National Park just in time for sundowners. Literally steps away more than 70 hippos were grunting away in the Grumeti River.
The camp is made of up 20 elevated tents in a dramatic rocky outcrop alongside the Grumeti River. The main tent is a split level structure with a swimming pool, viewing decks and the camp’s restaurant.
Our luxury safari tent was spacious with a king-size bed, sitting area and full en-suite bathroom with solar generate hot water available 24 hours a day. The tents are canvas, though the interior walls and the wooden floor are fixed on the platform the tents sit on.
Day 7: Serengeti National Park
Home to the greatest spectacle on earth, Sergeneti National Park is one of most famous national parks in Africa and has earned the title of Africa’s best safari park the past four consecutive year. It’s reputation for some of the best wildlife and big game viewing on the planet has put a Serengeti National Park safari on many a travelers’ bucket list.
Established in 1952, Serengeti National Park encompasses 5700 square miles. Larger than the entire state of Connecticut, our exploration with SkySafari would take us in in the western area near the Grumeti River and eventually toward the plains where we hope to catch up with the famous zebra and wildebeest migration.
Unlike Ngorogoro, we never saw a single other safari vehicle while in the Serengeti. Instead, our encounters with not only Africa’s most famous big game animals, but also with ones we had yet to know even existed.
It’s not just the hundreds of lions we saw when it came to big cats. We’d barely left our Serengeti safari camp when our guide stopped. I didn’t even see what it was he’d spotted a first.
With an eye like a hawk, he’d spotted a cheetah hidden in tall grass. The only indication it was even there was the gently flicking of its tail. We waited and our patience was rewarded as he finally sat up, looked around and then casually sauntered off deeper into the tall grass.
As we drove along the Grumeti River, the crocodiles sunning themselves along its sandy banks were a reminder that it’s not only the hippos that call the river home. While crossing the Grumeti River, the crocs are just one of the fierce predators that the wildebeest face on their annual migration.
Then on our way toward the Retima hippo pool, we finally spotted our first leopard. And when I say we, I mean our guide. We weren’t looking for leopards to be sleeping in tamarind trees. The only indication they’re even there is a tail hanging down or a leg dangling from a branch. From that point on, it became a sort of game to see who could spot the next leopard first.
Another delicious SkySafari bush picnic was sent along with us and we enjoyed it at the Retima picnic site. It’s near the Retima hippo pool, which is known as one of the top things to do in Serengeti National Park thanks to its 200 resident hippos.
This many days in to an African safari, you have your favorite animals to watch. While it was lions and other big cats that we were most excited about seeing in the wild leading up to our safari, giraffes quickly became my personal favorite to watch.
It’s not easy for any of the animals out there, but you just don’t realize the hard lives giraffes lead because of their ungainly legs and long necks. I’d been mesmerized watching them run. Their heads tilted up to reach that branch just out of their reach brought a smile to my face. But my heart broke a little when I watched a poor giraffe struggle to spread her legs just to be able to get a drink of water.
10 Things You Might Not Know about Giraffes
Our full day Serengeti safari ended with spotting a pride of lions that had the youngest lion cubs we’d see during our entire time in Tanzania. February was a great time to go with nearly every animal we saw having adorable babies in tow.
Day 8: Serengeti Migration Camp
The fantastic thing about staying in a Serengeti safari camp is that you’re right in the park. Located alongside the Grumeti River, some 70 hippos reside right next to Serengeti Migration Camp. At night we’d not only hear the hippos grunting, but moving around as they came out of the river to eat.
One of the activities offered at Serengeti Migration Camp is a bush walk, or walking safari. Up until that point, all of our safaris had been game drives and we mostly stayed inside of the vehicles. But that morning we accompanied our guides and rangers from Serengeti National Park on a walking safari to get a closer look at the hippos.
Imagine our surprise – and the hippos – when we caught one quite a distance from the river. Lots of grunting commenced as we approached, and our fantastic guides kept us safe with their supreme animal behavior knowledge. We stayed as still as possible and quiet until the poor hippo felt safe enough to make her way back to the river to rejoin her pod.
A little further down the river, we crossed it to hike up to a viewpoint overlooking the entire Serengeti Migration Camp.
Most of the animals are actually much more cautious of you when on a walking safari than a game drive. They’ve become used to the vehicles as part of their environment. While giraffes were always curious, they’d pay us no mind as long as we were in a vehicle. Walking, even though we remained as quiet as possible, a giraffe we encounter remained as still as it could be like we wouldn’t see the 15 foot tall creature as long as it didn’t move.
The Cape buffalo is actually considered to be the most dangerous of Africa’s Big Five. They become very aggressive and Cape buffalo have killed more people than any other of the Big Five in Africa. And we had one stalking us.
The guard from Serengeti National Park was able to run off the Cape buffalo, then scouted out that he had truly gone. We never felt scared thanks to knowing our guides knew exactly what they were doing.
After making it back to the Serengeti Migration Camp, we had one last lunch on the terrace of the main tent while warthogs and deer just casually wandered right through the camp. The families of hyrax, which sound like little velociraptors by the way, scampered all over the deck while we ate.
We’d spent two nights at Serengeti Migration Camp, and it was time to move south to Serengeti Pioneer Camp. Our transfer to the new Serengeti camp was a leisurely game drive along the way. Like our other days on safari in Serengeti, we saw many hippos, more crocodiles, giraffes, herds of elephants, loads of lions and found another leopard.
Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Serengeti Pioneer Camp is located in the South Central Serengeti. It’s the most visited of the three areas that make up Serengeti National Park. By extending our SkySafari to include both Serengeti Migration Camp and Serengeti Pioneer Camp, our four days would cover nearly 90% of Serengeti National Park.
Each of Elewana Collection’s camps and lodges are unique. Serengeti Pioneer Camp is even more intimate than Serengeti Migration Camp with just 10 tent. The design is a bit more rustic, paying homage to the mobile camps of the 1930s. The tents are full canvas tents, though the furnishings are still luxurious with a queen size bed, bathroom with solar heated hot water and flush toilets.
You take your shoes off outside of your tent to help keep the canvas floors clean, but we were reminded not to actually leave our shoes outside. There’s a clan of hyenas that live in the rocks near the camp, and they love to steal shoes.
There’s a dining tent and dinner is always under the stars, or inside the tent in case it rains.
Each night at Serengeti Pioneer Camp, we had a good ‘ol fashioned bonfire. Camp managers Tom and Allison had heard it was our wedding anniversary a few days before and surprised us with a bottle of South African sparkling wine. There’s nothing quite like sipping wine by the campfire while baboons, hyrax and hyenas make the sounds of the Serengeti.
Not far from our tent, which was on the edge of the forest, an elephant had died of wounds from a poacher. Lions, jackals and hyenas were having a feast. Lions near the camp were a common sight thanks to the carcass and we went to bed to the sound of lions calling in the night.
Day 9: South Central Serengeti
Our last full day in the Serengeti and on safari in Tanzania was a game drive of the South Central Serengeti. From December to April, it’s this part of the Serengeti that the wildebeest call home during the Great Wildebeest Migration.
It’s the last triumphant mass movement of animals on earth. Every year some one million wildebeest, accompanied by thousands of zebras and other plains game animals, follow the rains from Tanzania to Kenya and back again on a 2000 kilometer journey.
The wildebeest spread out, with herds moving into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Ngorongoro Crater. Each February and March the wildebeest and zebra babies are born on the short grass plains in the shadows of Ngorongoro. They’re born in such numbers that waiting predators like hyenas could never take them all. And the mineral-rich grasslands are ideal for building young wildebeest bones. It’s a survival strategy, and one that clearly works as the wildebeest is the most numerous of all plains game.
If it rained all year, the wildebeest and zebra herds would probably never leave. But there is no permanent water supply on the short grass plains. So each May as the long rains end, the herd moves north toward Keyna.
Not all take part in the Great Wildebeest Migration together, though. Unlike herds of elephants, towers of giraffes or prides of lions, individual wildebeest actually have no ties to the population besides that of mother and calf. Each wildebeest follows its own path toward the rains, and that isn’t always a perpetual forward motion. It depends purely on the rains and herds can even go back the way they came.
We’d already seen part of the migration in Ngorongoro a few days earlier. And we came upon some more of the migration here in the South Central Serengeti.
This time, we would witness the circle of life as a pack of hyenas hunted the slower young wildebeest in the herd. We watched the hyenas circle and formulate their plan of attack. The wildebeest gathered surrounding the babies in the middle. But as the hyenas took off in a chase, one baby wildebeest fell and just couldn’t keep up. The hyenas had a meal, their bellies fat and bloated after.
We’d already seen so many lions that we’d lost count, but there was an even higher concentration of lions in this area of the Serengeti. There’s many kopje, small rocky hills, in this part of the Serengeti and lions lazing on the giant boulders felt like a Pride Rock scene out of The Lion King.
We were also mesmerized by the occasional tree-climbing cat. They’re actually not very adept tree climbers, and we watched a lone lioness gingerly inch her way down out of a tamarind tree.
We also caught some lions doing the deed and perhaps making the next litter of cubs that would grow up to roam the Serengeti. This, however, was not a sweet romantic scene from The Lion King. The lioness first tried to fight off the male’s advances, leaving her with bloodied wounds on her back. And he just stalked away to nap on his own once he was done.
Day 10: Departure to Zanzibar
We couldn’t have been more sad to leave. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire surpassed our expectations and our time there had felt like a dream. An absolutely amazing nine days with SkySafari, we said goodbye with one last short game drive on the transfer back to the airstrip. Just as with all of our other bush flights, animals like herds of elephants roamed the plains below.
We don’t know when, but we know this: we’ll be back to Africa again because SkySafari by Elewana was the trip of lifetime.
Our trip to Tanzania was hosted by SkySafari by Elewana in order for us to bring you this story. However, Luxe Adventure Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own.
Jenny says
What an amazing trip you had. There’s nothing quite like seeing the animals in their natural habitat. I could drive around for days in the jeep just looking at them! Looking forward to more stories and photos from Tanzania.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It really is so amazing to see the animals just doing their natural thing. Even after 10 days of game drives, we still weren’t tired of seeing the animals. We’re already plotting our return to more parts of wild Africa!
Michael says
How could anyone not like that? Your photos really showcase it well. Good luck to the winner.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Michael! This was such a fantastic and well-organized way to go on safari to multiple parks in Tanzania. We can’t recommend SkySafari highly enough.
marlene says
beautiful pictures I am sure that is a once in a lifetime adventure. good luck to the winner
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I think going on safari probably is a once in a lifetime holiday and having such a seamlessly well organized way to visit multiple parks and reserves in Tanzania makes planning a trip like this a piece of cake. SkySafari takes care of every detail.
June says
Wow, amazing pictures! What an adventure! I just love Africa…
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We can understand why June! We’re in love and Tanzania was our first visit to Africa. We hope to see more!
June says
Make sure you don’t miss South Africa. One of my favorite countries 🙂
Heather says
Wow, that tree house is nicer than some of the hotels I’ve stayed in! What a fabulous way to celebrate your anniversary! When I go on safari, it will be the glamping life for me too! 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I was beyond impressed with all of the camps and lodges. We’ll have posts coming up on the individual camps and lodges, but we had electricity at all but the last one and hot water with our own private en-suite bathroom at all of them. Some of these camps are so remote they only get supplies once every 14 days and the chefs were each able to create a variety of delicious dishes for the menus. And while many other tour groups we saw about and about where eating cold sandwiches from brown bag lunches, our picnic lunches were things like chicken or even hot soup.
It just happened this project coincided with our anniversary, but what a great way to spend it!
Bram says
This is great! I would love to go on a safari. And thanks again for the card, guys! 😀 That was so cool!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Glad you enjoyed the postcard Bram! I hope you make it on safari soon. It was absolutely incredible.
Jaryd says
Great shots guys, this place looks stunning
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Jaryd! Our SkySafari around Tanzania surpassed our expectations in every way.
Val says
Wow! This place looks like an absolute haven…I can’t imagine seeing lions in the wild…
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Giraffes and elephants ended up being our favorite animals to watch. The cats were cool to see, but they don’t honestly do a whole lot since they do sleep about 20 hours each day. But just seeing all the animals being animals in the wild was beyond incredible. We’re both just dying to see more of wild Africa now!
Devlin says
I’d like to stay in that coffee lodge for a good week and be a lazy bum, better if they have no internet so I can really get away. =P I also love how open the bedroom is at Tarangire Treetops, being able to look out into the bush like that, fantastic!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Even though all the lodges and camps did have internet, it was only available in the main area. So you can definitely get away and disconnect if you want to. It was a really nice place to relax after a full 24 hours of traveling to Tanzania and to rejuvenate before our safari officially started.
Kimberly says
What a fabulous experience! I think it sounds like you had a pretty wonderful 12th year anniversary. Looking forward to reading more!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It was definitely an amazing trip Kimberly! Seeing all the animals in the wild just being animals was beyond incredible.
Christa Thompson says
WOW! LIKE DROOLAGE!!!! I have been dying to go to Africa. I always thought it would be so sweet to do a “Lion King Trail” piece. How amazing. I love the pictures and the way you laid it all out. Totally awesome. I am going to be hitting you up for that contact for sure xx
Jennifer Dombrowski says
You can definitely see where Disney got their inspiration for the Lion King. There are rock outcroppings in the Sergenti called the Simba Rocks because lions make them their home. We saw lion cubs on some of the rocks. It totally reminded me of the Lion King!
Christa Thompson says
I am all over this.
Cheryl Howard says
Happy anniversary! Such lovely photos. Looks like you guys had a great time. 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thank you Cheryl! This was such an incredible trip and perfectly timed to give us an awesome way to spend our anniversary.
Bob R says
Looks beautiful and an excellent trip. I know you were hosted, but what does a trip like this generally cost?
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Bob! That all-inclusive 8-day classic SkySafari is $6,539 + $395 park and crater fees per person in high season. You can find the full price list on SkySafari.com
Hannah says
wowwwww! I’ve been looking into Luxury safaris- would love to go with my mom one day- this one looks incredible! Also not going to lie, that monkey makes my day.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
What a fun trip to plan to take with your mom! My dad would absolutely love to go on a trip like this. He once upon a time worked for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and just loves wildlife.
noelmorata says
That looks like an absolute treat, i would love to do that someday…how nice to safari like this!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We just loved how every little detail was taken care of and we could really enjoy the game viewing.
Stacey says
You did get close to them! Just look at that male Lion! He’s licking his lips looking at you! 😉
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Haha Stacey! Luckily he was just licking his chops after feasting on his kill just out of this shot.
Marysia says
It looks like an amazing adventure! I love safaris! So want to go to Tanzania!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We are just dying to get back and see more of Africa now!
antonette says
Great post, however I’d be dissapointed to have wifi while glamping. I know we’re all glued to our iPhones but I’m always keen to get away from social media for a while when traveling and fully enjoy the surroundings without beeps and buzzing… The lion picture is really cool!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The wifi is very limited. It’s only available in the main tent or lodge back at camp. And since you really can’t do much but sit back and relax since things that might eat you could be lurking around, having the internet to check in and see what’s going on in the world was nice.
tammy says
Oh wow, this looks absolutely stunning. Take me there now!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It was our first trip to Africa and on safari, but I definitely think we did it right the first time!
Mary says
What an amazing adventure. I’m not sure if could sleep a wink with hearing the noises of the jungle all night! This is definitely on my bucket list – Lack of sleep and ALL!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I think it just takes a few days to get used to the sounds of the African bush. We didn’t sleep very well the first two night at Tarangire Treetops just because we wondered what every little noise was. But after that, we slept really well even knowing all the things lurking in the dark. All of the camps have staff that patrol regularly at night and safety was never once a concern.
Angela says
Sounds like a great trip. I just started following you on Instagram, so I can check out all your wonderful pictures of your trip and future trips. Africa has been on my list for too long, and I really need to check it off!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
This was our first trip to Africa. We loved it so much we’re dying to go back and see more!
Sam says
this trip sounds wonderful!
I have missed sleeping under the stars with the sounds of wild animals and roaring lions in the background + armed guards around us to keep up from being eaten haha!
Have often though about going back to Africa, will has made its on my to do list! What an amazing experience!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I totally get why you want to go back Sam! We already want to go back for more!
Freya says
That looks so amazing, wow. Gorgeous photos as well. I’m thinking about going to Tanzania in September to climb Kilimanjaro, maybe I will combine it with this. Looks like a great idea after a climb
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Wow, can’t wait to hear about your climb Freya! I was just saying to Tim that we should go back to climb Kilimanjaro.
SJ says
Ohh by golly, you got so close. VERY CLOSE, hubby is busting to do this. I wanna wait until we can take out little boy when he is old enough to understand. And I think we’ll go glamping as you guys did – it looks right up my alley.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I was amazed at how close we got to the animals and that they didn’t seem bothered by us at all. It was so incredible to see them just doing their thing in the wild.
Kate says
This sounds fantastic and your pictures really capture something of the atmosphere.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Kate! It’s always so hard to capture the atmosphere in photos. We just absolutely loved this safari.
Veronica says
Fascinating! I’ll never look at my morning cup ‘o joe the same way. I had no idea about the crazy amount of work that goes into creating it. -Veronica
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We didn’t have any idea about all those layers and the process either! It’s a wonder that coffee isn’t more expensive actually.
Heather says
I’m with Veronica, I had no idea how complex this process is. It’s fascinating, though, and I’d love to experience it for myself!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It’s a wonder that coffee isn’t more expensive with the process it goes through. I had no idea the cherries were all handpicked like that.
Rachelle Lucas says
Beans! Precious coffee beans! It’s no wonder that it’s not more expensive than it already is. Hand picked and … what is it … one pound of beans per bush? I need 52 coffee plants just for my morning cuppa joe alone! Great post, chica. Hope our paths cross in-person again this year. ?
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It really is amazing that coffee isn’t more expensive! I had no idea until our visit that it is all handpicked and goes through such a process to even just get to the bean.
YES! Hoping to catch up with you somewhere in the world again this year. ?
Mansoor Ladha says
I was born in Tanzania and your article really made me home sick. I am planning to visit Tanzania sometime this year and may be you can advise me which safari to take.
Appreciate your stories.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Mansoor. Wonderful that you’ll be visiting your home country again. We had a wonderful experience on SkySafari by Elewana and can’t recommend it highly enough.
Lori says
Great post and photos – loved the photo with the monkey and the one with lions:) You had yet another amazing experience!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I couldn’t believe how close we got to lions on a number of occasions!
Christy says
Wow. This looks SO fun! Great shots.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Christy! Have you been on a safari yet?
Christy says
Nope. Sad face. 🙁
Keryn says
Ok, so I didn’t expect to get hungry reading this post, but now I totally am. Note to self- avoid Jennifer’s site whenever you haven’t eaten in a while! This trip looks incredible and that selfie with the lion is pretty out of this world! Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Haha Keryn! We were seriously impressed with the food offerings considering most of the camps were very remote and only received supplies every 14 days. The chefs were both creative and talented to keep meals so delicious and varied.
Janice says
Love this luxury safari treehouse! What a view you have from the bedroom…
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The view was seriously outstanding! It was cloudy during our visit, but we still got a bit of the sunset from our tree house. Definitely one of the coolest places we’ve had the pleasure to stay.
Angela says
I have been wanting to stay in a tree house for sometime. Have you heard of tree tents? I really would enjoy doing that as well. I think it is fun to find this type of unique lodging for a few nights. Makes it more memorable than the typical hotel.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Yes, Angela! There are some tree tents in Germany that I’m just dying to stay in. And I agree – it is definitely a memorable stay.
Shanna says
I have never slept in a tree house before but I think that it is fantasy that everyone has (as a child or an adult) at least once. I am glad that you guys got to experience that…it sounds like an amazing trip!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It was definitely an amazing trip Shanna! Now I want to sleep in tree houses every where we go. ?
Rhonda says
Now that is a tree house! I always enjoyed playing in our tree house when I was a kid but was never allowed to sleep out there. I would love to “camp” somewhere like this!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Isn’t it awesome? I didn’t have a “play” tree house when I was a kid. My dad is a hunter and he did have several tree houses for deer season throughout our woods. If those were so glamorous, I would have totally wanted to sleep in them.
Briann says
I’m a huge coffee fiend and these pictures had me craving a cup of java. I’ve always been amazed at the amount of work that goes into coffee.
Samantha says
That is one nice tree house! Not quite like the one I had as a kid but it can’t all be the same ? Looks like a great adventure!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
I think if a kid had a tree house like that, mom and dad would NEVER get them out of there! It was definitely a memorable adventure staying there.
Charlie says
Wow, this looks super amazing! Especially Tarangire Treetops!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It really was Charlie! We’ve been keeping up on all the wildlife that visits on the Tarangire Treetops Facebook page since our visit. It looks like we just missed seeing a den of wild African dogs, which are quite rare to see.
Emma says
I would love to stay in a tree house like that!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Definitely put it on your list Emma! Have you been on a safari?
Jaryd says
Amazing photos, I can’t wait to get to this part of the world, you must of loved it!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We really did love it Jaryd. If there’s one thing you ever do in life, it should be going on an African safari. Definitely one of our favorite trips ever.
Heather says
Love the video! So many happy elephants!!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Heather! We’re just starting to do some videos, so it’s nice to hear what people think.
Angela says
Loved the video and your pictures. Makes me want to check off a safari sooner than later! This has been on my bucket list for years. You are luck to have watched lions eat. Loved your write up and photos!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Safari was definitely one of the best things we’ve ever done. Seeing those animals just being animals in the wild is like nothing else. Hope you get to experience a safari soon. Have you entered to win a SkySafari? Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner!
Valen says
I love elephants and you have done an amazing job capturing them here. Great photos and an amazing video, too!!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks Valen! They have such spunk and are really fun to watch.
Frank says
Some great photos! Always love elephants, they are such intelligent, sensitive animals.
Frank
Jennifer Dombrowski says
They really are. I love how they all help each other. Incredibly sad, but we were told that they mourn and will stay nearby if a member of their herd dies.
Fileep says
Great photos, thanks for sharing.
Shikha says
I went to Selous Tanzania for my honeymoon and I dream of returning to Tanzania one day and seeing Ngorongoro Serengeti etc – this manor looks just so beautiful and your anniversary dinner must have been delicious!!
Tina Arenas says
What a great moments and experiences and thank you for sharing with us your great journey.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Glad you enjoyed the post, Tina!
Deb says
These are beautiful. I love the happy elephant in the watering hole. He definitely looks happy!
We have yet to see the migration, but next time in Kenya or Tanzania, I’m going to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
They were such happy elephants! Those teenagers didn’t want to stop playing. But with a few stern trumpeting sounds and an auntie that had to retrieve them, they reluctantly got out and moved on.
It’s so helpful to know the cycle so that you can plan to be in the right area. The Serengeti and Masai Mara are so big and I know that even though I’ve seen documentaries about the Great Migration, I didn’t fully comprehend the scale of it all until I was physically there.
Dave says
You were very lucky to see a lion kill. I know a lot of people go on safari hope to catch one, and yours is amazing. We only saw the remnants of a pride eating leftovers. Like, gnawing on a leg 🙂 Ewww. Sounds so morbid when I write it, but hey, that’s the way of the world right?
Jennifer Dombrowski says
It sure is Dave. An elephant had been injured by a poacher and then died near one of our camps a few days before we arrived. It was totally morbid to see – and smell – the carcass. And it was like the whole savannah came for an easy meal. Every time we passed by there was something different gnawing away on whatever was left. But that is the way of the animal kingdom. Definitely not something many can say they’ve seen!
Rachel says
Wow, how very swanky!
I spent a few weeks in Tanzania in 2011, as I hiked Kilimanjaro, and ever since I’ve been dying to go back – the people, the countryside and the wildlife are too lovely to resist. I also think Tanzanian cooks are some of the very best – on Kilimanjaro we had limited supplies too, but our cooks were creative, passionate and managed to deliver some delicious meals.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We too are dying to go back! Hopefully the next time we’ll be climbing Kilimanjaro. Who did you go with? Sounds like a superb experience!
Molly says
Incredible that you got to see this migration in person. It’s almost like something out of a movie!