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Photography Safari in Tanzania

Focus your lens on some of the most incredible animals with a photography safari in Tanzania. With 15 adventures, you'll soon be tweaking your camera settings and grabbing snapshots like a true professional.

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15 tanzania photography tours with 24 reviews.

• Photography
• Great Migration

Tanzania Serengeti Photographic Safari - 11 Days

Photographic Safari - 8 Days / 7 Nights Lake Manyara National Park / Ngorongoro Crater / Serengeti National Park

Tanzania Photo Safaris - 13 Days

• Hiking & Trekking
• Mountain Hikes

Kilimanjaro Climbing Machame Route 6 day Trek, 8 day tour

This was my second tour with Nomadic adventures and it was just as great as previously. We had a delayed flight which resulted in our bags being late, but Debra helped us make sure we had what we needed and the bags were with us sooner than we anticipated! Juma was a Rockstar, and made the hike and the summit that much more memorable! Love the guides and porters, so thankful for them and what they do!

Kilimanjaro Climbing Marangu Route 5 day trek, 7 day tour

First I must say, I am blind. I lost my sight at the age of 19 from the eye disease, glaucoma. Having completed the London marathon in 2009 I wanted another challenge, after chatting with my personal trainer I came up with the idea of climbing Kilimanjaro. Little did I know that it would be a challenge in itself to even find a company that would accept me on their trips as I am a blind person and therefore was considered to be a liability and the other people on the trip might not like having a blind person with them. After much scouring of the internet I came across an article about a group of blind people that had climbed Kilimanjaro At the end of the article there was an option to leave a comment so I wrote … how I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro but couldn’t find a company to accept me. I never expected anyone to read it but just writing it made me feel better. A couple of days later I went back to the site to reread the article and much to my amazement there was a reply from Debs the company manager saying … Having a vision is not about sight, but about commitment to a goal and the desire to achieve, so please do not let others sway you in your quest. I went with a sighted friend Peter Roberts, 61, who I met through a walking group. It was brilliant, I loved every minute of it. It was challenging but it was worth it. The hardest part of the trek was the last bit to get to the summit. It was really cold and it seemed like we were walking forever. Climbing for six hours a day, it took us five days to get to the top of Africa's highest mountain and three days to descend. The best thing about the trip was when I asked my lovely guide, Colman Temba, if I would have held people back if I did the climb in a group, he turned around to me and said 'no'. I was so chuffed to hear this. Some people think that if you have a disability it makes you less able, I don't think this I think that having a disability can sometime make people more able. We also raised £2,200 for Parkinson's UK after my dear friend Peter Flanagan died from the disease.

Kilimanjaro Northern Circuit Route Private Climbing 10 days

From inception to completion Debra Bouwer kept me informed, answered myriads of questions and ensured I was well equipped for the trek that lay ahead. The guides were fantastic, skilled and ever attentive to safety on the trip.

Kilimanjaro Umbwe Route Climb -Private options available

We had such a fun time. We were told that Umbwe is tough but we endured. Guide and services were great. Will do it again

Kilimanjaro Short Hike 3 Day trek, 5 day tour

Great trip and the guide was great, even though we ca't remember his name!

Kilimanjaro Short 4 day hike, 6 day tour

Loved it. Superb. Mzui a ball of energy. Great start to climbing. Now ready for Kilimanjaro to the top. Thanks guys.

Kilimanjaro Climb Lemosho Route 7 days Trek, 9 day tour

I loved dealing with Nomadic, their personal knowledge of the different routes was invaluable and the advice I received was both comforting and reassuring. I certainly would have no hesitations in recommending them to anyone. The communication was prompt and absolutely no questions ever went unanswered. The guides and porters on the mountain were incredible and were a very large reason we all successfully summited. An outstanding team from our first enquiry all the way through until the last handshake goodbye.

• Wildlife & Nature Photography

9 Day Tanzania Serengeti Great Migration Photography Safari

Serengeti Photo Campus to the Great Migration

Photography Safari

Kilimanjaro Short 2 day hike : 4 day tour

Kilimanjaro Climb Rongai Route 6 day trek, 8 day tour

My man Mzui - champion. Loved it. Just got back and loved it - the bug has bitten. Services were fantastic as before and the advise from Debs really good. Definitely a bucket list tick

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• Photographic Safari in Tanzania

Africa's best authentic tailor-made safaris

By Diane Du Plessis

Safari Travel Planner

Tanzania must be one of the most photographer-friendly destinations on the planet. From snow-capped mountain peaks to ‘Big Five’ safaris and dreamy tropical islands, Tanzania is basking in its newfound status of being a seriously hot photographic travel destination.

From the Serengeti plains and steep-sided Ngorongoro Crater to the flamingos of Lake Manyara and giant tuskers of Tarangire to idyllic Zanzibar and traditional Pemba to the wild landscapes of Ruaha, Katavi and Stiegler’s Gorge in the Selous… the list of iconic Tanzanian photographic destinations is almost endless. Mahale Mountains with its habituated chimpanzees and Lake Tanganyika location is another unique photographic destination, while the many mountains and volcanoes – from world-renowned Kilimanjaro to the restless Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano – ensure that this is a country that has photographers salivating at the mere thought of a visit.

Photography is best done from either a private vehicle or at the very least a vehicle of like-minded individuals who won’t move around at critical moments and who are also happy to be out before sunrise and back after dark. Photographic safaris tend to be most successful when you have control over the vehicle and where it goes. A guide who is a photographer him- or herself and who has guided photographers before makes a big difference in terms of positioning the vehicle correctly, getting the light right, and not wanting to head back to the lodge or camp simply because it’s breakfast time. If you can afford it, then it is definitely worth booking a private vehicle – for you (and your fellow photographers) – to ensure that there is no conflict of interests and that you are the master of your own photographic destiny. Things are considerably easier outside of the parks and game reserves where dangerous wildlife and safety are less of an issue, allowing one to explore and photograph on foot and at your own pace.

Dust is a big problem on safari, so travelling with multiple camera bodies attached to different lenses is a good idea, as this negates the need to change lenses enabling dust to get inside the camera. Have plenty of extra memory cards, spare batteries and a solar charger is also a great piece of kit to travel with (because its difficult to try and charge batteries halfway up a volcano).

The time of year you chose for your photographic safari is probably the biggest and toughest decision you will face. On the one hand you have the superb wildlife viewing and Mara River crossings of the late dry season, but this comes with smoky and dusty conditions as well as dull brown and drab grey backgrounds. During the green season when the rejuvenated bush returns to life, there is a profusion of colour, and the clarity after the rains is second to none, but on the flipside wildlife is dispersed and quality sighting can be harder to come by. This is the time of year to concentrate on landscape and bird photography for sure.

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With over 20 years of experience, our team will help you choose the perfect african safari for your adventure., 24/7 support, personalized, popular tanzania safaris, these recommended tours for tanzania can be tailor-made to match your budget..

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Recent reviews from travellers who planned and booked their africa trips with discover africa safaris, susan was extremely responsive and helpful when a few issues arose.

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Incredible trip. diane was attentive, detailed, and extremely helpful.

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Trip of a lifetime by discoverafrica.com.

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Ev, Israel 09 Sep 2022

Meticulous personalized tour arranged by megan.

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Margery, Andorra 16 Sep 2016

Ready to plan your tailor-made safari.

Matthys van Aswegen, Safari Travel Planner

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Welcome to Tanzania

Photographic safaris in tanzania.

08 Days Serengeti Photography Tour

Northern Serengeti, Central & Western Serengeti. Your favorite accommodations. Book This Tour Trip...

12 Days Cultural and Lifestyle Photography Tour

West Kilimanjaro Monduli Juu Village Engaruka Village Lake Natron Village Mto wa Mbu...

10 Days Bird Photography Tour

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14 Days African Big Cats Photographic Safari

African Big Cats Photographic Safari West & Central Serengeti Southern Serengeti Ndutu Area,...

10 Days Great Migration Photo Safari

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• 09 Days Budget Photo Safari

09 Days of Exploring Northern parks of Tanzania, Camping inside Parks, Visiting African...

8 Days Wildlife Photographic Safari

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08 Days Ndutu Migration Safari

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Photo Safari in Tanzania. A photographic safari is a wonderful occasion to improve your photographic skills and learn new performances whilst enjoying the excitement an African wildlife safari – a win setting for many of our guests! Most of our Photo Safari in Tanzania can be classed as ‘photographic’ and most of our guests do take photographs and upload them into their laptops or online drives while on photo safari in Tanzania. We offer a 3G Internet throughout safari, so possible to upload photography’s before the end of a photo safari in Africa. A number of camps across Africa offer photographic hides which really get you closer to the wildlife – often placed tactically at waterholes, on pans or near bird breeding and nesting areas.

Wildlife Photographic Safaris

A photographic safari is bringing your photography to a new level. Often led by expert and very accomplished wildlife photographers these safaris really are different to a conventional safari. Time is spent out in the field and back at camp testing and learning with other like-minded guests and putting photographic theories into practice. Below you will find a small selection of small group safaris – we also offer private photographic safaris for individuals, couples and groups.

Lifestyle & Potraits Photography

Guided Photo Safari in Tanzania, exploring with nature in interior villages, discovering culture and real lifestyle in Tanzania. Our Lifestyle Photographic tour are featured visiting local, tribes, scenic landscapes and wildlife. for the first time i have inspired to plan these kinds of photo safaris in Tanzania and Zanzibar by one of the talented lifestyle photographers “ Laurent Nilles ” you can view his beautiful picture from instagram.

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Tanzania Photo Safari Tour: Authentic Tanzania Wildlife Safari

14-day small-group safari in tanzania to explore & capture the african wilderness.

SAFARI GROUP SIZE

Max. 6 (Limited Spots)

SAFARI LOCATION

Tanzania Northern Circuit

PHOTOGRAPHY LEVEL

All Levels - an interest is enough!

Come with me on this ultimate safari to Tanzania, tracking wildlife, enjoying nature, and connecting with indigenous tribes like the Maasai. We travel with purpose and support sustainable tourism initiatives to give back to nature and the local communities. I'm your tour leader and with my love & passion for Africa, photography, wildlife and nature in general, I will offer you the best safari experience, while teaching you about Africa's wonderful wildlife and safari photography along the way.

Tanzania Safari Overview

This authentic and ethical photographic Tanzania Safari Tour will take you to 4 magical wildlife hot spots  in Northern Tanzania (Mkomazi, Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro) to photograph and observe Tanzania's wildlife, including Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Antelopes, Big Cats like Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards, the critically endangered Black Rhino, Wild Dogs, Hippos, Crocodiles, and much more.

Africa, including Tanzania, offers more than just chasing the commercialized "Big Five animals". Have you for example seen Africa's "Small Five" or "Ugly Five"? During our Tanzania Photography Tour, we also allocate time for a walking safari to admire the diverse smaller flora & fauna, recognizing their crucial role within the ecosystem, where each element depends on others for survival. We aim to let you experience "the bigger picture" on this Tanzania Wildlife Safari, that goes beyond the Big Five safaris.

We travel with purpose! To give back to the communities and their land, we have an immersive visit with the Maasai Tribe . We sleep in a traditional Maasai lodge, on a magical location perched on a hill, to spend time learning about their culture and way of life. There's plenty opportunity to capture stunning Maasai portraits. On this meaningful safari, you will also learn more about environmental & wildlife conservation efforts in places like Mkomazi; because what would Africa be without our rhino's or elephants?

With a professional wildlife photographer and a qualified Tanzanian safari guide at your side, we are here to help you capture iconic photographs of Tanzania- with respect for the people and our planet. And if you wish, we also help improve your editing skills and make your images stand out from the rest.

You don't have to be a photographer to join our group photo safari to Tanzania; learning photography on safari or joining a photography workshop in between game drives is optional.

Brief Tanzania Safari  Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrival Kilimanjaro Airport
• Day 2 : Transfer to Mkomazi NP & Game Drive
• Day 3 : Safari Mkomazi National Park
• Day 4 : A day with the Maasai
• Day 5 : Bush Breakfast, Nature Walk & Relax
• Day 6 : Safari Tarangire National Park
• Day 7 : Safari Tarangire National Park
• Day 8 : Mto Wa Mbu Cultural Experience
• Day 9 : Transfer to Serengeti National Park
• Day 10 : Serengeti Photo Safari
• Day 11 : Safari Serengeti & Optional Serengeti Balloon Flight
• Day 12 : Transfer to Karatu, Ngorongoro View Point
• Day 13 : Ngorongoro Crater Safari
• Day 14 : Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport

• Day 2 : Transfer to Mkomazi NP & Game Drive
• Day 3 : Safari Mkomazi National Park
• Day 9 : Transer to Serengeti National Park
• Day 14 : Departure Kilimanjaro Airport

Destination Tanzania

Tanzania is rated as the Best Safari Country in Africa and in the world! This Tanzania Safari takes place in the Tanzania Northern Circuit; a renowned safari route in the northern part of Tanzania, famous for its diverse wildlife and stunning landscapes.

• Key Locations: Northern Tanzania has some of the country's most iconic national parks and wildlife reserves, including iconic destinations like the Serengeti National Park , known for the Great Migration, an annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebras, and the Ngorongoro Crater , a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its high density of wildlife, including lions, elephants, rhinos, and hippos. You can also find flamingos in Ngorongoro Tanzania.
• Other Highlights:  Tarangire National Park, with its large elephant herds, Lake Manyara, and Mkomazi National Park , known for its black rhino conservation, are also part of our safari in Tanzania.
• Wildlife: Expect to encounter a wide array of wildlife on our Tanzania safari tour, including the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros), as well as cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, and various bird species.
• Conservation Efforts : Conservation initiatives are vital to preserve the rich biodiversity of the Northern Circuit, ensuring sustainable tourism practices and protection of endangered species, including the black rhino in Mkomazi National Park.

Joining our Tanzania Photography Safari, focusing on the Tanzania Northern Circuit , is a great way to experience the natural beauty and learn wildlife photography in Tanzania. Ready to join me on safari to Tanzania?

Serengeti Balloon Safari

During our Serengeti safari, you can optionally book this magical hot-air balloon safari over the Serengeti Plains! Highly recommended.

Tanzania Photo Safaris  Gallery

Ethical Wildlife Photography in Tanzania

Tanzania is renowned as a major hub for biodiversity. Its diverse landscapes, including mountains, savannahs, lakes, and islands, make it an ideal destination for wildlife enthusiasts. One of the reasons Tanzania is a popular spot for wildlife photography is that even amateur photographers can capture stunning images thanks to the breathtaking scenery. Note that you don't need to have any level of photography for our Tanzania safari tours. If you prefer to join our Africa photo safaris to just observe, or to use your smartphone to take photos of animals, that is fine too!

With an abundance of the most iconic wildlife species, including the majestic lions, graceful cheetahs, colossal elephants, and the endangered black rhinoceros , our Tanzania Safari offers endless opportunities for (aspiring) photographers. These magnificent creatures roam freely in the vast Tanzania wilderness areas, providing you with breathtaking subjects to capture.

On our Ethical Tanzania Photo Safari Tour , we lead you to the best wildlife spots, ensuring you don't miss any exceptional photo opportunities. Additionally, we provide valuable insights into animal behavior and the local ecosystem, making your safari experience even more enriching. 

While out on game drives, we prioritize ethical wildlife photography practices, which means we respect the animals and their habitats, and avoid disturbing them. We use long lenses to capture close-up shots without encroaching on their personal space. By following these guidelines, our safaris to Tanzania can contribute to the conservation efforts and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the wonders of Tanzania's wildlife.

Recommended Camera Gear Photography Safari Tanzania

Bringing the below recommended gear is not a must but handy if you want to improve your skills. You can also join our safaris in Tanzania without focusing on travel and wildlife photography.

A waterproof cover for your camera and lens (just to be sure), a sturdy camera bag, enough memory cards and extra batteries

Laptop (with Adobe Lightroom) if you like to learn how to edit your safari images, improve your post-production skills, or if you’d like to review your wildlife photos with Kim

Duration Safari Trip

Safari Destination

Photography Level

All Levels - An interest is enough

Free Access "Basics of Safari Photography Course"

Photographic Tutoring Tanzania Safari

Throughout this Tanzania Photo Safari , you will be guided by Kim Paffen ; Nature Guide and Travel & Wildlife Photographer featured in National Geographic Magazine and Africa Geographic. With a wealth of experience and expertise for you to learn from, Kim is a lovely warm-hearted person to have around on a photo safari. Not only will she be there coaching you on the practical side of photography out on safari game drives, as a FGASA & CATHSSETA accredited Africa Field Guide, you’ll also benefit from her nature and animal knowledge.

Because of the intimate small group size on our Safari Tours in Tanzania, Kim can cater photography workshops to all levels of experience . So, whether you have zero photography knowledge, just starting, or you're a semi-pro in wildlife photography, this Tanzania photo tour is a great way to take your safari photography to the next level. While visiting the best spots for encountering and photographing wildlife in Tanzania, Kim will help you sharpen your photography skills and make the most of this African safari tour. Expect to return home with some stunning images of wildlife and the Maasai tribe that showcase the beauty of Tanzania and an unforgettable Africa safari trip! 

14-day Tanzania Photo Safari Itinerary + Lodges

Day 1 - arrival tanzania.

Today, you will arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be greeted by me and one of our drivers and transported to our Lodge in Moshi, approximately a forty-five-minute drive. Most flights arrive in the evening. You may wish to enjoy a light snack at the hotel, but soon retire to your beds. Tanzania is already enveloped in darkness, and tomorrow morning you can admire the surroundings in daylight. Karibu Tanzania!

Day 2 - Mkomazi National Park

After breakfast, we embark on a picturesque journey to Mkomazi National Park, a scenic drive lasting two hours. Upon arrival at the park, as your guide takes care of the necessary paperwork, your adventure kicks off with an exhilarating game drive. Traveling through the park's diverse landscapes, you'll be treated to sightings of magnificent wildlife, including giraffes, zebras, and hopefully kudus. We will spend two days in a beautiful lodge within Mkomazi, with views of the park.

Day 3 - Safari Mkomazi National Park

You'll get the extraordinary opportunity to visit the park's special rhinoceros sanctuary, a significant initiative aimed at safeguarding the future of these remarkable animals, among the most endangered large mammals in Africa. Upon arrival, you will receive an enlightening briefing on the ongoing conservation efforts focused on preserving the rhino population. Your experience continues with a guided tour of the sanctuary, led by an expert ranger. Throughout the tour, your keen eyes remain vigilant for any rhinoceros sightings, offering a chance to observe these incredible creatures in their protected environment. Additionally, you will also have the opportunity to explore the habitat of wild dogs. We will have another night in Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat.

Day 4 - West Kilimanjaro, a day with the Maasai

At 09:00, we will collect you from your accommodation and proceed to Amini Africa Maasai Lodge in West-Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, you will receive a warm welcome from the Maasai community, who will serve as your guides for the day. After settling into your "Maasai hut," lunch awaits in the charming restaurant. Spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool with magnificent views over Maasailand, or partake in a nature walk. Your Maasai guide will enlighten you about the surroundings, Maasai life, their hunting techniques, and natural remedies. In the evening, dine by the bonfire under the stars - and indulge in delightful dishes. Once nestled comfortably between the sheets in your Maasai hut, allow your mind to wander and dream of the adventures yet to come.

Day 5 - A Day with the Maasai: Bush Breakfast & more

This morning, your Maasai guide will accompany you for a Bush Breakfast, an exceptionally unique experience. If you're fortunate, you may encounter some wildlife along the way! In the afternoon, you can unwind by the pool, embark on a nature walk, or even partake in an adventurous mountain biking excursion! We will sleep another night in Amini Africa Maasai Lodge to experience the 'Maasai-way-of-life'.

Day 6 - Tarangire National Park Safari

Today, we journey to Tarangire National Park, a trip spanning approximately 3.5 hours. Upon arrival at the park's entrance, your guide will handle the necessary formalities, marking the commencement of your safari adventure. Let the wildlife spotting in Tarangire begin... After a game drive in Tarangire National Park, we will arrive at a beautiful Lodge, where you can often watch elephants up-close. They also have a relaxing pool with views of the African savannah.

Day 7 - Safari Tarangire National Park

Today we have a whole day to explore Tarangire National Park. The park is renowned for its vast baobab trees and significant elephant population. Who will be the first to spot an animal? Depending on what the group wants, we can either do a full day game drive inside the park including a lunch in the park, or we go for a morning game drive, drive back to the lodge, and relax at the pool. For those who are interested, I can also offer some more photography tutoring or editing. We have an extra night at the same lodge in Tarangire.

Day 8 - Mto Wa Mbu Cultural Experience

Mto wa Mbu is at the foot of the Rift Valley. Located on the way to Ngorongoro and Serengeti, it is an ideal resting place for most safari travelers to experience the authentic cultural tour. Optional activities: - TukTuk tour (2 - 3 Hours) Explore mto wa mbo village with three wheel visit banana farms, and rice farms, and learn the economic system of the village - Climbing Balaa Hill (3 - 6 hours) Climb to the top of the Rift Valley wall for breath-taking views of Lake Manyara, the village of Mto wa Mbu, and the Maasai Steppe beyond. Also, see a diverse array of local bird species and magnificent 2,000-year-old baobab trees. - Village walks (2-4 hours) Get an inside look at the homes and exquisite craft of Mto wa Mbu’s many tribes. Visitors will get a chance to meet locals and learn about banana beer, Makonde woodcarvings, and tribal painting techniques; the village provides a great introduction to everyday life in Africa. - Farm tour (1-4 hours) See the innovative farming practices of Mto wa Mbu villagers and learn about the irrigation system that sustains local crops, including the 32 varieties of bananas. - Biking to Lake Manyara (2-5 hours) Bike to the coast of one of Africa’s most majestic lakes and get an amazing opportunity to view wildlife like zebras, giraffes, hippos, and buffaloes at close range in this corridor of migration between the national parks. - Lunch at Mama’s (1-2 hours) Enjoys a delicious, home cooked meal in a local Mom’s home; Over lunch, the guide will provide a history of the region and the many stories about local tribes.

Day 9 - Transfer to Serengeti & Game Drive Serengeti National Park

Today, you will journey along an extensive and rugged road to Serengeti National Park, where you will arrive approximately 4-5 hours later. It will be a lengthy yet picturesque drive, offering glimpses of diverse African landscapes along the way. Upon reaching Serengeti, you will proceed to your lodge in Serengeti while enjoying a game drive in Serengeti along the way. There, a refreshing cold beverage awaits you! At these safari camps, you’ll feel immersed in nature, protected by the cozy canvas walls of your spacious tent, surrounded by the sounds of wildlife, and secluded from noise & light pollution. It feels like being transported back in time, and makes African safari unlike any other travel experience in the world! Embrace the simplicity — nature is the luxury we’re after. Get settled into your cozy home for the next 3 nights, before gathering in the dining tent for a chef-prepared dinner, listening to the sounds of roaring lions and laughing hyenas in the distance.

Day 10 & 11: Photo Safari in Serengeti National Park

a Serengeti Photo Safari is a great way to explore the beauty of Serengeti National Park. Here, you will encounter the most stunning Tanzania Safari Animals the world has to offer, set against landscapes that will surpass even your wildest dreams. It's like stepping into the scenes of "Out of Africa," but in reality. Each evening, we will plan the following day together based on the preferences of the group. Will you venture out all day with a picnic lunchbox, or opt for separate morning and afternoon game drives, returning to our Serengeti camp for a warm lunch? We will elucidate the various options, which may also depend on the season and the current whereabouts of the wildlife in Serengeti. The Serengeti is such an expansive park with an abundance of magnificent creatures that no amount of time spent here feels sufficient. Optional but highly recommended: a Serengeti Balloon Safari to witness the vast Serengeti plains from above.

Day 12 - Ngorongoro Crater Viewpoint

This morning, you can still relish a safari excursion in the Serengeti. Around 11 o'clock, you depart from the park towards the village of Karatu, nestled near the Ngorongoro Crater. Along the way, you traverse the crater rim, passing by a breathtaking viewpoint offering panoramic vistas of the crater, where we will stop to take nice images and enjoy the views. In total, this journey, starting from when you exit the Serengeti, lasts approximately 4-5 hours. By late afternoon, you arrive at the lodge, where you can indulge in a refreshing sundowner.

Day 13 - Safari Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania

In the morning, you will go on safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, where you'll spend the rest of the day embarking on a wildlife game drive. From the gate, a short drive along the crater rim awaits before descending into the circular crater via a breathtakingly scenic and steep road. The landscape here is extraordinarily beautiful. You'll be accompanied by a picnic lunch from the lodge. By late afternoon, you'll journey out of the crater, making your way back to the lodge. Enjoy a final, amazing dinner prepared by the chef back at the lodge, where we’ll relive memories, share favorite stories, and our last moments together around the fire.

Day 14 - Departures & Goodbyes

You have the morning at your leisure. Enjoy a relaxing time at the lodge or perhaps take a stroll in the surroundings. After lunch, it will be time to be chauffeured to Kilimanjaro Airport, approximately a 3.5-hour drive. There, we will say goodbye and you will board your flight back home. In Africa, we don’t say “goodbye” however — just a “see you later” (or "baadaye" in Swahili) as I hope to connect with you again somewhere in the world, perhaps on one of my next Africa Safari tours! Tip: You can also extend this journey with a delightful beach vacation on the tropical paradise of Zanzibar! I'm happy to help you plan your extension in Tanzania.

Examples of the Tanzania Lodges

Your Tanzania   Safari Tour Leader : Kim Paffen

• Africa Travel Expert with 15+ years of travel experience in 13 African Countries
• Ethical (Wildlife) Photographer published in f/e National Geographic
• Photography Educator
• FGASA & CATHSSETA accredited Safari Guide
• Passion for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Travel
• Languages: English, Dutch, German, a few words of Swahili
• For our Tanzania Photo Safari Packages, we work together with a Tanzanian Tour Operator and knowledgeable driver/guide who know the area on the back of their hand.

The Trip is Great for :

• (Aspiring) Photographers who want to enhance their skills through cultural, landscape, and wildlife photography
• Mindful eco-explorers who appreciate mid-range to semi-luxe African-style accommodations, culinary experiences, comfortable facilities, and the “luxury” of unspoiled nature, while still willing to get their feet a bit dirty for an epic adventure in the African bush & visiting indigenous tribes
• Safari & Animal lovers who want to immerse themselves in the intricate worlds of African wildlife & see these majestic creatures in their natural habitat, with utmost consideration for their conservation
• Sustainable travelers who are excited to venture into untouched nature, visit wildlife through ethical means, learn about conservation, and participate in initiatives to give back to local communities
• Cultural enthusiasts who love connecting with local tribes, and learning about local customs/rituals
• Flexible and conscious travelers that can easily adapt to the "This is Africa" way of life, meaning that you can expect possible limits on electricity, running water, WiFi, or air conditioning.

Why Travel With Us ?

• 100% Tanzania Expert : As a photographic safari guide, I work together with a local Tanzanian Safari Operator that has more than 30 years of experience in the Tanzanian safari world. That way, we can give you the Best Tanzania Safari experience.
• Small groups of up to 6 people for a personal approach and personalized guidance on our Tanzania Wildlife Safari.
• Knowledgeable Tanzania Safari Guide to help you navigate the terrain and get the best shots possible.
• Private Land Cruiser with pop-up roof for easy animal spotting and photography, driven by a highly skilled and experienced private local guide.
• We use tried & trusted Tanzania Safari Lodges or tented camps for our Tanzania photographic safaris, providing all amenities you need (meals included) to recharge and relax on one of our best photography safaris

Dates & Prices Tanzania Photo Tour

Prices for our Tanzania Photo Safari Packages are per person based on double occupancy (extra charge for single room) and do not include international flights to/from Tanzania. Our safari is all-inclusive of park fees, meals, game drives, etc.

Sign up to the waiting list below , and be the first to be informed about specific trip dates! 

Important : You can also form your own group of 5 to max. 6 people and plan dates according to your preferences!

Interested in booking our Africa Photography Safaris or do you have additional questions? Inquire here!

Tanzania photo safari: all you need to know before you go, why should you come on a safari to tanzania with us.

We bring a wealth of experience to your Tanzania Safari Tours. Having worked extensively in the travel industry as a photographer, marketeer, and travel consultant, I've personally explored the places we visit in Tanzania on our group trip. My commitment to providing the best service is reflected in the relationships I've built over time and the careful selection of accommodations. For my Tanzania Safaris, I work together with a local Tanzanian Safari Tour Operator with many years of experience in the Safari World. Together, we take care of the logistics and we are provided by an experienced English speaking driver/guide who knows Tanzania on the back of its hand. With my devotion to high-quality authentic and ethical travel experiences, I'm passionate about making your Tanzania safari adventure extraordinary.

Do you handle all logistics on our Tanzania Wildlife Safari?

Absolutely! From booking hotels to coordinating transfers, arranging local guides, and organizing activities and excursions, we take care of it all. We arrange both authentic Tanzania Group Trips and Customized Tanzania Itineraries. Ranging from a Luxury Tanzania Safari to a Budget Tanzania Safari, we tailor our services to meet your unique travel preferences, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you want a private safari trip or if you're looking for different dates than the ones scheduled.

Do you offer complete Tanzania Safari Packages or can I book some elements independently?

While you can book your flight independently, we recommend entrusting us with the rest of your Tanzania Safari Itinerary to ensure seamless transitions and the best value. Our presence provides invaluable support, especially when unexpected situations arise.

Do you arrange international and/or domestic flights?

Yes, we work with a preferred booking agent who can manage both international and domestic flights on your behalf. This collaborative approach ensures a smooth travel experience. What we do is putting you in direct contact with them so flights can be done by credit card. Flights are usually only held provisionally for 24 hours, so paying by credit card is usually best and that way you can also take advantage of any included travel insurance!

Tanzania Safari Cost

Our (custom) Tanzania Safari itineraries have a comprehensive trip price covering hotels, car, transfers, driver/guides, park fees, meals, water during safari days, activities, and Photographic tutoring by Kim Paffen. While the trip price is inclusive the above elements, certain items are not inclusive of the safari trip price. Examples that are excluded are: tipping, visas, shopping, (alcoholic) drinks, travel insurance, washing clothes, and international flights are not included.

Is Tipping included in the Tanzania Safari Cost?

Tipping is not typically included in the price for your safari in Tanzania. In Tanzania, tipping is not mandatory but customary. Tips are given as a gesture of gratitude, and the amount given will depend on your satisfaction. As many first-time visitors find it challenging to gauge how much to give, here are some Tanzania tipping guidelines: Safari Guide: $25 or more per day, per group. Restaurants: 5 – 10% of the total bill. Porters (carrying luggage at lodges/hotels): $1 - $2 per porter. It is customary to give the tip at the end of the trip if you have the same guide for a few days. Tips can also be given in Tanzanian Shillings.

What should I budget for a Tanzania Photo Safari?

It depends if you prefer a custom-made itinerary or if you opt for one of our scheduled Small Group Photo Safaris in Tanzania, so please consider factors like flight costs, preferred (mid-range or semi-luxury) accommodations, and additional expenses for meals, tips, and shopping. Be prepared to budget between 6000 and 7000 USD for a 14-day photo safari trip in Tanzania accompanied by a driver/guide and photographic guide. That budget is including flight, all meals, mid-range to semi-luxury accommodations, water in the car, park fees and all cultural activities and game drives.

What are your payment terms for a Tanzania Safari Tour?

We require a non-refundable 25% deposit to reserve your seat on our Tanzania safaris, with full payment due 90 days before travel. Refer to our Terms & Conditions for detailed pricing and payment information.

How can I pay for my Tanzania Safari?

We prefer electronic bank transfers to avoid credit card fees. Refer to our Terms & Conditions for complete payment details.

What is your cancellation policy?

Find comprehensive details in our Terms & Conditions. Our cancellation fees are non-negotiable.

What vaccinations do I need for Safari in Tanzania?

For vaccinations to travel to Tanzania, you can visit a travel health clinic, as requirements vary by country. Recommended vaccinations for travel to Tanzania include Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, and DTP. Other diseases present in Tanzania include Typhoid Fever, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis, Rabies, and Meningitis. Consult with a knowledgeable travel medicine doctor to determine if vaccination is advisable for you. Having the "Cholera not indicated" stamp in your vaccination booklet can prevent issues at border posts.

Do I need a visa to travel to Tanzania?

Check the Tanzania embassy or consulate requirements; we provide guidance in your final Tanzania travel document. We recommend obtaining your tourist visa online at: Tanzania eVisa (https://visa.immigration.go.tz/). Initiate this process at least two weeks before departure as it typically takes approximately 10 days to complete. Alternatively, tourist visas can be purchased upon arrival at Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar airports. In such cases, the visa fee must be settled in cash, in US Dollars. Please note that ATM services are unavailable at Tanzanian airports, so anticipate extended wait times upon arrival.

What to pack for this photography safari in Tanzania?

Pack essentials include valid passport, visa, air tickets, expense money, inoculations, and clothing suitable for safaris. Consider traveling light with soft luggage. You should also bring a day pack to carry essentials whilst out on safari. Bring a valid passport; be sure to check the expiry date. Also pack a photocopy of the photo page and the entry stamp page of your passport as an additional piece of identification. Please store these photo copies in a different place to your travel documents. If your passport is in a hotel safe, or if you were to lose your passport this precaution would prove invaluable. Here's a link to a safari packing list: https://ourplanetinmylens.com/what-to-pack-for-safari-in-africa/

What Camera Gear should I bring for this photo safari in Tanzania?

Tanzania offers rich photo opportunities. Carry enough memory cards, and batteries. A 200 mm (or longer) telephoto lens is very useful on safari but if you're not into safari photography that much it is not a must.

Personal Medical Conditions

Check health notices and malaria information for your destinations. Carry necessary medications and prescriptions.

Do I need a Travel Insurance & AMREF Flying Doctors when I travel to Tanzania?

Secure a travel insurance before arriving in Tanzania to participate in travel activities. If you don't have a Travel Medical Insurance yet, I highly recommend Safety Wing. When you book your safari to Tanzania with us, we automatically enroll you in AMREF Flying Doctors. In the event of a medical emergency, you will be evacuated by a flight to the hospital in Nairobi. You are only insured for the evacuation flight to Kenya and ground ambulance transfers in Kenya. You are responsible for your travel insurance.

How long must my passport be valid when traveling to Tanzania?

For going on safari in Tanzania, your passport must be valid for at least six months upon departing your country and possess a minimum of four blank visa pages, equating to two facing blank visa pages.

What is the local currency in Tanzania and where can I get it? Can I also pay with US Dollars or Euro?

The local currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shilling, however, US Dollars are widely accepted. It is advisable to carry cash in US Dollars, but please note: only bills from 2003 onwards are accepted; those dated before 2003 are unfortunately not. Credit card payments are accepted in some accommodations, but substantial surcharges apply. You can withdraw money with your debit card in Tanzania. However, this is only possible in Moshi, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Stone Town (Zanzibar). During the safari or on the beaches of Zanzibar, this is not possible. Please ensure you have enough cash on hand during these days. US Dollars are more convenient than Euros.

What car will we use during our photo safari trip in Tanzania?

During the complete Tanzania safari and on game drives, you will travel in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, a safari jeep, equipped with a specially made panoramic roof, allowing you to photograph or film while standing inside the vehicle. Our safari vehicles have comfortable seats, all positioned by a window so you can also spot animals while seated. You will be accompanied by a highly experienced guide and photographic tour leader.

Is there Malaria in Tanzania?

Yes, malaria is prevalent in Tanzania. There is no vaccination against malaria. We recommend the use of anti-malarial tablets. You can discuss this with a travel medicine doctor. Malaria is an infectious disease caused by malaria parasites transmitted through mosquito bites. The parasites first multiply in the liver and then in red blood cells. Symptoms include cold shivers followed by fever, often preceded by flu-like symptoms. To protect yourself from mosquito bites, bring along insect repellent containing DEET and cover your body well in the evenings.

Food, Drink, and Culinary Advice

All meals during the safari are included in the price. Many people have an early breakfast because they also want to leave early to enjoy the beautiful morning light. Breakfast is always extensive and generous. Whether you prefer a Full English or Full Fruit with the most delicious mangoes, papayas, and watermelons, everything is possible. At the table, the sounds of the African night are often a topic of conversation. Was that a lion or a hyena I heard? At lunchtime, there are well-filled picnic lunchboxes that you can take with you in the car so you can enjoy lunch in the park at a beautiful spot. In the safari car, there are plenty of bottles of water available for you. Dinner is always at the accommodation where you are staying that evening. East African cuisine with international influences. Whether your guide joins dinner or not depends on the accommodation. At some locations, this is customary, while at others, guides eat together. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the lodge are at your own expense unless otherwise stated.

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Wildlife safaris in tanzania.

What do you want from your dream safari in Tanzania? Beautiful scenery? Fantastic wildlife? The ultimate freedom of returning to primeval forests, soaring mountains, timeless lakes, endless plains?

CUSTOM & PRIVATE SAFARIS

The best way to ensure a discerning safari in Tanzania is to engage AfricanMecca in organizing a customized tour, tailor-made with an option of a private guide and exclusive transport just for you.

HONEYMOON SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

AfricanMecca has the bespoke expertise and experience in hand-picking small, romantic accommodations in pristine safari destinations that results in superlative dream honeymoon safaris of Tanzania.

FAMILY SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

A family safari binds you together in shared gratitude and wonder. Parents and grandparents sharing a Tanzanian wildlife and cultural safari with their generational children is an enriching experience.

LUXURY SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

The supreme safari luxuries of Tanzanian wilderness experiences are never to be forgotten self-indulgence on a spectacular scale. Each rustically boutique camp offers something differently richer.

PHOTO SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

An AfricanMecca photography safari in Tanzania puts you in the care of a hand-picked photographic instructor so that you will learn how to get the very best out of your camera during your game drives.

CULTURAL SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

We believe the cultural diversity of Tanzania is one of its greatest strengths. By meeting and understanding people whose views and values are very different from your own, you acquire new insights.

CHIMPANZEE SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

The most popular primate safaris in Tanzania with AfricanMecca are in Gombe and Mahale, sites of intensive studies of chimpanzees, mankind’s closest living genetic kin with 95-98% of DNA in common.

WALKING SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

Walking safaris in Tanzania embraces you with the landscape and the wildlife, disturbing it as little as possible, and becoming just another animal, alert and aware of every nuance of wilderness.

BIRDING SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

Tanzania is one of the best bird watching destinations in Africa, with over 900 resident species and 200 migrants present. Birding is best in the rains for migrants and residents in breeding plumage.

HORSEBACK SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

Horse riding safaris in Tanzania are conducted in private wildernesses, yet it is a distinct way to immerse yourself with the pristine landscape, diverse wildlife, fauna, and the indigenous people.

BALLOON SAFARI IN TANZANIA

A balloon safari in Tanzania is a fantastic once in a lifetime experience, particularly suitable for a bird's eye-view game viewing experience on your wildlife tour in Serengeti and Tarangire.

WEDDING SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

The awesome beauty of Tanzania offers many venues for a dream wedding. Have your bridal vows in the bush with nature's bounty all around. Confess with AfricanMecca Safaris to make every dream come true.

TANZANIA BUSH & BEACH SAFARIS

Tanzania is a spectacularly salient country with varied landscapes and ecological diversity of flora and fauna, from avian, terrestrial to marine, coupled with castaway experiences on soothing turquoise shores.

CONTACT AND TALK TO OUR SAFARI EXPERTS TODAY TO KICK-START YOUR TOUR PLANNING PROCESS

Request Tanzania Custom Or Tailor-Made Safari Pricing Based On Your Specific Travel Dates At Your Preferred Safari Tier Camp Or Lodge

SAFARI PRICES FOR TANZANIA

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AFRICA TRIP IDEAS FOR TANZANIA

Review experiences available in Tanzania from photo wildlife safari, chimpanzee tour, bush walk, family to honeymoon beach vacation, snorkeling, diving etc.

PARKS & RESERVES IN TANZANIA

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ACCOMMODATIONS IN TANZANIA

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BEST TIME TO VISIT TANZANIA

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BEACHES & ISLANDS OF TANZANIA

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TANZANIA COUNTRY PROFILE

Review country information and travel tips on Tanzania i.e. climate, history, geography, culture, entry requirements, what to pack and wear, tipping guide and more.

CITY DAY TOURS FOR TANZANIA

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AFRICAN SAFARI PRICES

Check out safari prices and itineraries for parks and reserves in other African countries e.g. Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia etc. Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are available on request.

AFRICANMECCA REVIEWS

AfricanMecca's professionalism and care understands that what distinguishes Africa is its authenticity, the land, people and wildlife who do not share our world of fashion and fanfare that distinguish so many travel companies today.

Cyril Christo & Marie Wilkinson, Conservation Photographers, Authors & Wildlife Documentary Producers - USA

Jambo Raza, We all had a fantastic time on our Tanzania safari. Accommodations were excellent and we loved our guide - Rodgers. We will definitely recommend this safari to others. Thanks for all your help making the arrangements.

Dr Thomas Davis, Methodist Hospital, Minnesota, United States

AfricanMecca Safaris created a remarkable honeymoon tailored to our interests and desires. The quality of service and delivery of experience was unsurpassed. I highly recommend AfricanMecca Safaris to honeymooners, families, or any traveler.

Noorin & Jason Nelson - Maryland, United States

Thanks again to you for arranging a wonderful trip for us. Everything was great from the fantastic wildlife, the scenery, the people, the accommodations and the food. The safari was everything we had hoped for.

Liz and Gunnar Kristiansen - Ontario, Canada

I booked my safari holiday through AfricanMecca. They were the most helpful company I have ever dealt with and I work within the travel industry. I had the most amazing time. The holiday went as clockwork with no hitches anywhere.

Shelley Roberts - Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom

We have returned from our African adventure and would like to thank you very much for your part in making this such a wonderful experience. We were lucky enough to time the Great Migration from the Serengeti, which was amazing.

Denise Paterson - Belmont, Australia

We had an absolutely amazing trip in Arusha, Serengeti and Gombe - everything went smooth as silk. Thank you so much Raza for making this trip, the trip of a lifetime. We had an absolutely brilliant time.

Tiffany Heitz & Lesley Smith - California, United States

East africa safari booking & tour holiday idea tanzania.

When visiting Tanzania, we recommend combining your safari to Serengeti , Ngorongoro Crater , Tarangire and Lake Manyara . You can also day trek or climb the highest mountain in Africa - Kilimanjaro . You may optionally extend out to Southern or Western parks like Nyerere (Selous) , Ruaha , Katavi or Mahale - Gombe ending with a beach vacation and Swahili cultural tour in the exotic spice island of Zanzibar , Pemba , Mafia or Fanjove .

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Photo by: Kathy Adams Clark Location: Tanzania

Photography tour, tanzania photo safari.

Sign up early - Limited singles available at listed rate

• Two evenings in Arusha providing everyone with a portion of the day to rest and photographic opportunities.
• Intensive game viewing at Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, and Tarangire National Parks.
• Only 4 or 5 participants per vehicle (7 passenger stretch Land Cruisers) and limited to 12 participants, to ensure the optimum photographic experience.
• Time to absorb and photograph the wonder of it all. Most safari operator’s rush from place to place, we take our time, watching and waiting for wildlife or just the right light.
• Lodging consists of luxury tented camps and lodges, chosen for your photographic opportunities, and migration.

Destination

May 16-30, 2024, per person, double occupancy*.

*U.S. dollars based upon minimum of 8 participants. There is a small group surcharge of $500 if 6-7 participants. We try to accommodate travelers who request single accommodations, as well as travelers who are looking for a roommate. If a single room is requested (subject to availability), or if we are unable to find a suitable roommate, there is a single room surcharge of $695.

Tour Overview

This is Africa as you’ve always imagined it to be: the magic of a Serengeti sunset, the teeming wildlife of Ngorongoro Crater. A safari to Tanzania is a special adventure into the premier game-viewing country of Africa. Tanzania’s great game parks and reserves are unsurpassed anywhere in the world. We’ll see all of the major plains animals, zebras, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, and other herbivores. There will be baboons and monkeys, herds of elephant and buffalo, and some of the most wonderful...

This is Africa as you’ve always imagined it to be: the magic of a Serengeti sunset, the teeming wildlife of Ngorongoro Crater. A safari to Tanzania is a special adventure into the premier game-viewing country of Africa. Tanzania’s great game parks and reserves are unsurpassed anywhere in the world. We’ll see all of the major plains animals, zebras, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, and other herbivores. There will be baboons and monkeys, herds of elephant and buffalo, and some of the most wonderful bird life you will ever see.

We have planned this safari during this period for a special reason — the Serengeti migration, the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. Our trip is timed to coincide with the annual migration of thousands of animals through the central & southern corridor, and with luck we will witness the herds as they travel across the region to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. This safari gives you an in-depth view of the natural history of East Africa, with a special emphasis on wildlife and birdlife photography. It also encompasses a private interactive visit to an amazing school and Maasai Choir.

• Game Drives for Photographers and Naturalists
• Early mornings and late afternoons, for the best wildlife photography and light. Long days in the field. Excellent driver-guides who are sensitive to the needs of photo groups.
• Only four or five participants per seven passengers stretch vehicle — a real luxury, but essential for photographers. We have instituted this policy to help lower our carbon footprint and for the past five years our participants have been in full support. (The safari vehicles we use are roomy 7 passenger “stretch” 4WD Land Rovers and Land Cruisers, chosen for their ruggedness and reliability.
• Kathy Adams Clark offers her photographic expertise and leadership.
• Accommodations will be modern, deluxe lodges that are in harmony with their environment and are constructed of local materials. You will also stay in a luxury tented camps, immersing you in the sights and sounds of Africa. Food at all locations is well prepared and delicious.
• Extensive readings and travel information will be supplied when you enroll.

Photo Leader

Kathy adams clark, photo gallery.

The trip was awesome. Much more than I had anticipated, every day was a unique experience. I couldn’t believe the huge amount of animals we saw, also how close they were to our landrovers. The lodges were great; but I especially enjoyed the tent camps.

— C. Sackett

Everything was so well done and organized. The abundance and variety of the wildlife was the hightlight

— J. Harland

More testimonials, tour itinerary, may 16-17: home-arusha tanzania.

It is necessary to connect with a Delta/KLM flight from Amsterdam to Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), landing the evening of May 17. On arrival, you will be met at the airport, assisted through customs, and the group will then be taken to the hotel. OVERNIGHT ARUSHA

You will need to obtain a travel visa to Tanzania, instructions for ordering online will be sent in your packet of pre-departure materials or electronically as the tour approaches.

May 18: Arusha

You have an extra evening today at your Arusha accommodations to get over jet lag before beginning your wildlife safari. Relax at the hotel this morning, after lunch your driver guides will take you to the lovely Arusha National Park on the outskirts of Arusha (if anyone need the entire day at rest, you can rejoin the group for dinner at the hotel). (all meals)

May 19-20: Tarangire National Park

Today drive to Tarangire National Park, with game drives along the way. The next day we will have a full day of game driving and bird sighting in Tarangire National Park. The park remains excellent for elephants, giraffe, and birds. Three thousand migratory elephants join the existing resident herds, attracted initially by the tall grasses growing after the short rain season. The park is one of the most scenic in Tanzania with huge baobab trees. OVERNIGHT TARANGIRE (all meals)

May 21-22: Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast depart for Ngorongoro Crater, one of the most famous wildlife viewing areas in the world. Drive directly to your accommodations, check in and have lunch. The lodge constructed of local materials is hidden within the forests of the rim of the crater. It offers a stunning view of the crater, with close proximity to the access road for the descent. You will then descend to the crater floor enjoying the rest of the day there. Flamingos inhabit an alkaline lake, the edge of the lake attracts an array of birds including kori bustard, yellow-billed stork, ostrich, and sacred ibis to name just a few.

The next day spend the entire day exploring the crater, leaving early in the morning, well before most tour vehicles depart. Descend from the rim, at about 7,600 feet in elevation, to the floor of the crater some 2,000 feet below. This 102-square-mile crater is the largest unflooded, unbroken caldera in the world. Within its perimeter are thousands of wildebeest, black rhino, cheetah, gazelle, giraffe, and a high density of lions, hyenas, and other predators. (Recommended reading: The Innocent Killers by Jane and Hugo Van Lawick-Goodall).

Enjoy a picnic lunch to maximize your time in the field and returning as late as possible in order to get the last golden rays of light. OVERNIGHT CRATER (all meals)

May 23: Southern Serengeti

Depart after an early breakfast, driving to the Serengeti. Spend the rest of the day exploring the southern Serengeti Plains on both sides of the NCA/Serengeti border. Off road game drives are allowed by the government in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which your driver guides will take advantage of. Cats remain in the territory and this is a good area especially for cheetah. Bird life around Lake Ndutu and the Ndutu woodlands and marshes should have a high yield. OVERNIGHT SOUTHERN SERENGETI (all meals)

May 24-26: Central Serengeti

After an early breakfast drive through the Gol Kopjes to Sametu Camp in the central Serengeti. At this time of year, the herd usually begins to prepare for the wildebeest rut of May and June. These are some of the most amazing herd sightings as the male and female herds come together for breeding but form massive numbers of harems as the males attempt to collect their breeding group but other males constantly challenge them for breeding rights. Our focus for these three days will be on savannah bird species, the large wildebeest herds, and the big cats.

The Serengeti is one of the most famous wildlife areas in the world. Animal herds follow the rains and feed on the new grass so what we will actually see depends upon the weather pattern. If past years are any indication, we have positioned ourselves to be in the right location at the right time. OVERNIGHT SERENGETI (all meals)

May 27-28: Crater Highlands

A leisurely drive out of the Serengeti takes you through the Crater Highlands to your lovely lodge on the escarpment of Lake Manyara. This property has been designed to encompass the beautiful views of the surrounding area and lake. Arrive in the late afternoon with time to enjoy the forest setting and opportunities to photograph on the property. The next day the group has the option to game drive to nearby Lake Manyara National Park or to remain at your lodge. OVERNIGHT KARATU (all meals)

May 29: Arusha

Enjoy your last morning on the beautiful grounds of your lodge. After having lunch, return to Arusha for shopping at the African Gallery. Continue directly to Kilimanjaro International Airport to check in for your flight home. (breakfast, lunch)

May 30: Amsterdam - Home

We arrive in Amsterdam this morning and have a short layover before connecting with the flight back home. (meals on plane)

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Photo by: kathy adams clark location: costa rica, february 13-23, 2024, costa rica new itinerary, november 7-16, 2024, costa rica in focus sponsored by houston audubon society, photo by: karen gordon schulman location: morocco, january 1-dec 31 2022, online learning from strabo photo tour leaders.

• Meet the Team
• Photographic Workshops
• Tailor Made Safaris
• South Africa
• Conservation

The beacon of the African safari experience, Tanzania’s parks and reserves are where some of the most iconic wildlife scenes unfold. From the great migration circulating the Serengeti to the verdant crater floors and great lakes of the Rift Valley, it produces some of the best photography opportunities continent-wide.

Our photographic safaris are focused on the illustrious northern circuit, home to the great migration, which has been documented repeatedly and is known as one of the greatest spectacles on Earth. While it can be incredibly overcrowded, we work with privately-run luxury lodges and concessions within this wildlife corridor to deliver all of nature’s drama to our guests without the throngs of onlookers.

TANZANIA top destinations

Tanzania’s most popularly visited destinations are in the north of the country where the Serengeti National Park, Grumeti corridor, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area host the enormous spectacle that is the great wildebeest migration. The Ngorongoro Crater itself is known for some of the greatest game viewing on Earth in an unusual and unique setting – a volcanic caldera! These are our top destinations in Tanzania.

ngorogoro crater

Premade safari packages, why book a premade safari package.

best of serengeti

From $8,500  / per person sharing

The vast open plains of the southern Serengeti offer insight into why Serengeti was so named, being derived from the Maasai word for the endless plains. Join us in one of the worlds most predator rich areas.

SKY-SAFARI TANZANIA

From $10,696 / per person sharing

Tanzania is a bowl you over country: big, bewitching and breath-taking at every turn.

This is a bucket list destination, especially in summer when the flowering devil's thorns transform the landscape into a yellow carpet, providing exquisite backgrounds in your photographs. This combined with an exceptional guide in Lance, makes this an unforgettable experience. Lance's photographic knowledge and guiding skills together with his friendly nature makes for an amazing experience. His assistance on the game drives ensures that you are able to take magnificent photographs yourself. His knowledge and tuition in post processing software (Lightroom and Photoshop) is exceptional, helping you to get the most from your photographs. Andries Theo

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Tanzania Photo Safaris

Experience incredible moments in nature and take them home on your camera

Who should go

Where to experience it, accommodations.

• Additional information

WIDE HORIZONS, MAGICAL COLOURS AND FASCINATING WILDLIFE CREATE THE PERFECT NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY DESTINATION

Tanzania’s diverse topography and wildlife combine to create a dream destination for photographers. Capture the low warm light that casts long shadows across the landscape and makes the wildlife’s eyes sparkle. Capture a story in a single photo as cheetahs stalk a gazelle in the short grass of the Serengeti plains and a lion mother returns home to her hungry cubs from a successful hunt. What do you need to make this happen? A private safari with an adapted 4×4 Land Cruiser and an experienced guide who knows how to get you to the right place, at the right time to compose the perfect shot. We got you covered!

Nature and landscape photographers wanting to tell stories with their photos

If you have a passion for photographing wildlife, cultures, landscapes, and even the night sky you will find everything you are looking for in Tanzania. However, there is much more here for photographers to enjoy. They say a picture can tell a thousand words and this is where the magic of photography comes alive – the quest to capture a single moment that depicts a whole story. This is what makes Tanzania special. The unique cultures, predator-prey interactions and dramatic landscapes combine to allow you to capture that perfect storytelling photo. Those wanting to wait for these perfect moments without worrying about other vehicle companions will appreciate our private vehicles and guides.

• Safari Lovers
• Photographers
• Nature Lovers

Just like me, our Guide Max has a passion for photography so it was a pleasure having him as a guide since he was very understanding and supportive when I wanted to stop or drive to a certain spot to take pictures.

TWO TIPS FOR WILDLIFE & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY IN TANZANIA

Composing beautiful photos is easier to achieve in some national parks than in others. That’s why, we have two tips on where to go and when for successful Tanzania photo safaris. Firstly, for wildlife photography, choose the Southern or Western Circuit during the dry season. Wildlife congregates near water sources making them easier to spot. Fewer visitors reduce the risk of human-cluttered photos. Secondly, for landscape photography, choose the Northern Circuit during or after the rainy seasons. The air is dust-free with beautiful cloud formations, emerging wildflowers, and green growth that contrasts beautifully with the blue expansive sky, mountains, volcanic craters, and acacia-dotted savannahs.

The dry season is the best time for wildlife photography, whilst landscape photography is at its best during or after the rains. For those hoping to photograph the night sky the cloudless dry season is the time for you. We recommend avoiding the most popular parks during the most popular travel time. Instead, travel to niche parks or during the low and shoulder season. You will have equally exciting wildlife sightings without humans and vehicles disturbing your perfect shot.

June until October Best time for wildlife and night-sky photography

Tanzania’s main dry season is from June to October. Depending on your location the temperatures range from 20°C (68°F) to 30°C (86°F). Humidity levels are low with minimal chance of rain. It can be very cold in the mornings and evenings when the light is at its best, so remember to pack warm clothes. The second dry season from January to February is wedged between two rainy seasons and the landscapes can be beautifully green.

Rainy Season

March until May Ideal for dramatic landscape photography

The long rains occur from March to May when heavy moist air is brought inland by the trade winds. Heavy daily rain with landscape-crossing thunderstorms creates dramatic contrasting light and colours. It is the low season and some areas on the Southern and Westerly Circuit may not be accessible. The short rains are less predictable and occur from November to December in short bursts. These are both great periods for landscape photography.

YOUR ONE IN A MILLION PICTURE

On private Tanzania photo safaris, you get to pick what to photograph, when, where and if you want to wait all day for that perfect moment, then that is up to you. We help you to plan every little detail and provide you with an adapted 4×4 and guides who know how to get you into the right place at the right time.

Pure Remoteness

Places Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Karatu, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park

from 3.670 USD (based on 7 persons)

The Northern Circuit

Places Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater

from 2.200 USD (based on 7 persons)

Best of Tanzania and Kenya

Places Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Lake Victoria, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Amboseli National Park

from 5.590 USD per person sharing

SLEEP WHERE THE WILDLIFE SLEEPS

We suggest staying inside the national parks in accommodation in direct proximity to wildlife. This means, on early morning game drives, you do not have very far to go and can start capturing the sunrise magic right away. And in the evening, you can take advantage of the last light. Some select camps even have a photography hide. Our Mobile Explorer Camp , with all home comforts, is one of the best ways to access remote places to take wildlife photography. You stay on private campsites inside the national parks – dusk to dawn and even nighttime photography!

Sanctuary Swala Camp

Mobile Explorer Camp

Tarangire Treetops

Highlights of a photo safari in tanzania, what to expect on tanzania photography safaris.

The best photography safari in Tanzania is a private experience in an adapted 4×4. Get the most out of your safari by choosing a set of photography goals and travelling with our experienced guides who know how to get you to the right places to realise your photographic bucket list.

Take time to capture small moments in nature.

Our Mobile Explorer Camp is the ideal camp for photographers.

Together with our experienced guides you will get to the right place at the right time.

If you stay inside the national parks you can make the most of the last light.

What to see on photo safaris in Tanzania

Here are some themes to consider on your photo safari in Tanzania:

Landscape photography

Tanzania is home to extraordinarily beautiful landscapes. The red Lake Natron and the looming volcano of Ol Doinyo Lengai offer extraordinary landscape photography. As does Ngorongoro Crater with the world’s largest intact caldera; Mkomazi National Park has incredible views of Mount Kilimanjaro; Ruaha National Park is home to ginormous mystical baobab trees; Kilimanjaro National Park has five distinct vegetative zones and Saadani National Park is where the savannah meets the beach.

Wildlife Photography

You can achieve exceptional wildlife photography, with fewer visitors in the Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park & Selous Game Reserve on the Southern Circuit. They form a huge ecosystem where vast numbers of wildlife reside, including the Big Five. At Gombe Stream National Park you can get close to chimpanzees and other primates.

Bird Photography

Tarangire National Park offers exceptional dry-season bird photography as does Mahale Mountains National Park on the white beaches of Lake Tanganyika.

Urban Photography

Tanzania has a complex history due to the trade of enslaved people, ivory, and spices. In Zanzibar’s Stone Town, you can see remnants of this history everywhere. The warm light cast on unique Islam-influenced stone buildings contrasts with the deep colours of Zanzibaris’ clothing to create exceptional urban photography.

Equipment and facilities for photography safaris in Tanzania

On a private guided photography safari, the right vehicle is vital. Ours have roof hatches that allow you to stand through the roof. With nothing to obstruct your view you never miss a moment – like a cheetah during a hunt. All of our vehicles have USB ports to charge spare batteries.

Our guides have years of experience and know exactly how to get into the right place, at the right time. As they know the parks intimately, they can help you to locate the animals on your bucket list.

A safari is notoriously dusty. We recommend bringing multiple camera bodies to avoid changing lenses and using dry bags to keep dust out of sensitive equipment.

How to plan a photography safari

Capturing extraordinary wildlife photography is at its best at ground level, but for obvious reasons, this is not a safe option. However, it can be possible by choosing:

• Accommodations with photography hides. Situated near waterholes and rivers, eye-level wildlife photography can be achieved when animals arrive to quench their thirst.
• A guided walking safari is when ground-level photography can be at its best. Notice little details, such as a dung beetle rolling a ball of dung in the foreground, whilst zebras stand blurred in the background.
• A guided boat safari for exciting river wildlife photography. Nyerere National Park is the best place to do this. At Saadani National Park, during a boat safari, you can capture how the beach transitions to mangroves and then wide-open plains.

Other top tips include choosing:

• Times when natural phenomena occur, like the wildebeest migration from June to October or the wildebeest calving season from January to February. Both take place in the Serengeti National Park . Or witness ~5 million flamingos on Lake Natron from September to May. Or see hundreds of hippos crammed into muddy pools whilst countless crocodiles reside in river caves during the dry season at Katavi National Park . Or experience a mini wildebeest migration with huge herds of elephants as an added bonus at Tarangire National Park .
• Places of great character , like Udzungwa Mountain National Park, accessed only on foot offer exceptional forest photography with sweeping views and cascading waterfalls. Or Arusha National Park where from a canoe on Lake Momella you can photograph hippos with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background.
• Incredible parks, champions of conservation, such as Mkomazi National Park where the Wild Dog and Black Rhino were reintroduced.
• The shoulder seasons between the high and low seasons to experience fewer visitors in the parks.

Large windows, popup roof and USB ports to keep you going.

Depending on the season, vegetation changes the parks dramatically.

Tanzania is an excellent destination for bird photography.

Experience Tanzania with us

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Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Safari

• Wild Ruaha Photo Safari
• Zambia Forest Secrets
• Botswana & South Africa Predator Workshop
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• Why book your safari with Greg
• What to pack for safari

Guest Testimonials

• Guest Speaking
• Selected press
• Conservation and Charity
• Documentary

A combined Ngorongoro Crater photo safari and a Serengeti photo safari: There is quite simply no place more beautiful anywhere in Africa than the Ngorongoro Crater, it is one of those places that you just have to see at least once in your lifetime. Scroll down to see a portfolio from this Tanzania photo safari. This is a small group photography tour with only two photographers per safari truck .

The Serengeti has been voted ‘Africa’s top safari park’ and this safari ALSO takes you to the most special, beautiful and remote corner of the park.

Scroll down to see a portfolio from this Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti and watch this fun YouTube video  now.

The Best Tanzania Photo Safari Experience

Introduction from your host:

Ngorongoro Crater photo safari leg: It has been dubbed the ‘ 8th natural wonder of the world’  and there is quite simply no place like it on earth. The Ngorongoro Crater is a  UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the undisputed Eden of Africa. I have visited the crater extensively for the last decade on my Tanzania photo safaris, searching for a way to unlock its photographic potential.  I now share this incredible photographic destination with you on this small group photography tour so that you can also get awesome and unique photographs on this Ngorongoro Crater photo safari.

The Ngorongoro Crater is Africa’s own version of Jurassic Park. Surrounded by 360 degree and 600m (1,968ft) high walls, it is the largest intact and unfilled caldera in the world. At the bottom you find Africa’s most incredible ecosystem where some of the largest elephant bulls roam plus big cats and black rhinoceroses, not to mention an absolute smorgasbord of plains game and birds. It is an ancient timeless place of wonder and is of unspeakable beauty. This is a bucket list item and something everyone who loves Africa just has to see. It is also one of the finest and most unique photographic destinations, one mostly overlooked by photographers when considering a Tanzania photo safari.

This Ngorongoro Crater photo safari leg   is specifically designed with wildlife photographers in mind. Moody skies, incredible backgrounds and dramatic light are the order of the day. This Tanzania photo safari is timed for when there is almost no one else in the Ngorongoro Crater, so you will have the place largely to yourself. If you are a photographer who enjoys playing with light and lines, and if you enjoy composing your shot and capturing frames that show an animal in its environment then don’t miss this Ngrongoro Crater photo safari.

This is a great small group photo safari to see predators in action as the crater is jam-packed with predators and prey alike. The chance of seeing predator action is therefore high due to the confined space that the predators and prey live in. Expansive views and green plains await on this Tanzania photography tour.

Serengeti photo safari leg: The 2nd leg of this small group photography tour dovetails beautifully with the Ngorongoro Crater in that you visit a very special part of the Serengeti and where again there is hardly anyone else. Lions on granite outcrops, known as ‘ koppies ‘, stare out at expansive views that continue forever. The word ‘ siringet ‘ means ‘vast’ in the language of the Maasai and the Serengeti really needs no introduction. I have been photographing in the Serengeti for the last 20 years extensively and trust me when I tell you that I have found the ultimate corner of this exceptional park. If you want to experience real, wild and expansive Africa then look no further than this Serengeti photo safari.

The accommodation on this Tanzania photo safari is simply incredible and luxurious. What could get better than a camp perched right on the very edge of the Ngorongoro Crater? Or what could be better than staying in a very remote luxurious camp on the great plains of the Serengeti – all set about with giant umbrella Acacia trees?

This is the best Tanzania photo safari you can do and one that avoids the tourist bottleneck that takes place every year in February. Keep reading for the full itinerary details of your Tanzania photography tour.

‘Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Safari’ details

This is a 7 night (8 day) Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Photo Safari and space for only 4 photographers .

• Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti
• 17 - 24 May 2025
• SPACE FOR ONLY 4
• * NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
• * This tour can also be booked as a private safari .
• * Cost based on 4 participating photographers in two safari trucks.
• * Dates are provisional.
• * Cost based on estimated 2025 rates.
• Complete the booking enquiry form

Cost will include all accommodation in two perfectly positioned luxurious camps; pre-tour overnight accommodation in Arusha in a small intimate boutique lodge outside of town; meals; laundry; house drinks; park and conservation fees; internal flights; meet and greet service with transfers; an additional luggage allowance; private safari drives with exclusive vehicle use; photographic tuition and the guiding services of professional African wildlife photographer Greg du Toit .

Not included in the cost are visas; purchases of a personal nature; staff gratuities; personal travel and medical insurance (Global Rescue Medical Evacuation Insurance is included); your international flights and adhoc activities not included on the itinerary.

30% deposit confirms your booking on this small group photography tour. Please note: the above cost applies only when 4 photographers are booked. If there are more or less photographers joining the safari, the cost will be adjusted accordingly.

The Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Safari Itinerary

• Day 3 & 4
• Day 5, 6, 7

After being met at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the start of your Tanzania photo safari, you will be transferred by road (approximately 90 minutes) to a delightful luxurious boutique lodge on the outskirts of Arusha town. Friendly staff, a large luxurious room with WiFi and excellent cuisine will help you settle into Africa.

*For those of you wanting to come in a day or two early to relax and recover from jet lag, this lodge is the perfect place to do it. We can arrange a day trip for you to visit Arusha National Park which is a most beautiful park and excellent for primates (including colobus monkey) and general game like giraffe and buffalo.

We meet at breakfast for our exciting drive up to the lip of the Ngorongoro Crater. With no internal flight to worry about on this Tanzania photography tour, you can bring all your equipment! A 500mm focal length, or similar, is perfect for the crater but also bring your wide-angles. This is no ordinary Tanzania photo safari, you are going to get unique and inspirational shots that will make even seasoned professional wildlife photographers blush, so pack it all. It’s not just about location on this Ngorongor Crater photo safari but also about timing. You will be visiting the crater at a time of year when few others do and when the weather is moody and the light spectacular. This is a small group photography tour that will yield photographs different to anything you have captured before. Can you imagine having the Ngorongoro Crater almost all to yourself? The crater’s floor is a photographer’s playground and this is the only photo safari designed around making the Ngorongoro Crater a destination in its own right. Most Tanzania photography tours only offer the crater as a stopover point – and this is a tragedy.

You will drive across the Great Rift Valley and up into the beautiful Ngorongoro Highlands. This incredibly scenic drive will take you to the very edge of the crater before circumnavigating the rim to your luxurious lodgings where you will enjoy what is quite possibly the finest ‘ Out of Africa ‘ view in all of Africa. The drive from Arusha to the crater will take about 4 hours.

Your home for the next three nights is super comfortable but more importantly it gives good and quick access into the crater. After a scrumptious dinner, you turn in for a well-deserved night’s rest. Sleeping right on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater you might have a buffalo walk past in the night. The selected lodges on this safari are luxurious, making this an ideal safari for non-photographing partners to join. The high altitude chill on your Ngorongoro Crater photo safari is kept at bay with a log fire in your room.

Sweet dreams or ‘Lala Salama’ as we say in Swahili!

Your day begins in the best possible way as you are woken with a steaming cup of coffee or tea brought to you in bed. We depart camp each morning at 06h00, in the dark. We will wind our way along the rim and then down the decent road and to the crater floor where we will capture sublimely moody and mysterious images. With our lodge having been carefully selected on this Ngorongoro Crater photo safari to allow us quick access into the crater, we will be down at the bottom for sunrise.

For successful wildlife photography one needs not only great subjects but also great angles and backgrounds. There is no off-road driving allowed in the crater which means that we are not, like on so many other safaris, parked on top of our subjects. This means that our angles are superior and that we can compose our subjects within our frames. But wait, there is more: not only do we have better angles and room for composition but we have perfect backgrounds throughout the day. The steep crater walls offer magnificent green and blue hued backgrounds that eliminate the usual dynamic range issues, and which allow you to create breathtakingly beautiful fine art imagery.

But wait, there is still more: the word photography is Greek in origin, meaning to paint with light. It really is all about light and as the saying goes ‘amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money and masters worry about light’. The high altitude on this Ngorongoro photo safari combined with the time of year that you will be in the crater, means that there will be swirling mists, thundershowers and moody skies throughout the day. This means that photography on this Ngorongoro photo safari is not restricted to just the golden hours. As such we will stay out all day every day, photographing throughout the day and capturing mood filled images with gorgeous diffused light. The thundershowers bounce around the crater offering incredible vistas and rainbows, making this the ultimate outdoor studio for any wildlife photographer.

We will break for breakfast and lunch on the crater floor and the picnic site is also one of the best locations in the crater for photography where you will be able to get inflight shots of the extremely elegant Grey Crowned Cranes. Zebras come down to drink in close proximity of our picnic spot too.

For 2 full days you will photograph the Ngorongoro Crater, filled with all its incredible creatures and vistas. The crater offers forests, flower-dotted-plains and green rolling hills. It is God’s garden and it offers the best chance of photographing large elephant bull tuskers and  free-ranging black rhino. For those of you who love all of Africa’s creatures, the general game on the crater floor is excellent with warthogs and large herds of zebra being the order of the day. There are resident lion prides, often with cubs, and loads of smaller interesting creatures too, like golden jackals, mongooses and caracals. For those of you who enjoy birds, the crater offers incredible birdlife with water birds, eagles and a plethora of others. See a gallery of Ngorongoro Crater pictures further down this page.

With full memory cards, you will depart the crater each evening at 6pm, which is the latest that we can stay as there is a strict ‘gate closing time’ for all visitors. The scenic drive back up the wall and along the rim to your camp will leave you spellbound at Africa’s exceptional beauty and the incredible bounty of wildlife that you will have experienced each day.

Back in camp, a delicious gourmet dinner awaits, after which you turn in exhausted from the creative energy expelled during the 12 hours of solid photography. You will wake only to do it all again the following day! 2 full days in the crater is a total of 24 hours of safari driving and photography. The crater is only 19km (or 12 miles) in diameter, so after 2 full days, you will have captured its bounty and driven every road but because of the light, angle, mood and subject material, in just 2 days you will build an incredible photographic portfolio. Where else can you be guaranteed a photographic portfolio in just 2 days?

This is the only and first Tanzania photo safari to make the crater a real focus (as opposed to just blowing through on route to the Serengeti) and it’s the first specialised small group photography tour to visit the crater in the off-peak season. This means that it will yield photo results that are totally unique and different.

* Whether you are a seasoned photographer or just starting out, this Ngorongoro Crater photo safari will elevate your imagery and portfolio to a whole new level.

You enjoy a breathtakingly beautiful and scenic drive down the crater highlands and onto the vast and endless plains of what has been voted Africa’s top safari park. The Serengeti really needs no introduction and for this one-of-a-kind safari I have selected one of the remotest safari camps in the park, one that is located in the most scenic part of the Serengeti. Your camp is located right away from the usual photo tourist traps and in a part of the Serengeti that is so beautiful that it defies description. Umbrella-shaped Acacia trees, rocky outcrops, hidden valleys and 360 degree views of endless plains are the order of the day on this special Serengeti photo safari.

You will enjoy 6 awesome safari drives in this very splendid corner of the Serengeti. With one of the highest concentrations of predators in all of Africa, the plains offer up exhilarating wildlife photography. With beautiful ‘ koppies ‘ dotted around this pocket of the Serengeti, the theme and mood of the photography that you did on the Ngorongoro Crater leg will continue. Your photographs will speak of a timeless and expansive Africa, and nothing will say this more than a large male lion sitting on top of a rocky ‘ koppie ‘ with the wind blowing through his mane and surrounded by the ample grass plains. The Serengeti is one of Africa’s wildlife meccas and it is the ultimate home to both cheetah and lions. Your memory cards will fill up fast on this Serengeti photo safari.

*Our camp in the Serengeti was initially chosen for its superb location but recently it was completely rebuilt and lucky for you, it is now the a luxurious lodge located within the Serengeti National Park. Your room is large and spacious, with plenty of space to download and edit, and to recharge your cameras. 

This is the official end of the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti safari. A last safari drive into the heart of the park will see you taking a short 40 minute flight back to Arusha for your onward travel home. A day room can be booked for you upon request. If there is time, we will enjoy one last meal together at a restaurant in a leafy suburb of Arusha.

If you not ready to say goodbye to the Serengeti you can continue to the opposite side of the Serengeti for 3 nights where the great migration is in full rut. This will then undoubtedly be the ‘best Serengeti photo safari’ you can do.

This is the end of the scheduled ‘Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Safari’, but booking an extension will ensure you capture even more on safari in Africa. Try the Ruaha National Park, known as the ‘ connoisseurs park ‘ if you into baobabs and walking in wild bush country, more details on this safari extension at the end of this page.

See the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti safari portfolio below and click on any image to enlarge.

Special note on packing for this unique safari:

Weather: Due to the high altitude of the Ngorongoro Crater photo safari leg, we will experience some cold and wet conditions so please bring warm clothes like trousers, fleeces, jacket and a beanie. Gloves are not needed unless you are sensitive to the cold. A good waterproof outer shell (gortex or equivalent) is recommended. Layered clothing is the way to go as of course we will have beautiful weather too. Please bring a raincoat for your camera so that you can stick it out and shoot like a pro on your Tananzia photo safari. See here for a simple and effective raincoat that is light and easy to pack.

Camera support: I suggest that you bring a monopod with a good ball or gimbal head if you have a heavy lens. Tripods are optional but not needed. See my African wildlife photography safari FAQ for more on equipment.

Your photographic possibilities on this small group photography tour

Why the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Signature Safari is the safari for you…

– This is a small group photography tour to ensure you will receive expert tuition that larger group safaris cannot offer.

– With two safari trucks and just 4 photographers on this safari, you will have ample space for your gear and to shoot out.

– You will receive help, guidance and advice on your camera settings whilst on safari drive on this Tanzania photography tour.

– This Tanzania photo safari has been timed so that the tourist masses are absent. There will only be a few other cars in the crater and in the Serengeti, which means you have two of Africa’s most famous icons largely to yourself.

– The crater has been dubbed the 8th natural wonder of the world and the Serengeti has been dubbed ‘Africa’s top safari park’. This is a Tanzania photography tour that offers breathtaking views and vistas that will quite literally leave you speechless.

– If you are a photographer who enjoys playing with light and lines, and if you like photographs filled with mystery and mood, then this is the Tanzania photo safari for you! The light is dramatic and so are the backgrounds.

– If you enjoy capturing your subject in its environment then this is definitely the Tanzania photography tour for you! (Relook at your photographic possibilities above)

– There are also few better places on a Tanzania photo safari to see predators in action than at the bottom of the Ngorongoro Crater. The steep crater walls keep both predators and prey in close proximity to each other.

– The crater floor is home to some of the biggest elephant ‘ tuskers ‘ left in Africa. These magnificent beasts roam the floor in peace and quiet as the crater walls guard them from poachers. Because this is a small group photography tour, you will spend as long as you like with these giants and photograph to your heart’s content.

– The crater floor is the best place in all of Africa to get photographs of endangered free-ranging black rhinoceros, making this the ultimate Tanzania photography tour.

– Professional African wildlife photographer  Greg du Toit will host you every step of the way on this safari. Not only has he placed in the  Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition with an image taken on a Serengeti photo safari but he has spent the last decade exploring and discovering a way to unlock the crater’s secrets. He is ready to share these secrets with you now on this one-of-a-kind small group photography tour.

– This Tanzania photography tour offers you a complete and well-rounded portfolio of images that will make even the best professional photographers turn bright green in envy.

– Because the Ngorongoro Crater is Africa’s Eden , filled with incredible wildlife, and because of the crater walls form a pleasing 360 degree backdrop, this small group photography tour will see you building and growing your portfolio more than any other wildlife photo safari in Africa.

– Photographers of all levels are welcome and you will receive expert tuition based on your level of experience on this small group photography tour.

– Potential predators on offer on this Tanzania photo safari include cheetah, lion, leopard, golden jackals, bat-eared foxes, caracal, serval, hyena plus many smaller creatures like mongooses.

– When photographing predator action, one needs to really know and to be familiar with your camera. Greg has published a book titled  ‘Getting It Right In Camera’ and he will be at hand to help you.

– Not only does this Serengeti photo safari take place in the low tourist season but this leg of the safari plays out in the most beautiful part of the Serengeti with rocky ‘ koppies ‘ and vast plains, allowing you to capture unique photographs depicting one of Africa’s greatest parks.

– The amount of general plains game like zebra, gazelles, elephant, buffalo, hippo, warthog, eland, kongoni, baboons, monkey, birds (the list goes on and on) are in such abundance on this small group photography tour that you will experience and photograph one of the true wildlife meccas of Africa.

– For those of you who enjoy walking, exploring true wilderness and taking galaxy and star trail shots with baobabs, there is an extension to this safari in Ruaha National Park.

– Or if you would like to extend your Serengeti photo safari, we can transfer to the other end of the park and continue photographing the great migration in rut.

– Both lodges chosen for this small group photography tour have been chosen for their excellent location and proximity to meet your photographic objectives. Both are luxurious safari destinations making this an excellent safari to bring your partner on.

– The last point as to why this is the small group photography tour is for you, is simply because it will not only elevate your photographic portfolio to new heights, but it will make you fall in love with Africa all over again. If you are only going to ever do one photo safari to Africa then do this one because it shows you Africa’s most beautiful wildlife filled vistas, and far away from the tourist hordes.

* Still got questions? See the FAQ I wrote about African photographic safaris .

Ruaha Extension

For those of you wanting to lengthen your trip, we offer a very exciting extension to this Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti photo safari. This extension is booked on a per request basis only. For exact details and a separate costing, please enquire when booking the main tour.

Ruaha National Park is known as the ‘ connoisseurs park ‘ and for good reason: Ruaha offers pure unadulterated wild bush country. You will enjoy a safari experience in a part of Ruaha that few people ever get to see. A walking safari is what this extension is all about. Ruaha is regarded as one of Africa’s wildest bush parks and it therefore makes sense to visit it in May which is also the low tourist season.

Ruaha has exceptional baobab trees, perfect for star trails. For this extension we have special permission to walk in Ruaha during the green season. This is as wild and as real as Africa gets. This extension is aimed at those who enjoy walking, landscapes and a sense of wild adventure as opposed to a more conventional big game photographic experience. This Ruaha extension is booked on a private request basis only, so please enquire to receive a costing and bespoke itinerary. I was privileged enough to complete a portfolio for Africa Geographic magazine titled ‘ Beneath the Radar ‘. It was a 22 month project based in Ruaha and I cannot wait to show you this park.

Jane Leland (USA)

Punam anand kumar (india), gavin erasmus (hong kong), follow greg,    .

[email protected] | +230 452 3731

Tanzania Photo Tours

Tanzania is a classic african safari and culture destination that provides the ultimate african photo tour..

Nowhere else on the planet does there exist such an incredible volume and diversity of large mammals. The country also supports over one thousand bird species, many of which are large, bright and colourful. Add rich Maasai, Datooga and Hadza cultures and breath-taking scenery into the mix, Tanzania must surely rank as one of, if not THE best destinations for wildlife photography on earth!  The mere mention of the names “Ngorongoro” and “Serengeti” is sure to quicken the pulse of seasoned wildlife photographers and novices alike!

In order to optimize photographic opportunities, we use only comfortable safari vehicles. Depending on where our safari takes places and which camp we use, the vehicles are decked with specially designed pop-up roof hatches such as at the Ngorongoro Crater, and open safari vehicles with removable canvas roof and sides for unobstructed wildlife viewing in the Serengeti. During our Tanzanian group photography tours, we cater for a maximum capacity of six participants which allows each participant to enjoy specialised tutoring from their ORYX Photo Tour Leader and an unparalleled Tanzania photographic experience.

For our private and individual travellers we tailor make each tour depending on your comfort level (Tanzania hosts some incredible game and safari lodges), length of stay and your photographic targets and subjects.

• Classic - Culture
• Classic - Wildlife
• Signature - Wildlife

Tanzania – Wildebeest Calving & Predator Photo Safari II 2026 US$17,848 Single supplement: No Single Supplement fee.

Tanzania – Wildebeest Calving & Predator Photo Safari I 2026 US$17,848 Single supplement: No Single Supplement fee.

Tanzania – Migration Photo Safari I 2026 US$12,595 Single supplement: US$2915

Tanzania – Migration Photo Safari II 2026 US$12,595 Single supplement: US$2915

Tanzania – Southern Serengeti Culture & Wildlife Photo Tour 2024 Price: Price on Request Single supplement: Price on Request

Tanzania – southern serengeti culture & wildlife photo tour 2025 price: price on request single supplement: price on request.

Tanzania – Wildebeest Calving & Predator Photo Safari I 2025 US$16,225 Single supplement: No Single Supplement fee.

Tanzania – Migration Photo Safari I 2025 US$11,450 Single supplement: US$2,650

Tanzania – Migration Photo Safari II 2025 US$11,450 Single supplement: US$2,650

Tanzania photography tour gallery.

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Ken Kaminesky Travel Photography Blog

Taking over the world… One photo at a time

Tanzania Photo Safari – The Trip of a Lifetime

March 20, 2018 by Ken Kaminesky 19 Comments

Since I began the travel photography work I’m now doing, I’ve had the good fortune of visiting some incredibly beautiful places. Yet, the more I travel, the longer my travel bucket list becomes. Truth be told, before this month-long trip to Tanzania that I took last year on a scouting trip for discovery photo tours, I was a relatively inexperienced Africa traveler with only one previous visit to the beautiful continent.

Young leopard in Serengeti National Park

A whole new world

This trip changed all that and opened my eyes up to a whole new world, and opened my heart up to this magical place in ways I still am having a difficult time expressing in words. Thank goodness for cameras then; they are the tools that allow me to share this magic with you in the best way possible, other than visiting Tanzania for yourself, camera in hand.

Nothing could have prepared me for the journey that was lying ahead of me last summer. While I had always been a big fan of nature documentaries on television as a child ranging from National Geographic specials to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and later on in life, documentaries such as the BBC’s Planet Earth, seeing the African wildlife right in front of your own eyes is something that has to be experienced in order to understand the intensity of the impact on your soul.

Herd of zebra at sunset in Serengeti National Park

Wide-eyed fascination

I had been on game drives in Namibia and as my first experience with African wildlife in its natural habitat, it was fun and exciting for sure. However, the Tanzania Safari experience completely blew my mind. As I look back and remember the looks on everyone’s faces as they gazed for the first time upon elephants, lions, wildebeest, antelopes, zebra, leopards, hyenas, rhinoceros, giraffes, hippopotamus, cheetahs, dozens upon dozens of kinds of birds, and so many more incredible animals, it brings a smile to my face as we all felt like children with that wide-eyed fascinated look in our eyes, a giddy smirk on our faces, and an elevated heart rate that could only signify one thing… joy, pure joy.

One happy giraffe in Terengire National Park

From the very first day on safari in Tanzania where we visited Tarangire National Park, our small group of adventurers were thrust right into the action and bombarded with a wildlife show that just kept getting better as the day went on. In particular, there was a waterhole where the wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, elephants, and countless birds came to drink. There were even a few monkeys that darted in and out of the area as if just to add comic relief. We could have stayed the whole day just at this one spot but there were lions and leopards that needed our attention.  Oh yeah, we photographed those awesome big cats that day too. Day one was good but it got better.

Lone elephant roaming the plains of the Serengeti

Tears and heartbreak

This place will move you, sometimes to tears, literally. When I saw just how majestic the lions, leopards, and elephants are and think back to reading about how they are often hunted for trophies by so-called big game hunters, it makes me angry beyond belief and saddened to tears. I just can’t conceive of how someone could have such a dark heart and want to end the life of a beautiful animal for no other reason than to hang its head on a wall. Just days before we began the first of two safaris, I read about how the son of Cecil the lion ( who had been poached by an American dentist by tracking his radio collar ) had also been killed by poachers.

The Dik-Dik is the smallest of all the antelope in Tanzania

This kind of news just breaks my heart and makes me wonder when the madness will stop. It also makes me think that we may just be one of the very last generations to actually be able to witness these magnificent beasts in their natural habitat. I feel blessed to be able to experience these moments when the animals are right in front of me or at least viewable with a long lens and I want to know that others too will have this privilege long after I’m no longer around. This is just one of the reasons that the time is now to visit Africa and see the animals and in particular the great migration that is constantly unfolding in Tanzania.

Male lions seeking shelter from the sun

The three kings of Africa

As we came upon the three lions that were basking in the afternoon sun like the three kings that they truly are, my thoughts turned to Cecil and his son Xanda. While we had seen other lions by this point, none had looked so regal, so stoic, so dignified as these three. As if on cue, a mild wind started to blow, just enough to be able to add some motion in their manes and I quickly dropped my camera with the long lens (my trusty Fujifilm X-T2 and 100-400mm lens) and picked up my camera with the wide/normal lens (Fujifilm  X-Pro2 and 16-55mm lens). The tree was the perfect setting for the shot of the three brothers doing what cats do best… relaxing! While they were asleep or just lounging while lying down, for one brief moment they raised their majestic heads in unison and I was ready to nail the shot. Even as I write this, a smile is creeping across my face as the memory of that moment dances in my head.

It’s moments like this that make me love photography as much as I do.

The rainbow-colored Lilac-breasted roller

And now… in Technicolor!

Just to be clear… all of the animals in Africa are not black and white, there really are some serious colors on some of these gorgeous creatures. Seriously though, as anyone who knows my work, they know that I rarely delve into the black and white world but for so much of the work I did in Tanzania, I found that the photos had more impact with a light sepia-toned black and white treatment. There were some images though that begged for color, such as these rainbow tinted birds and lizards. Also, the lemur that I shot, I mean photographed (gotta be clear here!) in Zanzibar at an animal rescue center that we visit just looked awesome in full color so here he (or she) is in all his or her full-color glory.

King Julian? No… a rescued lemur from Madagascar at an animal rescue center in Zanzibar

Color or black and white, this epic journey throughout Tanzania’s national parks and the exotic island of Zanzibar is a photographer’s dream come true. I can’t remember another trip that affected me in such a visceral way in the last several years. On the photographic level, it was incredible but I’ll be honest, even without a camera, this is an experience that I would most certainly recommend for anyone who enjoys travel, animals, broadening their horizons, and having a momentous life experience that they will never forget. While I’ve been back from this journey for many months already and have visited many other countries since leading the photo safari in Tanzania and yet my heart remains in Africa.

A rainbow agama lizard soaking up the sun

Camera or no camera, black and white or color, it matters not. What does matter is what I promise you that you’ll get from just such a journey… a bigger heart, a deeper soul, and memories that will last a lifetime. One of my biggest joys in running these types of photography tours is getting the opportunity to spend time with new friends and see the looks on their faces when they get their first glimpse of a lion, elephant, giraffe, cheetah, or any of the other wild, free, and spectacular animals. It may sound corny but this is the kind of thing that releases your inner child and speaking only for me, I need that in my life. These moments when something so special is happening right before you need to be appreciated and cherished. We, silly humans, tend to dwell on the negatives in life far more than all the glorious things that happen to us or happen right in front of us and this trip… well, if it doesn’t make you let go of all the worries and weight in your life, if even for a few days, then possibly nothing will.

Masai warrior at a traditional Masai village

Traditions and culture

If you’re looking for more than just the animals on an African safari trip, you’re in luck. All that is possible in Tanzania. For our purposes at Discovery Photo Tours , we concentrate on the wildlife as the superstars on the safari but I also love that we take the opportunity to stop at a Masai village for an afternoon of culture and photography. This is an eye-opening day for most westerners who are used to having high-speed internet, a nice car, and take things like electricity for granted. There are still many places in the world that have none of these modern day “necessities” and yet they still are able to function quite well and have families, work hard, and follow their traditions.

Young Masai man undergoing the Emorata ceremony

I like the spontaneity of traveling in Tanzania with our small groups in the rugged Land Cruiser vehicles we use to get around. On the first day of the first safari I ran last year we ran into these young Masai men who were all wearing black and had their faces painted with elaborate white paint.

They were undergoing the coming of age “Emorata” (circumcision) ceremony where young men aged from 13 to 25 undergo a two-month tradition where they have to give away everything they own before shaving their heads and painting their faces with white chalk. The young men then don their traditional black garb sometimes with black ostrich headdresses. The ceremony consists of the men going to live on their own outside the village for three to four months before they end the tradition by having the village elders circumcise them.

The circumcision is performed without any form of anaesthetic or painkillers and any sign of pain from the young men during this process is considered dishonorable. After the circumcision, the men are considered to be warriors.

Cheetah on the prowl

African adventure

On this adventure, we had the opportunity to witness so many different special moments. Lions nursing their cubs, being surrounded by countless grazing giraffes of all ages, leopards devouring an antelope kill, the mating dance of ostriches, thousands of zebras congregating on the plains, cheetahs teaching their young to hunt, elephants of all sizes, vultures both at rest and during a feeding frenzy, wildebeest at the Mara river crossing and on one particular day the whole landscape in front of us was filled in every direction with tens of thousands of these creatures on their great migration.

Vultures… doing vulture stuff

What made the trip even more special was the quality of our local guides. These gentlemen are well educated about the terrain, geology, and wildlife in Tanzania. They also have a nose for finding some very special moments and are in constant contact with other guides who relay messages about exciting wildlife finds. They have eagle eyes and can spot not just subtle movement in the distance but more often than not, know exactly what kind of animal it is and how best to respectfully approach them.

Wherever I run my tours, whether it be Italy, Jordan, Japan, Iceland, or here in Tanzania, I spend a lot of effort in finding the best people on the ground to work with. This is important to me and in turn provides all of my guests with the best possible experience not just in terms of photography moments but also in terms of where we stay (in this case incredibly opulent and luxurious lodges, camps, and resorts) the food we eat, and the understanding of the places we visit as explained to us by our exceptional guides.

This one is for Eleanor… Baboons!

Getting the shot

Having run back to back safaris last year I can honestly say that no two days were even remotely the same. You just can’t predict wildlife behavior and thank goodness for that. There certainly is something to be said for spontaneity and the magic that happens when we allow things to unfold in front of us just how the universe intended it to happen.

Several moments that I witnessed last year will stay with me forever, many of which I was able to photograph such as the photos you see in this article, several of which were not captured with a camera and that’s by choice. I firmly believe that it is healthy to put the camera down sometimes and let the intensity of trying to capture an event or moment fade away as you simply become an observer. Breathe, I’ll tell myself, just stop and absorb what is happening, it is food for the soul. As photographers, we can easily become overloaded with trying to capture the perfect moment with our cameras (and I’m surely guilty of this myself) but I think it is vital as a traveler to take the time to savor a moment in time and build a memory. Let your photos become the triggers for these moments so that weeks, months, and years later, you can look back on these special times that you shared with wonderful people with a smile on your face and a gleam in your eye.

Wildebeest stampede on the great migration

One of these moments, in particular, was when we witnessed the tens of thousands of wildebeest on our game drive from Northern Serengeti to Central Serengeti. It was like driving into a dream. Everyone in our vehicle just stopped and looked around in disbelief and I’m sure that it took me several moments to pick my jaw off of the floor as I stood there, wide-eyed and with goosebumps tingling on my arms, not knowing how to process the scene that was unfolding in front of me. Almost as fascinating as the animals outside the vehicle were the human animals inside the vehicle. I love looking at the expressions on the faces of my guests when they get the opportunity to witness something extraordinary. This was just one of many of these special moments in Tanzania.

After over a week on safari, it was a special treat to be able to head to Zanzibar to unwind, relax, and take some time to reflect on what we had just experienced on safari. Here in serene settings on the white sand beaches, I felt the dust from the Serengeti, Tarangire, and Manyara wash away into the turquoise waters of the Indian ocean. I can’t think of a better way to wrap up such a wonderful trip than to do so with my new friends in such a tranquil environment. Safaris can be a bit of a sensory overload (and I mean that in a good way) and taking a few days to let it all sink in before heading back to the realities of home was just perfect.

Sunrise on the beach in Zanzibar

That’s not to say that all there is to do in Zanzibar is sit on the beach or lounge by the pool. We had the opportunity to visit an animal rescue center that caters to cheetahs, lions, hyenas and several other beautiful animals. We also went sailing, swimming, and snorkeling and of course visited historic Stone Town to absorb some local Zanzibar culture and do some street photography.

As I look back on September 2017, Tanzania will now certainly have a special place in my heart. Heading back in August and September of 2018 will now be the beginning of what I see becoming somewhat of a pilgrimage. I hope that the images that I’m sharing here and in the future from my time in Tanzania will encourage you to visit this remarkable land for yourselves. It will change you, move you, and inspire you in ways I can’t describe.

After a month in Africa, it was then time for me to move on to the next adventure. Just a few days after the end of the safari and Zanzibar tour , I was off to Jordan to run my annual photography tour there. Life is good.

All photos were shot using Fujifilm cameras and lenses. Here is a list of the gear I used in Africa:

Fujifilm x-t2 mirrorless digital camera, fujifilm x-pro2 mirrorless digital camera, fujifilm xf 10-24mm f/4 r ois lens, fujifilm xf 16-55mm f/2.8 r lm wr lens, fujifilm xf 50-140mm f/2.8 r lm ois wr lens, fujifilm xf 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 r lm ois wr lens, fujifilm xf 1.4x tc wr teleconverter, fujifilm xf 2x tc wr teleconverter, related posts.

Comments (19)

Add a comment.

March 20, 2018 at 2:05 pm

Excellent work. I love your perspective. We had a great experience with Ken and the Discovery group in Tanzania. I would highly recommend this bucket list trip.

March 20, 2018 at 6:31 pm

Larry! So good to hear from you. Thanks so much for the kind words. Loved having you and Nada in our group and hope to see you again sometime soon. Take care :-)

March 20, 2018 at 9:57 pm

Wonderful blog Ken. Wonderful images and processing. I especially love seeing your sepia work! Beautifully done. Reading your words and seeing your pictures brought back such wonderful memories for me. This trip was one of the (perhaps the) best experiences of my life to date. I can’t wait for my next photography tour with you. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip!

March 21, 2018 at 10:25 am

Hi Ash! Great to hear from you, my friend. Gotts agree with you about it being one of the best life experiences. I can’t stop thinking about it. The animals and the company were extraordinary. Thanks for making the trip so much fun. Hope to see you in Oz or some other exciting place very soon. :-)

March 20, 2018 at 11:44 pm

Awesome pictures. Awesome text. I’m hooked. May I come? I have zero camera skills, however, I’m sure the safari part would be awesome.

March 21, 2018 at 10:29 am

No need for a camera on this one! Just being there is mind-blowing and I can honestly say that for people we saw on other safaris, less than half had cameras. Binoculars are a great option for the non-photographer types.

March 21, 2018 at 12:43 am

I had to let go of my spot last year (for my 40th bday!) and while I am still a little sad that I did that, I know I’ll be going….and soon! My next year off is 2.5 years away, and I’ll definitely spend 1-2 months in Africa. It has been the one place I’m the world that I’ve been waiting to be ready for and I don’t want to wait anymore. So I’m going to see what I can do this year or next, in advance of my year off, and maybe follow your footsteps and hopefully join you one day soon! Thank you for sharing Ken!! It is all very inspiring without a doubt.

April 14, 2018 at 12:29 pm

Thanks so much, Tawna! We can’t wait to have you join us :-)

April 6, 2018 at 6:53 pm

Amazing images, thank you for sharing. Africa is absolutely on my bucket list as well and I totally get the feeling of the more places you want to go, the more you want to see!

April 14, 2018 at 12:31 pm

My pleasure Melissa and kind thanks for the nice comment. The travel bug sure does snowball over time and I can’t wait for my next adventure!

May 14, 2018 at 4:35 am

this is quite a good take on wild life

May 29, 2018 at 7:19 pm

Thanks! Glad you liked the post :-)

May 17, 2018 at 4:36 am

AWesome work sir.m really appreciated.i am also travelling photographer but I never saw that type of marvellous clicked. thank you for sharing. – Yash Dave (Indian travelling photographer) Instagram -yashdave4u

May 29, 2018 at 7:20 pm

Thank you, Dave! Happy travels to you.

June 6, 2018 at 5:18 am

Thoroughly enjoyed this blog and the images were stunning. Oh to get such wow pictures. Thanks for sharing it with us Ken.

June 6, 2018 at 8:52 am

Thank you kindly, Diana, for your kind words. The experience of being there was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

August 25, 2018 at 10:52 am

Nice article…

May 2, 2019 at 9:01 am

Your photography is too good and your content is also great just loved it

July 8, 2019 at 10:43 am

Thank you Ken, so awesome to read and see your images. I am sure there a few more stories behind some of those wonderful images. What a trip it must have been.

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Renner Safaris

Tanzania & kenya, tanzania & kenya photo safari escorted by professional wildlife photographer paul renner, july 11-26, 2023 – 15 day african photo safari peak season for the great migration river crossings, join us at the peak of the season for the great migration river crossings at the mara river in tanzania’s northern serengeti and in kenya’s masai mara. at this time of year, the richness of tanzanian wildlife in ngorongoro crater, tarangire and the central serengeti combined with the thrilling great migration river crossings in kenya’a masai mara, make this safari an extraordinary and unique photographic experience that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Land package price: $13,865 per person double occupancy (Prices based on payment by check.)

Included in tour price:

• Meet and greet service upon arrival

• First Class accommodations at hotels, lodges and tented camps

• Meals (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner ) as specified in the itinerary

• Arrival transfer July 11 at Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer in Nairobi on July 26

• Exclusive use of 4×4 Land Cruiser with only 3 passengers per safari vehicle

• Internal flights: Arusha to Serengeti, Kilimanjaro to Nairobi, Nairobi to Mara, Mara to Nairobi with transfers as per itinerary

• Professional English-speaking tour guides and drivers

• Guaranteed window seat in 4×4 safari Land Cruisers fitted with pop-up roof

• All National Parks and Game Reserves entrance fees

• Membership to the Flying Doctors Service while on Safari in East Africa

• Visit to the Giraffe Center and the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary in Nairobi

• Buffet brush lunch in the Ngorongoro crater

Not included International airfare, Trip Cancellation/Medical Insurance fees, Visa entry fees, and associated service charges, Items of personal nature such as telephone calls, internet service charges, tips to porters, waiters, guides, drivers, laundry service charges, Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

  15 Day Tanzania and KenyaPhotographic Safari

Escorted by professional wildlife photographer paul renner , july 11 – july 26, 2023, daily itinerary.

July 11: Tuesday – Arusha Jambo! Welcome to Tanzania. Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport where our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Arusha for the overnight.(D) Arusha Serena Lodge

July 12: Wednesday – Arus ha  

Day at leisure to meet other members of the group and enjoy the lodge. (BLD) Arusha Serena Lodge

July 13/14: Thurs, Fri – Tarangire National Park

Breakfast and drive to Tarangire National Park, named after the river that flows through the length of the park and provides a constant water source for the thousands of animals making their home here. The park is well known for a large elephant population, lions, leopards, giraffe, buffalo and so much more. A late afternoon game drive will bring you close to a large variety of wildlife. Next day, morning and afternoon game drives present more photographic opportunities. (BLD) Tarangire Safari Lodge

July 15/16: Sat, Sun – Ngorongoro Crater                                                  Early morning game drive followed by breakfast. Depart to Ngorongoro Conservation area; host to the ‘birthplace of man’. It is also home to the unique intact caldera, the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is home to abundant game, including the “big five” – elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Arrive in time for breakfast and a half day tour of the crater. Next day, a full day game drive in the crater is planned with lunch in the bush. (BLD) Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

July 17/18/19: Mon, Tue, Wed – Serengeti Plains                              Continue your safari adventure to the world’s best-known park, the Serengeti. The park is named after the Masai word, ‘Siringet’ for endless plains of short and long grass. Witness the Great Migration and explore this remote corner of Tanzania. We are here for three days to observe the annual wildlife spectacle quite unlike any other, as over a million wildebeest, zebra and other ungulates move into central Serengeti in search of fresh grazing and water. (BLD) Kubu Kubu Tented Camp

July 20: Thursday- Nairobi                                                                  Morning game viewing drive followed by breakfast. Transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Kilimanjaro where you will connect with your flight to Nairobi. Arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport and transfer to your hotel for an overnight. (BLD) Nairobi Four Points Sheraton

July 21: Friday – Masai Mara                                                          After breakfast, we will continue to the Giraffe Center where you have an opportunity to pet and feed the Rothschild giraffes. We will proceed to the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where you will be able to pet young, rescued elephants. This afternoon we will board our plane for a short flight to the Kenya’s most famous National park, the Masai Mara. We are going to the Mara with high hopes of seeing a river crossing by the great migration and to photograph the big cats, lions, leopards and cheetahs along with many other animals that live in the Mara all year round. Afternoon game drive enroute to our camp. (BLD) Mara Bush Camp

July 22/23/24/25:  Sat, Sun, Mon Tues- Masai Mara                             Three full days are spent in the central section of the Mara Plains with morning and after game drives with more photographic opportunities to capture the scenic beauty of the Mara Plains and the wildlife that roam the open grasslands. (BLD) Mara Bush Camp

July 26: Wednesday – Nairobi/Depart                                                       Morning game drive is followed by breakfast. From here, transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Nairobi where a room is reserved until 6:00 pm to relax, repack or do some last-minute shopping. Later this evening you will be transferred back to the Nairobi airport to connect with your flight home. (BLD) Dayroom at Nairobi Four Points Sheraton

For more information and reservations, contact:

Paul Renner at 949.295.3136

Email: [email protected]

www.rennersafaris.com or call

Prem Sharma at Best Safaris – 714.349.7112

e-mail: [email protected]

For information regarding safaris and reservations call

Paul Renner at 949-295-3136

or e-mail at  [email protected]

You may also contact Best Safaris at

Phone: 714-349-7112 (Prem)

e-mail:  [email protected]

CST # 2073854-40 

Photos from our Recent Trips

No matter if you are a professional photographer or a beginner, you will take amazing photos on your Paul Renner Photo Safari and bring home memories for a lifetime.

The Great Migration Photo Safari to Tanzania

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Places visited, suggested duration.

Experience the visual euphoria of Northern Tanzania on this 13-day safari adventure. Tailor-made for photo enthusiasts, this itinerary will bring indelible close-ups, unforgettable panoramas, and inspiring natural scenes. Explore six different national parks and gently succumb to the natural charms of Tanzania's untamed wildernesses. Then relive it all on your camera roll.

Customizable Itinerary

Arusha - your african adventure begins.

You will land at Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha to start your African adventure.  On a clear day, the views from the lodge are outstanding, the snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru towering over the surrounding savannah. With birds singing from the lush treetops, this is an idyllic place to overcome any jet lag. As you settle into Tanzania you'll notice that everything moves with a relaxed rhythm. Enjoy a guided bird-watching walk, go horseback riding through the vivid landscape, or take a canoe onto the serene Lake Duluti.

Tanzania's indelible mammals make their first appearance with, giraffes, and zebras greeting you on a full day game drive through Arusha National Park. First day safaris are always a bit of a blur, the day racing by as Africa's great wildlife is seen in the flesh for the first time. Everyone has seen photos or video before. But it's different to see it all from just a few meters away. Buffalos stare and stamp their hooves, showing off their one-ton frames and bushy hair. Black and white Colobus monkeys and blue monkeys swing through branches, showing remarkable agility as they cheekily pass by. And giraffes really are taller than the trees.

What's Included:

Tarangire National Park - Immersed in the Wonders

Great herds mark the Tarangire woodlands, up to 300 elephants moving together as they plod past ancient baobab trees. It's an iconic scene, elephant and baobab juxtaposed in one of Africa's finest parks, and it's a scene that will accompany you throughout these two days in Tarangire. Olive baboons and waterbuck also move effortlessly across the woodland, while a cacophony of birdsong sails across the treetops. Yellow-collared lovebirds are probably the loudest, and they're just one of 550 different bird species that congregate here. Some are pretty, some sing duets, like the red-and-yellow barbet, and then some impress with their size, including the nine foot wingspan of the Kori bustard.

Tarangire has a raw and rugged landscape, scorched and dusty in dry season, fresh and vivid during the rainy season. And the views will continue all day and night, with your lodge offering spectacular panoramas and quaint accommodation. Elephants regularly pass right by, joined by a congregation of oryx and zebra. So sit back, admire the wonders of untamed Africa, and listen to the unique sounds of nature. But don't get too relaxed, two full days of thrilling safari will reveal all corners of Tarangire.

Wildlife spotting is easy, the immense Tarangire River quenching the thirst of all its residents. Impala and hartebeest sip greedily in herds, relying on the vigilant look-out of others. Gazelle and eland are also out drinking, scratching along the shriveled riverbeds and swamps. Don't worry if these antelope species sound unfamiliar now, you'll quickly learn the nuances and how to distinguish each variety. In particular, look out for the rare long-necked gerenuk, standing on their hind legs and craning their necks towards overhanging branches. There are predators here, lots of them, and you'll find them in strange places.

Admire the baobab trees and acacia woodland, photographing a landscape that looks as African as all the wildlife documentaries. All seems calm. But wait...was that something moving in the tree? Get closer and it appears to be nothing. You're just 10 meters away now, scanning the branches for movement, and then a lucid pair of eyes makes you jump. The lion has been watching you. They climb trees all over Tarangire, camouflaging themselves and then pouncing on prey. Leopards also prowl along these branches, and witnessing these two stealthy predators is a highlight of being in the park.

Lake Manyara - The Majestic Lake Manyara

Each Tanzanian park is different, ensuring that every game drive brings a fresh perspective and new experience. A meandering trail takes you through the Lake Manyara forest, each turn revealing something that lurks in the shadows. Perhaps you’ll spot a troop of baboons; mothers cradling babies and skipping across the red ground, old males reclining against a tree. Or maybe an elephant, appearing from nowhere and standing almost within touching distance. You'll drive slowly through the forest, each corner bringing surprise, and each tree a possible resting place for the tree-climbing lion. Lake Manyara is nestled into the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, and its forest is combined with a hippo infested lake and elephant covered floodplain.

After leaving Tarangire you'll first stop at Mto Wa Mbu, a traditional Maasai village full of endearing sights; it's hard to leave without being energized by the color and imbued by their fierce continuation of tradition. More colors mark Lake Manyara, bright shocks of blue and red amongst the park's remarkable concentration of bird species. They flutter around the lake, joined by the hippos that wade through the shallows and then lope along the muddy banks. Alpha males jockey for mating rights, while youngsters rest their heads on a mother's humongous back. Lake Manyara is relatively small for a national park, but its combination of ecosystems and diverse collection of wildlife make this an action-packed day.

Lake Eyasi - Nature and Culture

Tanzania's remarkable residents don't just come on four legs. Indigenous hunter-gatherer tribes still exist in East Africa and you'll enjoy two days of memorable cultural immersion. The nimble Hadzape Bushmen sidestep through the trees, picking up on every clue as they stalk a small antelope. You can also see the clues; an upturned stone, a line of animal droppings, a slight indent in the grass. But the bushman spots them without breaking stride, eyes always scanning ahead, the path of the prey continually visualized. On day eight you'll head out on a morning hunt, a haunting experience that reveals the phenomenal skills of these ancient people. And yes, they do still use a homemade bow and arrow.

Your tented camp offers surreal views over Lake Eyasi, a shallow salt lake that rises and falls with the rains. There are just seven spacious tents, each with a private verandah, en-suite bathroom with hot water, and thatched roof. Just like the local tribes, the camp is all about carefully co-existing with the environment. This is a place of tranquility, harmony, and getting involved with local tribes. The Hadzape hunter-gatherers use an ancient click dialect, while the waDatonga villages remain unchanged for millennia. Walking to nearby natural springs and ambling around the lake will also bring interaction with local villagers.

Ngorongoro Crater - The Coffee Farms of the Great Rift Valley

How many times have you bought coffee that claims to be “the freshest?” It can't really come any fresher than the coffee from the charming coffee plantations of the Great Rift Valley. Enjoy lunch in a rustic farmhouse, reveling in the mystique of an old era and the enchanting smells of the plantations. Your camp is a wonderful spot to spend a relaxed morning, touring the farm, savoring the food, and relishing the views. From here you'll visit the Tioma Village School, hundreds of enthusiastic children providing a memorable welcome. Overnight will be at your next lodge, perched on the western rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

Ngorongoro Crater - The Remarkable World

Ngorongoro Crater is a photographer's dream, the wildlife appearing from all angles and at all times. It's difficult to know which way to point the camera as the crater floor teems with unique scenes. Buffalo herds chew and chomp their way through the grass beside you. Flamingos cover the lake, shocks of pink wonderfully contrasted with the vivid blue water. But turn around quickly and a pride of lions are on the hunt, slowly walking through the grass as they target a large herd of watchful wildebeest. There's a popular conception that great wildlife photography takes lots of patience. In many places it does. Ngorongoro wildlife is unlike anywhere else on the planet and because of the sheer concentration of wildlife, you need to be prepared at all times!

Your accommodations overlook the crater with private verandahs gazing down on a unique biosphere. From here you can see it all; the verdant woodland, open grassland, parched riverbeds, and the far walls of this inactive volcanic caldera. This is one of Africa's best lodges, mixing tradition and style with luxury and charm. Huge elephant bulls and small zebra herds are amongst the cast that like to wander past the lodge in the evening. Gaze down onto nature's great amphitheater and then descend the steep crater walls into the heart of the action. On most game drives you hope to see lions. In Ngorongoro these ferocious predators are part of the scenery, and spotting them out on a hunt is a real possibility. Some prides lounge in the sun, bellies full, eyes half-closed, beautiful black manes out on display. Others are hungry, the females ducking into the grass as they eye up a meal.

Don't stare at them for too long though, because over your shoulder could be a cheetah or hyena. Out in the forest is a kind of elephant retirement home, some of the continent's largest males plodding a lone track through the trees, cast out from the herd but enjoying the bounty of Ngorongoro. Keep exploring and there are the hippos that prowl the lake shore, or the dazzling horns of the hartebeest herds. Then one sight brings about silence in the safari truck. A pair of endangered black rhinos approach the clearing, slowly, unhurried, watchful. Their power is evident, their horns are expectantly majestic, yet their grace comes as a surprise. Before the cameras come out there's a moment when everyone just watches and admires, these breathtaking animals witnessed first-hand. Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to spot Black rhinos.

Day  9 - 10

Southern Serengeti - Spectacular Show

Few places in the world can stir the emotion like the Serengeti. The grass plains seem to stretch for eternity, going beyond the horizon and dotted with giant herds of wildebeest and zebra. This is where the Great Migration takes place, an annual journey of some two million mammals, dictated by the rains and followed by a hungry cast of predators. The migration is happening all year round, the animals always in search of fresh grazing land. For the next two days you'll be in the south east of this immense park, staying at your next lodge, neatly situated just outside the park boundary and away from the tourist crowds. From here the immense plains wow the eyes, vistas extending into the distance from your private verandah, and elephants approaching a nearby waterhole. Before reaching the lodge you'll have a short stop in Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of humankind where man's earliest ancestral remains have been found. It's a poignant and thought provoking experience.

In the early months of the year the wildebeest congregate around this corner of the Serengeti, giving birth and raising young on the profuse grass. It's a particularly abundant time for predators. Cheetahs accelerate and pounce, the defenseless wildebeest unable to prevent regular attacks. Lion prides peacefully coexist, while hyenas and jackals scrounge for scraps. At all times of year the sheer concentration of wildlife is difficult to believe. Giraffes amble along the horizon, their necks silhouetted against a burning sunset. Thompson's gazelle seem to pop up everywhere, while circling vultures reveal the location of a recent kill. With morning and afternoon game drives you'll be overwhelmed by the sights of the Serengeti. Even a quick stop for a picnic is accompanied by a pool full of wading hippos.

Day  11 - 12

Western Serengeti - Exploring Western Corridor

Every journey in the Serengeti is a safari. A game drive on day 11 will take you across the park, passing lounging lions, roaming elephants, and the continual array of watchful antelopes. It takes a journey across the park to truly reveal the scale of the Serengeti. The grassland never stops; it just keeps going and going. The Kirawira Serena is idyllically situated, towering over the famous western corridor, on the route of the marauding wildebeest. They pass through here between April and June, although the exact dates will vary each year. And remember, it takes a long time for two million mammals to pass by, so don’t be worried about turning up a day late. Giant herds dot the plains, covering them in a patchwork quilt of black. From a distance it's a surreal sight, and there's a good chance that you'll be seeing it from the elegance of this exclusive camp. Each tent comes with a personal valet, a four-poster bed, antique Edwardian furniture, and the ongoing sounds of the Serengeti.

These are your last two days on safari and the wonders will continue. Nowhere in Tanzania is the same, and every game drive brings new delights. In the Serengeti there's always grass, gazelle, wildebeest, and predators. On some drives the lions lie in the shade of your safari truck. On others it's a leopard that's most memorable, its solemn movements towards prey showcasing intelligence and beauty. Then on the drive back to camp a pair of elephants starts fighting in front of your eyes. And throughout it all the landscape provides a breathtaking beauty, a stunning backdrop that screams of untamed Africa and aches with authenticity. For an alternative vista, an optional morning balloon ride can be taken on day 14. For an idyllic final evening, ask your valet for a hammock and watch everything unfold. As always in the Serengeti, keep the camera ready...you never can predict what time something might wander past the camp.

Arusha - Return to Arusha and Depart from Tanzania

Savor your last morning waking up in the wilderness. Say goodbye to the wildlife that surrounds the camp, and then take some final photos as you're transferred to the nearby airstrip. On the local scheduled flight you'll get a new impression of the Serengeti's scale, before landing in Arusha and enjoying a leisurely afternoon at the Mountain Village. Note that a maximum weight of 30 pounds is permitted on this flight. It's possible to leave some of your luggage at the Mountain Lodge before you set off on safari on day four. At 5pm you'll depart for Kilimanjaro Airport for your home-bound flight. How long will it be before you return for another Tanzanian safari adventure? Or, consider adding on to your adventure. 

Trip Highlights

• Marvel at the Great Wildebeest Migration as two million mammals cross the Serengeti, and gaze down on it from your private verandah, then admire the scenes on a breathtaking game drive
• Cross the vast plains of the Serengeti and enjoy two nights in both the eastern and western corridors of the planet's most spectacular park
• Watch great elephant herds roam past the ancient baobab trees of Tarangire National Park, then spot tree-climbing lions reclining on broad acacia branches
• Meander through the mystical Lake Manyara forest, each turn bringing a close encounter, then gaze across the floodplains to find lions, giraffe, buffalo, and herds of watchful antelope
• Be dazzled by the colors of Tanzania's diverse birds, over 600 different species are easily spotted on this unique itinerary, everything from soaring eagles to raucous hornbills and delightful lovebirds
• Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater and spend a day surrounded by lion prides, black rhinos, wading hippos, and Africa's largest elephants
• Go out on a hunter-gatherer experience with indigenous Hadzape Bushmen, crossing Lake Eyasi and admiring the remarkable ancient skills of these lost tribes
• Enjoy exclusive accommodation throughout, each lodge and camp combining effortless comfort with a complete immersion in nature

Starting Price

$8,445  per person (excluding international flights)

What's Included

• Accommodations
• In-country transportation
• Some or all activities and tours
• Expert trip planning
• 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

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What’s Next for Jane Goodall? An Immersive Spectacle in Tanzania.

“Dr. Jane’s Dream” is going up in East Africa, where visitors can experience the primatologist’s scientific breakthroughs (complete with termite mound).

By Ralph Blumenthal

Are you ready for the Jane Goodall Experience?

It’s getting ready for you.

“Dr. Jane’s Dream,” an immersive spectacle by former Walt Disney Imagineers and African artisans celebrating the groundbreaking English primatologist and environmental activist, is taking form in a cultural complex in Tanzania.

Its debut, in the safari gateway of Arusha, between Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park , is planned around World Chimpanzee Day, July 14, 2025 — 65 years since Goodall, then a 26-year-old novice researcher chaperoned by her mother, landed at the Gombe forest reserve to begin her field work for the anthropologist Louis Leakey .

Within months she upended scientific doctrine by observing an adult male chimp she called David Greybeard raid a termite mound, stripping leaves from a hollow branch to extract and eat the insects. The making and using of tools was long thought a hallmark of humans.

Since then, the nonstop Goodall, who turned 90 on April 3 during a typically exhausting American tour, has been lionized (or aped) in books and movies. She’s a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. And champion of a global crusade of young people and celebrities from Prince Harry to Leonardo DiCaprio fighting deforestation, climate change, pollution and factory farming.

Her nonprofit Jane Goodall Institute in the U.S. is projected to raise $30 million this year, with additional millions raised by the other 25 chapters worldwide, a spokesman said. Her youth movement, Roots and Shoots, is operating in 70 countries.

But she has never been presented like this — in an immersive tribute by African artists and Disney veterans. Disney has called Imagineering the “blending of creative imagination with technical know-how.” But “Dr. Jane’s Dream” is not a Disney project; rather, it taps into storytelling techniques by some of its former innovators.

At “Dr. Jane’s Dream,” Goodall said in New York last week, “There’s a tent where my mom and I were and two little peepholes looking out into the world of the chimps.” Visitors will be challenged. “They go into this dream world and are going to have to investigate. It’s like an adventure.”

Goodall is now on one of her globe-circling jaunts that keep her on the road some 300 days a year. She flew in from the West Coast at the end of March and after Canada and a few days back home in her native Bournemouth on the English Channel, she is booked to Europe, Africa, Australia, South America and Asia.

Since Jan. 12, she calculated, she has slept in her own bed five nights.

On April 2, Goodall was on East 54th Street at the Hotel Elysée with its Monkey Bar — a coincidence, she insisted — along with the fact that her top floor suite had been the last abode of the playwright Tennessee Williams, who died there in 1983 at 71, choking on the cap of a bottle of barbiturates.

Her latest project, “Dr. Jane’s Dream,” is unfolding at the Arusha Cultural Heritage Center, opened in 1994 by Saifudin Khanbhai, whose great-grandfather from India established a trading outpost in British colonial Tanganyika in the 1800s.

Khanbhai offered Goodall a location on the five-acre heritage site, amid a complex of half a dozen buildings and four huts displaying the work of some 3,000 artists and jewelers and showcasing the region’s unique blue gemstone, Tanzanite.

“We just connected so well,” Khanbhai said in an interview. “I’m a man of chemistry. If it works it works.”

Her building’s shell of round drumlike forms is already up, with the interior exhibits coming over the next year.

“Basically, she is getting the deep storytelling, design and immersiveness of Disney Imagineering because — well, we adore Jane,” said Tom Acomb, an architect with his own firm, AOA, and a former Imagineer who teamed up with colleagues including Joe Rohde , creator of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Florida, to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars of free design services for “Dr. Jane’s Dream.”

But Acomb said, “Disney has nothing to do with the project, nor is any technology of theirs deployed in any way. What is in the mix is a process — the process that was unique to Disney Imagineering’s ability to tell a story.” He said they still did support work for Disney when called upon.

The idea, Rohde explained, was to create “much more of an experience center than an expository center.”

“What we’re trying to do,” he added, “is sort of take all the feelings and emotions that made Jane Goodall Jane Goodall and transfer that into a series of objects and encounters.”

It was not so much “about” Goodall, he noted, as “feeling her.”

He said it would feature a kiosk with a recording of Goodall translating chimp cries into English; a ceiling of 800 leaflike tiles painted by various African artists, models of animals wrapped in information about them (requiring close study by visitors, just as Goodall had to closely study her subjects); and elaborately carved and painted tree trunks in a style of artmaking called Makonde .

And, of course, the famous termite mound.

“Rather than just telling people that this is the way chimps fish for food,” Rohde said, “we want to compel people to do something like what the chimps do — use these little probes to stimulate something within the termite mound. You’re not learning about what chimps do — you’re learning what they do.

“It’s a very Jane Goodall thing.”

To keep “Dr. Jane’s Dream" maintainable locally, it will limit fancy technology, and allow for improvisation, Rohde said.

“It’s going to be what it becomes as the artists make it.”

Born in London in 1934, Goodall grew up cherishing animals, even, as a not-yet-2-year-old, taking earthworms to bed with her. Her mother, Vanne, convinced her that the worms would do better in the ground. At 4½ she lost herself in the henhouse trying to figure out where eggs came from.

Her parents separated when she was little and, amid Nazi bombings, she relocated with her mother and younger sister to her grandmother’s home in Bournemouth. The first book she read was “The Story of Dr. Dolittle,” about a country physician who talks to the animals. Another early book, “Tarzan of the Apes” left her jealous, she remembers: “He marries the wrong Jane.”

Set on visiting Africa, Goodall saved her waitressing money and, at 23 in 1957, sailed to Kenya where, though lacking a college degree, she sought out Leakey who with his wife, Mary, was excavating early human fossils in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

One day at the site, out walking with another assistant, Gillian Trace, and the Leakeys’ two protective Dalmatians, Toots and Bottom-Biter, Goodall noticed they were being trailed by a young male lion. The dogs, off leash, were busy chasing a mouse.

“Gillian wanted to hide in the vegetation at the bottom of the gorge,” she recalled last week. “I said no, the lion would know where we are, we won’t know where the lion is. We have to climb up on the plains so the lion could see us. I had this firm belief that animals wouldn’t hurt us if we are not a threat to them.”

Goodall said she was less worried about the lion than coming back to Mary Leakey without the Dalmatians.

Afterward, Louis Leakey, impressed, offered her a job studying chimpanzees for clues to man’s earliest ancestors. She became one of his three ape mentees, “the trimates,” who also included Dian Fossey on gorillas and Birutė Galdikas on orangutans. Fossey would be murdered in Rwanda in 1985.

Goodall returned to England but sailed back to Africa with her mother in 1960 to begin her research in Gombe, on Lake Tanganyika.

Alone in the jungle with only their cook, both were felled by malaria. Her mother nearly died. “We just lay in our beds and handed the thermometer back and forth,” Goodall recalled. Somehow, without quinine, they recovered.

She tried repeatedly to make contact with the chimps but they remained aloof, as recorded by an old movie camera she propped up in a tree fork.

Until, after nearly four months, David Greybeard let her get close enough as he made his tool of the tree branch.

“It was held in the left hand, poked into the ground, and then removed coated with termites,” she recorded in her field book. “The straw was then raised to the mouth and the insects picked off with the lips, along the length of the straw, starting in the middle.”

Goodall said she knew immediately that her breakthrough would thrill Leakey. He cabled back: “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man’ or accept chimpanzees as human.”

But Goodall also observed the primates in warfare and cannibalism — along with manifestations of empathy and communal rearing of offspring orphaned by poachers. At a waterfall, she observed chimps dancing as if in religious awe.

Sergio Almécija , senior research scientist in primates and human evolution at the American Museum of Natural History, said Goodall revolutionized the way we understand primates and other animals — “like the transition from radio to color TV.”

Starting in 1961, Goodall returned periodically to Cambridge for what became four years of doctoral studies in ethology. “I was told you must focus on feeding behavior or maternal behavior, but not everything,” she recalled.

She focused on everything. She also rejected complaints that she was giving names, not just numbers, to her chimp subjects and recognizing their humanlike traits.

When National Geographic sent a renowned Dutch wildlife photographer, Baron Hugo van Lawick, to Gombe in 1962 to document an irresistible story — a young Englishwoman among the apes — a romance blossomed. They married in London in 1964 and had a child, Hugo Eric Louis, nicknamed Grub. (Now a house builder in Africa and Latin America, he has two sons and a daughter, Goodall’s grandchildren, who work on some of her projects.)

A slowdown in assignments sent van Lawick in search of work in the Serengeti and he and Goodall divorced in 1974. A year later she married the Tanzanian national parks director, Derek Bryceson . He died of cancer in 1980, when Goodall was 46.

In 1986, she helped organize a conference in Chicago, and was shocked to learn how deforestation and pollution were decimating animal populations.

“I went to the conference as a scientist and I left as an activist,” she said.

After revelations of terrible conditions at the Brazzaville zoo in the Republic of Congo, she persuaded the American oil company Conoco to help build a chimp sanctuary in that country. She convinced leading research laboratories like Harvard’s that chimps, after all, made poor models for medical experimentation to benefit humans. Many long-captive animals were released to sanctuaries (though ape-trafficking remained rampant).

She widened her focus to human behavior as well, and became a vegan. “How can we even save the precious chimpanzees,” she asked, “when people all around are struggling to survive?”

Some of her favorite stuffed animals that she carries around in her hand luggage sat last week on a mantle in her New York hotel room: Mr. H, a monkey from a blinded United States Marine, Gary Haun, who became a proficient magician, skier and sky diver; Pigcasso, a South African pig taught to create artworks with a paintbrush in her mouth; an octopus from the movie “My Octopus Teacher”; and Rattie, an African pouched rat trained to detect land mines.

Two other items were away on display at a National Geographic Museum traveling exhibition called “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall” — a piece of the Berlin Wall and a limestone rock from Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island prison.

All symbols, Goodall says, of her mantra — hope.

“I’m seeing humanity as at the mouth of a very long dark tunnel,” she said, “and right at the end is a little star — that’s hope. But in order to get there we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and climb under and crawl over all the obstacles that lie in the path, like climate change, and loss of biodiversity. And a very important one is poverty. We must alleviate poverty because really poor people destroy the environment to survive.”

In her hotel suite, the living room lights and brass chandelier were lit. A photo of Tennessee Williams glistened in a vitrine.

Goodall was in a bedroom, resting her eyes from her travels and lectures into the spotlights. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the chandelier began to sway.

Goodall didn’t seem surprised to hear of it. Once, she said, staying in another suite on the same floor, she had seen an apparition.

Did she believe in a hereafter?

There’s either nothing or there’s something, she said. Finding out the answer would be “the next great adventure.”

‘This Will Finish Us’

How Gulf princes, the safari industry, and conservation groups are displacing the Maasai from the last of their Serengeti homeland

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I t was high safari season in Tanzania, the long rains over, the grasses yellowing and dry. Land Cruisers were speeding toward the Serengeti Plain. Billionaires were flying into private hunting concessions. And at a crowded and dusty livestock market far away from all that, a man named Songoyo had decided not to hang himself, not today, and was instead pinching the skin of a sheep.

“Please!” he was saying to a potential buyer with thousands of animals to choose from on this morning. “You can see, he is so fat!”

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The buyer moved on. Songoyo rubbed his eyes. He was tired. He’d spent the whole night walking, herding another man’s sheep across miles of grass and scrub and pitted roads to reach this market by opening time. He hadn’t slept. He hadn’t eaten. He’d somehow fended off an elephant with a stick. What he needed to do was sell the sheep so their owner would pay him, so he could try to start a new life now that the old one was finished.

The old life: He’d had all the things that made a person such as him rich and respected. Three wives, 14 children, a large compound with 75 cows and enough land to graze them—“such sweet land,” he would say when he could bear to think of it—and that was how things had been going until recently.

The new life: no cows, because the Tanzanian government had seized every single one of them . No compound, because the government had bulldozed it, along with hundreds of others. No land, because more and more of the finest, lushest land in northern Tanzania was being set aside for conservation, which turned out to mean for trophy hunters, and tourists on “bespoke expeditions,” and cappuccino trucks in proximity to buffalo viewing—anything and anyone except the people who had lived there since the 17th century, the pastoralists known as the Maasai.

They were the ones tourists saw through their windshields selling beaded key chains at the gates of Serengeti National Park, or performing dances after dinner at safari lodges. They were famous for their red shawls and recycled-tire sandals. They grazed their cattle with zebras and giraffes, and built mud-and-dung houses encircled by stick fences barely distinguishable from the wild landscape. They were among the lightest-living people on the planet, and yet it was the Maasai who were being told that the biggest threat to conservation and national progress was them. Their whole way of life had to go.

From the April 2020 issue: Ed Yong on the last giraffes on Earth

And so Songoyo, after considering his alternatives, had devised a last-ditch plan for his own survival, one that had brought him to a town in Kenya called Aitong, where a cool wind was slapping sand and dung into his face as he scanned the market for buyers. He was far from home, roughly 65 miles north of the village in Tanzania where he had been tear-gassed and shot at for the first time in his life. He had seen elderly men beaten and guns fired at old women, and now it was down to this: He was a herder for hire, working for a distant relative, trying to make enough money to buy one single cow.

“Come!” he called to the buyers who kept passing his herd and weaving through the bleating mass. “You will not find any better!”

This was his plan: one cow, because that was the starting point of what it meant to be a Maasai man, which was what he still wanted to be.

The forces arrayed against Songoyo, whom I met in the course of two long trips to Tanzania late last year, include some of the world’s most powerful people and interests. (I have not used Songoyo’s last name out of concern for his safety.) What these people and interests want is what the Maasai are trying to keep: the land they live on.

Global leaders are seeking what they consider to be undeveloped land to meet a stated goal of conserving 30 percent of the planet’s surface by 2030 . Corporations want undisturbed forests in order to offset pollution. Western conservation groups, which refer to the Maasai as “stakeholders” on their own land, exert great influence, as does a booming safari industry that sells an old and destructive myth—casting the Serengeti as some primordial wilderness, with the Maasai as cultural relics obstructing a perfect view.

The reality is that the Maasai have been stewards, integral to creating that very ecosystem. The same can be said of Indigenous groups around the world, to whom conservation often feels like a land grab. In the past two decades, more than a quarter million Indigenous people have been evicted to make way for ecotourism, carbon-offset schemes, and other activities that fall under the banner of conservation. That figure is expected to soar.

For all its accomplishments, the cause of saving the planet has become a trillion-dollar business, a global scramble in which wealthy nations are looking to the developing world not just for natural resources, but for nature itself. The wealthy players include not only Europeans and Americans but Arabs and Chinese and others. On the African continent, political leaders are enthusiastic about what so-called green foreign investment might mean for their own economies (and, maybe, their bank accounts).

Such are the pressures being brought to bear on northern Tanzania, where the Maasai migrated with their cattle 400 years ago, settling in an area encompassing hundreds of thousands of square miles of grassy plains, acacia woodlands, rivers, lakes, snowcapped mountains, salt flats, forests, and some of the most spectacular wildlife on the planet. They called it Siringet, which in the Maa language means “the place where the land runs on forever.” The Maasai see their recent history as a struggle to save that land from those who claimed it needed saving.

First came the British colonial authorities, who established the 5,700-square-mile Serengeti National Park, pushing the Maasai to an adjacent zone called the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with its famous crater, where they were promised they could live. Then came UNESCO. It declared both Serengeti and Ngorongoro to be World Heritage Sites, which came with new restrictions. Western tourists began arriving, seeking an experience of Africa that a thousand movies promised—one of pristine beauty and big game, not people grazing cattle. Tanzanian authorities began leasing blocks of land to foreign hunting and safari companies, many of which promoted themselves as conservationists—a word the Maasai have come to associate with their own doom. Spread among the villages that dot the northern tourist zone, the Maasai have meanwhile been growing in number—their population has doubled in recent decades, to about 200,000. Inevitably, the clash of interests has led to bitter and occasionally violent conflict.

Still, the threat unfolding now is of greater magnitude. It emerged soon after President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office, in 2021. “Tourism in Ngorongoro is disappearing,” she declared during one of her first major speeches. “We agreed that people and wildlife could cohabitate, but now people are overtaking the wildlife.” The Maasai listened with alarm, realizing that the people she was referring to were them.

Not long after Hassan’s speech, officials announced plans to resettle the roughly 100,000 Maasai who were living in and around Ngorongoro to “modern houses” in another part of the country. Meanwhile, in a region north of Ngorongoro, bordering Serengeti National Park, government security forces began rolling into Maasai villages. They were carrying out another part of the plan: annexing 580 square miles of prime grazing land to create an exclusive game reserve for the Dubai royal family, which had long hunted in the area. The government characterized the move as necessary for conservation. Traditional Maasai compounds, known as bomas , were burned. Park rangers began seizing cattle by the tens of thousands.

And more was coming: a $7.5 billion package with the United Arab Emirates , of which Dubai is a part, that included new plans for tourism and conservation. A $9.5 million deal with the Chinese for a geological park that overlapped with additional Maasai villages. An offer from Tanzania to make Donald Trump Jr.—an avid trophy hunter—an official “tourism ambassador.” New maps and proposals from the government indicated that further tracts could soon be placed off-limits, including a sacred site that the Maasai call the Mountain of God.

Read: What trophy hunting does to the elephants it leaves behind

“This is 80 percent of our land,” a Maasai elder told me one evening during a meeting with other leaders in northern Tanzania. “This will finish us.” They had tried protesting. They had filed lawsuits. They had appealed to the United Nations , the European Union , the East African Court of Justice, and Vice President Kamala Harris when she visited Tanzania in 2023. They’d unearthed old maps and village titles to prove that the land was theirs by law, not just by custom. They’d written a letter to John and Patrick McEnroe after hearing that the tennis stars were hosting a $25,000-a-person safari-and-tennis expedition in the Serengeti. People made supportive statements, but no one was coming to help.

This is what Songoyo understood as he paced the market in Aitong. It was closing soon. Buyers were filtering out through the wire fence, and he still had 12 sheep left to sell, one of which was lame. A man tapped it with a stick.

“A cow stepped on his leg; that’s why he walks like that,” Songoyo said, bracing the animal with his knees.

The man walked away. Another came and tapped his stick on the lame sheep, and then on the rest of them. They agreed on a price, and the buyer pulled out a roll of bills.

“Please, can you add 500?” Songoyo said, asking for the equivalent of an extra $3.60 in Kenyan shillings. “I need 500. Please.”

The man added 200, and Songoyo brought the day’s earnings to the relative who had hired him. They sat under a tree, and he counted out Songoyo’s share for a week of work, roughly $10. One cow would cost about $200.

“See you next week,” the man said.

“May God give you favor,” Songoyo replied, putting the money in the pocket of his blue track pants. His cellphone rang, a battered plastic burner.

“I am coming,” he told one of his wives, who was waiting for him at their home in Tanzania.

He’d had options other than this. There had always been Maasai who’d given up traditional ways to reinvent themselves, shedding their red shawls for all kinds of lives. Now many more of them, having lost their cattle, were moving to cities, where the Maasai reputation for bravery and rectitude meant there was always work as a security guard—I saw them everywhere in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, in front of shops and banks. Others had taken a government offer to resettle in a town called Msomera, far to the south, only to return home with stories of loneliness and conflict with locals. Still others were falling apart. Songoyo had seen them, drunk men hobbling along the road or passed out on their red shawls under trees in the daytime. That would not be him.

“Never,” he said, and began the long walk back to his village in Tanzania, a tall man wrapped in a pink-and-purple plaid shawl passing cinder-block taverns where he would not drink, and motorbikes he would not hire, because the point was to save money for the cow. No cows, no life , he told himself, picking up the pace along an orange dirt road stretching into the late afternoon.

His earliest memories were of cows; he had never been without them. They were the huge, warm, brown beasts kept in the center of the boma. Their dung formed the walls of his home. Their milk and blood were what he drank as a child, when his father told him what Maasai children were traditionally told: that when the earth split from the sky and God left the world, he entrusted the Maasai with all the cattle, and by extension the land and the other animals that shared it. Songoyo learned how to herd with rocks, pushing them around in the dirt. He got his first calf when he was a small boy, herding it with a stick near the boma. When he was big enough, he followed his older brothers out into the wider grazing areas, including one the Maasai called Osero , a word that refers to lush grasslands—in this case, the 580 square miles of land adjacent to Serengeti National Park where Maasai had lived and kept cattle for generations.

It was in Osero that he learned about different kinds of grasses and trees: which ones had good branches for bows or good bark for tea that could ease a backache. He learned where to find natural salt and the coolest streams, and he learned certain rules: Never cut down a tree. Keep cattle away from wildebeests during calving season, because they carry a disease deadly to cows.

He listened to older boys tell stories, including one whose lesson he still lived by, about a group of Maasai heading out on a cattle raid when one of the warriors broke his sandal. The warrior turned to the man behind him and asked if he would stay and help, but the man refused. He asked another, who also refused, and so on until the very last one agreed to stay, while the rest continued on to cattle-raiding glory. The stern moral was: Be prepared. Don’t fall behind. Stay with the group. Struggle.

Songoyo had struggled. He held himself together after his father died, when he was still a boy, a moment when he might have turned delinquent but didn’t. He endured his adolescent coming-of-age ceremonies with dignity, by all accounts managing not to cry or shake during his circumcision, when people scrutinize and taunt boys for any sign of weakness, and he was rewarded with cows. He learned how to shoot arrows and use a machete, and became a moran —entering a stage of life when young Maasai men bear responsibility for protecting their village—and was given more cows, each with a name, each with a certain character he came to know. In this way, the life he wanted became possible.

He married his first wife, then a second and a third, and eventually built a boma in the village where his children went to school, and a larger compound on the edge of Osero, where the cattle were kept, and where he’d had one of the happiest moments of his life. This was just before everything began to unravel, an otherwise ordinary day when the rains were full and the cows were fat and he’d walked out into the middle of them, their bells jangling, realizing how far he’d come and thinking, “Yes, I am a real Maasai.”

Not that life was an idyll. In village after village that I visited, people described years of tensions with safari companies and conservation authorities. People who lived within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area—a vast zone that was almost like its own country—had complained about schools falling apart and poisoned salt licks and the indignity of their identity being checked as they came and went through the tourist gate. In other areas, people had accused certain safari companies of illegally acquiring leases and paying local police to beat herders off concessions. One company was notorious for using a helicopter to spray scalding water on cows.

In Osero, the problems went back to 1992, when an Emirati company called Otterlo Business Corporation (OBC) was first granted a hunting license for the Dubai royal family. They had their own private camp and a private airstrip and, for the emir himself, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a compound on a hill, guarded by a special unit of the Tanzanian military police. When the rains ended each year, cargo planes full of four-wheelers and tents and pallets of food would buzz low over villages before landing, followed by private jets delivering the royal family and their guests. A few weeks later, they’d buzz out with carcasses of zebras and antelope and other trophies. For a while, OBC had its own cellphone tower, and Maasai villagers noticed that when they were near it, a message would pop up on their phone screens: “Welcome to the U.A.E.” The arrangement had been that the Maasai were supposed to keep away when the royals were in residence, but just about everyone had caught a glimpse. Songoyo had seen them speeding around, shooting animals from trucks with semiautomatic rifles. “Once, they pulled up in the middle of my cows and I saw them shooting so many antelope,” he told me. “They just kill, kill, kill!”

There had been attempts at diplomacy. Sometimes the Arabs, as the Maasai called them, would give out bags of rice. They had hired Maasai men to work as guides and drivers and had flown some of their favorite employees to Dubai, buying them clothing and cars. One driver recalled being at the camp on a day when the emir arrived. The driver lined up with other staff, and the emir greeted each one of them while an assistant followed behind with a large bag of cash, inviting each worker to reach in. The driver said he pulled out $1,060.

But a bitterness was always there. Maasai leaders had long claimed that Osero belonged to 14 adjacent villages, and that they had never consented to the OBC deal. Tanzanian officials asserted authority over not only Osero but a far larger expanse—Loliondo—citing its colonial-era designation as a game-controlled area; they often resorted to violence to enforce this view. Maasai villagers described to me how government security forces had collaborated with OBC at least twice in recent years to conduct a large-scale torching of bomas in the vicinity of the camp. Young men grazing cows had been beaten and shot at. One man described to me being shot in the face, then handcuffed to a hospital bed as he was bleeding through his ears and nose and eyes, slipping in and out of consciousness. He remembered a police officer shouting at a doctor to let him die, and the doctor refusing the order and saving his life. He lost his left eye, the socket now scarred over with skin, and had kept a thin blue hospital receipt all these years in the hope of receiving restitution that never came. Most villages have people who can tell such stories.

Read: The war on rhino poaching has human casualties

In 2017, amid rising complaints and lawsuits filed by Maasai leaders, Tanzanian authorities suspended OBC’s license and accused the company’s director of offering some $2 million in bribes to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, which led to a court case that ended in a plea deal. Requests to interview OBC executives, representatives of the Dubai royal family, and officials of the U.A.E. government about their involvement in Tanzania went unanswered.

By the time Hassan became president, in 2021, the director was back on the job and the OBC flights had resumed.

Samia Suluhu Hassan was widely embraced by West and East. Her predecessor, John Magufuli, who died in office, had been a populist with an authoritarian streak and became infamous for downplaying the dangers of COVID. He suspended media outlets, banned opposition rallies, and alienated foreign investors, even as many Maasai saw him as a hero for brushing back OBC.

Hassan eased his more repressive policies and embarked on an ambitious plan to bring foreign investment into the country, especially through tourism. She branded herself a forward-looking environmentalist.

And she found willing collaborators. The World Bank had been encouraging more tourism , arguing that it could help Tanzania achieve what official metrics define as middle-income status. One of the country’s main conservation partners, UNESCO, had been pressing Tanzanian authorities for years to implement what it called “stringent policies to control population growth” in Ngorongoro, although UNESCO also says it has never supported the displacement of people. A German conservation group called the Frankfurt Zoological Society, a major partner in managing Serengeti National Park, has expressed concern that traditional Maasai practices are becoming less tenable because of population growth. “There is a risk of overuse and overgrazing that should be addressed,” Dennis Rentsch, the deputy director of the society’s Africa department, told me. “I don’t want to vilify the Maasai. They are not enemies of conservation. But the challenge is when you reach a tipping point.”

In response to these pressures, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism produced a report that blamed rising Maasai and livestock populations for “extensive habitat destruction” in conservation zones. It recommended resettling all of Ngorongoro’s Maasai. It also recommended designating the 580-square-mile Osero tract, farther away, as a more restrictive game reserve, describing the land as an important wildlife corridor and water-catchment area for the Serengeti ecosystem. The designation left the Dubai royal family with an exclusive hunting playground. But none of the Maasai who lived in the area would be allowed to graze their cattle or continue living there.

Maasai leaders countered with two reports of their own—more than 300 pages covering colonial history, constitutional law, land-use law, and international conventions, and providing copies of village titles, registration certificates, and old maps—to prove their legal right to the land as citizens. They blamed habitat destruction on sprawling lodges, roads bisecting rangeland, trucks off-roading across savannas, and “huge tourist traffic.” Overgrazing was a result of being squeezed into ever smaller domains, which kept the Maasai from rotating grazing zones as they normally would. Citing their own surveys, they said the government had inflated livestock numbers, a claim supported by Pablo Manzano, a Spanish ecologist with the Basque Centre for Climate Change, who had conducted research in the region and found that the government was perpetuating a tragic misunderstanding.

Manzano and others pointed to a growing body of scholarly research demonstrating what the Maasai had long known: that their management of the land did not degrade the Serengeti ecosystem but had actually helped sustain and even create it—the grasslands the Maasai had cultivated for hundreds of years were the same grasslands that many wild animals needed to thrive. In that sense, the land had already been conserved before the Germans, the British, and various international groups decided that they needed to save it.

In their reports, Maasai leaders concluded that the government was engaged in “a calculated process to wipe out animals” and to “devastate their livelihood and culture.” They took a bus to the capital and delivered the two reports in person to government officials.

But there would be no debate, no discussion of complexities. Hassan moved forward with her agenda. She was finalizing the $7.5 billion package with the United Arab Emirates, the fourth-largest (after China, the EU, and the U.S.) investor in Africa. One deal turned over management of roughly two-thirds of Dar es Salaam’s port to DP World, a company owned by the U.A.E. government. Another deal turned over management of some 20 million acres of forest —roughly 8 percent of the nation’s entire territory—to a company called Blue Carbon, which is run by a member of the royal family, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, and uses conserved land to generate carbon credits that it sells to other companies. The package also included money for tourism.

Hassan invited travel agents to the country for a “tourism reboot.” She spoke of wanting more five-star hotels. She filmed a promotional documentary called The Royal Tour , which at one point involved helicoptering with a travel reporter over some Maasai villages near the Serengeti.

“All those round things down there are the Maasai bomas,” Hassan says in the film, as several villagers look up into the sky. The reporter then comments in a way that Maasai leaders found ominous: “Over the years, the Tanzanian government has tried to persuade the Maasai to become traditional farmers or ranchers, but they’ve persisted in clinging to their ancient ways. And yet, they may not have a choice now.”

Some 400 miles to the south, in the hotter, flatter farming area of Msomera, bulldozers broke ground on a new development. The military was building 5,000 cinder-block houses intended for Maasai families. Officials had been dispatched to villages in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to present the government’s offer: a free house on 2.5 acres. Electricity. Piped water. New schools. A cash bonus of roughly $4,000 for early takers. At one such presentation, a crowd pelted the officials with rocks.

I requested an interview with Hassan to better understand her decisions. In response, a government spokesperson arranged interviews with several other officials, one of whom was Albert Msando, a district commissioner, who told me, “Whatever I am answering is whatever the president would have answered.” We met in the town of Handeni, near Msomera. Msando’s office was inside a former British-colonial building, where a portrait of Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding father, hung on one wall and a portrait of Hassan hung on another.

“For the public interest,” Msando said of the Maasai, “we have to relocate them.” A lawyer by training and demeanor, Msando emphasized that any relocation is voluntary, at least for now. He also made it clear that if persuasion fails, the government maintains the legal right to remove the Maasai from conservation areas, by force if necessary. “That’s why there are guys here with their shoulders decorated,” Msando said, pointing around the room to police and military officers.

He told me that anyone in Tanzania would be lucky to get what the Maasai were getting. “We are giving them nice houses, I believe, according to modern standards.” He said that the Maasai currently live in “filthy conditions” and should be helped to “live a better life.”

He and other officials I spoke with said that they disliked even using the term Maasai . They invoked the spirit of Nyerere, saying that Tanzania was supposed to have a national identity, not tribal ones. Msando said he could understand the Maasai’s concern about losing their culture, even if he had little sympathy for it. “Culture is a fluid thing,” he said. “I am Chaga—the Chaga were on the verge of having their own nation. Today look at me. People do not even know I’m Chaga. My kids don’t even speak Chaga.” He was unapologetic: “The Maasai are not exempted from acculturation or cultural acclimatization, or cultural extinction.”

The government’s plans moved forward. In June 2022, a convoy of trucks carrying hundreds of security personnel rolled into the 14 villages bordering Osero, a show of force that the Maasai had never seen before. Soldiers, police, and park rangers set up camps on the outskirts of each village, announcing their intention to demarcate the boundary of the new game reserve. What happened next unfolded sporadically over several days. It has been documented in reports by human-rights groups and was described to me by dozens of witnesses and victims.

First, village leaders summoned to what was billed as a routine ruling-party meeting were arrested after they refused to go along with the demarcation—27 of them in all. The security forces then began planting a long line of three-foot-high rectangular cement markers called beacons along the perimeter of Osero. Villagers came behind them, kicking the markers down before the concrete foundations had set; women hacked at them with machetes. “I felt like I was fighting for myself,” one woman told me later. “I knew if this land goes away, there is nowhere for my children to be, and that forced me to lose my fear.” But the security forces kept beating the villagers back. Elders called more than 1,000 moran to take up positions with bows and arrows in forested areas along a main road where government trucks were patrolling.

“How many are ready to die?” a leader said to the group, and at some point, one of them shot an arrow at a police officer, killing him.

After that, the security forces opened fire. They shot at the legs of elderly women waving grass as a sign of peace. They shot an elderly man, who fell and then was heaped onto a truck “like a sack of maize,” his son told me. He has not been found. The security forces shot at men and women trying to destroy the beacons, wounding them in their arms and legs and backs. They shot tear gas into bomas and burst into one where a traditional ceremony was being held, firing into the crowd. The moran waited for orders to retaliate, but the elders, seeing what the government was willing to do, called them off. “It’s only because we didn’t have guns,” a Maasai elder told me. “If someone helped us with guns, they cannot even fight with us, because they are very cowardly.” Another elder said, “You cannot fight a gun with arrows.”

Dozens of people with bullet and machete wounds, blocked by police from local clinics, limped their way across the border into Kenya for treatment. Several thousand more fled there for safety. Others hid in the forest. Then the burning and bulldozing began. For several days, security forces plowed through circles of stick fences. They crushed houses and corrals and lit the debris on fire, burning more than 300 bomas, including Songoyo’s, and finishing the work before the start of high safari season. In a statement issued a few days after the violence , the Tanzanian government said the new game reserve had “no settlements as it is alleged and therefore there is no eviction” taking place. It described what had happened as “normal practice for all wildlife and forest protected areas in Tanzania”—a necessary step to keep the Serengeti ecosystem from being “disrupted and eventually erased from the face of the Earth.”

Songoyo’s boma had been by a hot spring. His father’s and grandfather’s graves were nearby. In the aftermath of the violence, he moved his family and cattle from Osero to a smaller boma nearer to his village, where he and others returned from hiding to find homes ransacked and skeletons of cows that had been eaten by wild animals.

Security forces roamed up and down the roads. Officials called people into immigration offices and accused them of being Kenyans, requiring them to show up in court for weeks on end, until judges threw out their cases for lack of evidence. Rangers patrolled Osero more heavily than ever, shooting at and beating herders who went anywhere near the new reserve, punishments that now came with a kind of psychological torture—forcing people to consent to the legitimacy of their own dispossession. One young man told me that rangers dragged him to their truck and beat him on his back with a stick for hours, calling him “rubbish” and yelling, “You don’t agree this land was taken? We will punish you until you agree!” They would feed him cornmeal, he said, and beat him some more. But he never did agree. Now he can barely walk.

The Maasai had other problems. One was grass: There was not enough. Everywhere I went, I saw bony cows picking at short clumps of weeds in dry patches of dirt. Out of desperation, some people were taking their cows to graze in Kenya, while others were sneaking into Osero at night. To avoid alerting rangers, cows went in without bells, making them harder to keep track of in the dark. Herders used cheap flashlights for safety, shining them fleetingly in the bush to detect the eyes of lions and other predators. They struggled to keep themselves awake, wearing small radios around their necks, playing tinny music at a low volume only they could hear.

Another problem was worse: Rangers were seizing cattle. Not just a few here and there, but huge herds of them, by the hundreds and then by the thousands. One day, Songoyo got a call from his brother, who had been grazing Songoyo’s 75 cows near Osero with other herders.

He said rangers had chased them down and seized more than 700 cattle, including all of Songoyo’s. He said the rangers had then crossed with the cattle into Serengeti National Park, and were holding them in a pen. Songoyo imagined them staying like that, not eating, not drinking. He imagined his favorite, Kiripa, a brown heifer he could always count on to lead the other cattle to distant grasses and home again, slowly dying, and rushed with the other owners to the park gate.

“I tried to reason with the rangers, but I totally failed—it was like they were ready to shoot us,” he recalled, and so the group contacted a Maasai lawyer, Melau Alais, whose practice had been overwhelmed by such emergency calls in the past year.

After several days, Songoyo learned that the rangers were alleging that the cattle had been illegally grazing inside Serengeti National Park, and that they would all be auctioned off unless the owners prevailed in court. The court was in a town called Mugumu, clear on the other side of the park, a two-hour drive away. The hearing was in a few days. So Songoyo and the other owners scrambled together the park fees and set off in the lawyer’s car past lush green grass and fat, grazing zebras and Land Cruisers full of tourists enjoying the scenery. When they reached the courthouse, the owner whom they had elected to represent all of the owners in the case, a man named Soloi Toroge, was formally charged with illegal grazing and jailed until the hearing.

The next day, Songoyo and the others sat in the gallery as Toroge took the stand. Both Songoyo and Alais recalled for me the day in the courtroom.

“So what happened?” Alais asked Toroge, and as the defendant began telling the story of how the rangers had beaten the herders and taken the cattle, Songoyo said he felt his anger rising.

Alais asked Toroge how he knew the cows were his, and as he described their particular colors and markings, Songoyo thought about his own cows, and became more desperate.

At another point, Alais asked Toroge how many children he had, and as Songoyo thought about his own, he began to feel physically ill.

“So what other business do you do?” Alais continued.

Toroge said he depended only on livestock.

“This livestock, or others?” Alais asked him.

This livestock, he answered. There was no other.

“So if the court decides to auction the cattle, what will happen?” Alais asked.

“All of us will die of hunger,” Toroge answered.

As he continued, Songoyo remembered thinking that this was it. That he really was about to lose everything he’d worked his whole life to achieve—not because of drought or his own foolishness, but because of his government, and the Arabs, and something called conservation. He said he began making noises, and felt himself becoming so disoriented, so altered, that he thought he could kill someone, or that someone might kill him, and soon people were surrounding him, court officers threatening to arrest him. Songoyo was saying, “Then let us die. There is no special death.”

He did not return for the other days of testimony. He was back in his village when Alais called to tell him that the judge had ruled that the cows would be auctioned off unless the owners paid a fine, and that his share—calculated per head of cattle, per day, for more than 30 days and counting—would be roughly $5,000.

He briefly considered what others had done, which was borrow money from a Somali loan shark who was doing a brisk business, but decided that was no solution.

“Let them sell them all,” he told Alais.

He did not leave his boma for days.

Normally, relatives and neighbors would give someone in his position one of their cows to help him rebuild, but nothing was normal any longer. More than 50,000 head of cattle had been taken by rangers, according to a local tally. Between the seized cattle and the fines, a huge transfer of wealth was under way from the Maasai community to the government.

People came by Songoyo’s boma to say they were sorry. They tried to encourage him. He considered what to do. He could be a security guard. He imagined standing still for hours in front of some building in Arusha. Then he began thinking that death would be preferable. Traditional Maasai cosmology includes no afterlife, no reward or punishment in the hereafter, so that would be that. Hanging or poison were the usual methods; hanging was more certain. Then he thought about his children. “And I said no,” he recalled. He told himself what others had told him since his father had died. He was a hard worker. He knew how to struggle. He thought, “Maybe something good is ahead of me.” He thought that if he just kept going, “God will bless me for that.”

He tore down a large corral where he had kept his cattle and built a smaller one for the seven goats he still had, and for the one cow he hoped to buy. He remembered a distant relative, a businessman in Kenya; they got in touch, and the plan was set: Pick up the livestock at a market near his village. Herd them across the border to a market in Kenya, and if he didn’t sell them there, go on to Aitong, a roughly 130-mile circuit every week. He had been doing this for months.

When he got home from Aitong, he would give half the money he’d earned to his wives for food. He would rest, and then start out again. He noticed himself becoming skinnier.

Songoyo headed north with his next herd of sheep, through a clearing with a seasonal stream and smooth rocks. He skirted Serengeti National Park, where he was not allowed to be, then crossed over a low mountain range that marked the Tanzania-Kenya border, his sandals splitting at the soles. At the gates of the park, some of the half a million people who visit every year were lining up in Land Cruisers, the bumpers displaying flag decals representing the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the United States. And as the sun rose one morning, in they went, tourists with bucket lists, anniversaries, dreams, and romanticized images in mind.

They roamed the dirt roads through grassy plains that really did seem to stretch on forever—a rolling sea of greens and yellows and flat-topped trees. They slowed for herds of gazelles and elephants. They sped to a leopard sighting in trucks bearing the wishful names of various outfitters—Sense of Africa, Lion King Adventures, Peacemakers Expeditions—and soon they began gathering along one side of the Mara River.

On the other side, great black herds of wildebeests were massing, waiting for the right moment to dive off a small cliff and swim across. What the animals saw waiting for them was a long line of trucks, a metal fortification.

“I want a picture!” said a woman hoisting her camera.

“My God, I want them to come down!” said her companion.

An hour passed. Another hour. The wildebeests were not migrating. A Maasai driver grumbled that obviously there were too many trucks. A man pressed binoculars to his face.

“See, it looks fine to us, but to them, something’s not right,” he said.

He wondered if it was crocodiles. They waited. A woman took a nap. Then some wildebeests began moving downriver, opposite some gaps in the otherwise solid wall of trucks. And then one hurled itself over the cliff in heroic fashion, and soon they were all diving.

“They’re flying!” someone said.

The animals were flailing, tumbling, and splashing down into the river, swimming for their lives, and now engines were cranking as trucks roared toward the crossing point, wedging into every open gap.

“We got ’em!” yelled a woman holding up a camera, and as far as anyone could see, the view was wildebeests, river, trees, and the grassy savanna beyond—no cows, no goats, no Maasai herders, no people at all, except the ones beholding the spectacle they’d been promised.

What they could not see was a tall man in blue track pants and a pink-and-purple plaid shawl herding sheep across a rocky path, trying not to think about how his knees hurt, his ankles hurt; trying to forget about all that had come before now.

Songoyo reached the first market, where he did not sell the sheep but picked up some more animals for another client and kept going, heading for Aitong.

It was late afternoon when he began crossing the Maasai Mara—the Kenyan national park—with only a stick for protection because bows and arrows are not allowed in the park. He hustled the sheep through the bush, past thorns, under branches, over sharp rocks and soft grass. He saw zebras. He saw giraffes . At one point, he saw a lion, which began following him, then another, coming closer and closer, and as he began to think that this would be how his life ended, a tourist truck came speeding along the road and scared the lion away, and he took off running with the sheep until he came upon elephants—“So, so many elephants,” he said—and managed to dodge those, too.

He kept walking, trying to stay alert. The night was moonless and very dark. After some hours, he reached the edge of the park and saw a boma—a cultural boma, as it turned out, the kind set up for tourists, where Maasai act out versions of the life now being extinguished—and asked if he could sleep there, but the people at the park said that was against the rules, even though welcoming him would have been the true Maasai way. So he waited outside a while and then entered anyway, lying down in a corner. It was cold, and he felt himself becoming sick.

He reached Aitong the next morning but still didn’t sell the sheep, and this meant he would have to press on another 50 miles to a town called Kilgoris. By now he was so exhausted that he decided to sleep, and this was when, as he put it, “evil came during the night,” in the form of a hyena that killed five of his sheep, two of which belonged to the new client. When Songoyo called to tell him, the man told Songoyo that he would have to repay him for the animals. Songoyo told him he didn’t have any money. The man said in that case, he would have to work without pay. Songoyo set off for Kilgoris, now in debt.

He walked along a dirt road as trucks blasted him with fumes. He walked across one farm after another. He felt so hungry. At times he knelt on the ground and said, “God, can you see this?,” then got up and kept going. Another farm. A man who gave him water. A man who yelled at him to get off his land. A tree where he took a nap. His dreams lately were of cows grazing in lush grass, and of dying. More hours crossing an area that belonged to a rival pastoralist tribe, sneaking along the edges and behind stands of trees, feeling like a thief, he said, feeling like he had no place to be in this world. He kept going like that, across more land that was not his.

The land Songoyo considered his was now part of the new Pololeti Game Reserve . That was what Osero had become. The government had constructed a gate bearing the name along the main road into the area, not far from where Songoyo’s boma had been, and when the Dubai royal family was not around, tourists could pay a fee and go inside.

“As far as you can see, all this is now Pololeti,” said a Maasai driver who had grown up on the land and been away from it for a year, ever since the violence. “I feel like crying.” The only reason he was able to go inside now was that I had hired him as a guide.

What he saw was miles and miles of a particular grass that was good for cattle, at the moment so tall and golden. “If your cows are weak and they eat this, in two days they will stand,” he said, driving ahead.

He saw the yellowing tops of grasses that zebras favored, and thick, wetter grasses that wildebeests favored. He saw some impalas in the distance and said, “I wish to see my goats there,” because they would usually graze together.

He saw wiry red oat grasses, and thick swirls of cattail grasses, and here was the kind of acacia with bark that helped with nausea and there was the tree with large, rough leaves useful for sanding down a staff. He saw lavender morning glories used for tissues, and a sacred stream whose water was used for ceremonies. He smelled the familiar scent of bush mint in the cool afternoon, and heard such a strange quiet without the bells of cows.

“In this area, in the evening, you’d see so many cows,” the driver said, and soon he reached a clearing where it was possible to see grass pressed into faint circles.

“Over here used to be houses,” he said.

“Over here, there used to be more than 20 bomas,” he said, continuing on.

“Here used to be a boma, because you can tell the difference between this grass and the other grass,” he said. “We always have soft-soft.”

He navigated by trees he remembered and small hills he knew by heart.

“Here was a very large boma—you can see the fence,” he said, pointing to some scattered branches with thorns. He continued on.

“Over here was the Pyando family,” he said, passing a certain spot in the grass.

“The Kairungs were here,” he said, but it was hard to tell.

“Here were the Saing’eus,” he said, pointing to black weeds that grew where cow dung had been.

Here lived the Purengeis and the Ngiyos. The Kutishos, the Oltinayos, the Kikanais, the Mungas. A whole world that would soon be gone with no trace.

The driver turned and headed back toward the gate, noting a road that led up to a compound on the mountain, where the emir could look down and enjoy one of the most magnificent landscapes on Earth, with no cows or bomas or red shawls obstructing the view.

“Just imagine,” the driver said, and soon he was passing a line of white beacons.

“Oh, our land,” he said, exiting through the gate, wondering what would become of all the life that had been here.

One answer was taking shape 5,000 miles to the north, in the United Arab Emirates, at a place called Sharjah Safari park. It had been open a year, a project sponsored by an Emirati royal who wished to re-create the experience of a real African safari. It was an hour’s drive from the Dubai airport, out along a smooth, straight highway lined with green palms and bright-yellow marigolds, past mirrored skyscrapers, many mosques, discount strip malls, a crematorium, camels, and miles of desert.

At the entrance was a concrete elephant. The $75 gold package entitled visitors to tour 12 distinct African landscapes with animals procured from Africa itself, and on a 70-degree December day, tourists climbed into a modified Land Cruiser that whisked them through a series of metal gates.

“Savanna,” the tour guide said as the first gate slid open to reveal some fake termite mounds, some half-dead acacia trees, and a living waterbuck. “Ngorongoro,” she said as another gate slid open, revealing a few gazelles and four white rhinos. “Serengeti,” she said, and on it went.

Soon the tour arrived at the last exhibit: “Boma.” At the end of a curved path lined with grass was a collection of round structures made of cement, not mud and dung, with wooden doors and thatched roofs. There was a corral with goats and donkeys. And here and there were signs with cartoons explaining life in this place. One of them included a drawing of a man. He was wearing a blue-plaid shawl. His features were simply drawn, and he stared blank-faced from the confines of a rectangular wood frame.

When he saw the low mountain range, Songoyo felt a burst of energy, knowing he was near home, such as it was, the place where he was trying to start over. He crossed the clearing with the smooth rocks, and soon he arrived at a grassy slope, and there were the remnants of the larger corral he’d torn down, and there was the smaller one he’d built for the goats and the cow he still could not buy, a circle of sticks with jackets and plaid shawls drying on top. There was a mud-walled house, and a child running out of it.

His wife made him some tea. He gave her money for the market. He’d made roughly $20 on this trip, but of course he was now in debt for the sheep the hyena had killed. They discussed which neighbors were still around. So many had left. Then Songoyo went outside to check on his seven goats.

He looked inside the corral. Four, he counted. Another two were running around outside, so that made six. He kept looking. He walked to where the old corral used to be, then back to the new corral. No goat. He began walking faster, looking around the house. Still no goat. He walked farther out into the grass, seeing nothing, becoming more alarmed.

“Where’s the other one?” he said. “There is one missing!”

His wife came outside and began looking too. He ran out beyond a thorn fence and into the taller grass, now frantic, scanning the landscape for all that he had left of a vanishing life he loved and still wanted.

He kept looking, and finally he spotted the goat. It was sitting in the grass. As he came nearer, he saw that it was injured. A back leg was bloody, and seemed to have gotten stuck in some thorns. Songoyo knelt down to examine the wound more closely. He was a Maasai man without a cow, in debt, getting skinnier, and now he was shaking his head.

“Who did this?” he shouted, expecting no answer.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “The Great Serengeti Land Grab.” Stephanie McCrummen can be reached at [email protected] .

Animals Around the Globe

10 Best African Countries for Safari

Posted: December 19, 2023 | Last updated: December 19, 2023

#1 Botswana

Recommended Tours:

Thus, poachers are seen as enemies of the people. As a result, Botswana has come into view as Africa's most sought-after ecotourism destination. Starting from the Chobe National Park to the Moremi Nature Reserve, you'll be able to witness numerous gems all around the country.

Back in 2014, Botswana widely banned the hunting of wild animals and implemented strict laws which are still in practice. The country resumes its zero-tolerance for poaching and their very own environmental minister, Tshekedi Khama, has even launched a shoot-to-kill policy for poachers.

Botswana, with its wildlife conservation and natural parks, is a haven for nature lovers. It is currently in the top 5, as its approach to the protection and conservation of wildlife is worth the praise. As a country, it is very forward-thinking, some may even call it aggressively forward-thinking when it comes to its preservation and anti-poaching laws.

Its fertile land provides a safe and comforting home to around 200 mammal species. This includes elephants, hippos, monkeys and so much more. Along with 650 bird species and 5,500 plants. Even though the country is still underdeveloped and most of the population live in rural households, its national parks, and sight-seeing destinations are on the top 10 of our lists.

Even though many would face some difficulties in locating Malawi on a map, given how tiny it is, the country is home to the world-renowned Lake Malawi National Park. This is practically one-third of the country and is the most biodiverse lake in the world.

Most of the land in Namibia is occupied by the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. Along with that, the country also has 12 national parks and many other areas which are protected. So, if you go there for a safari, you'll have many rich areas to see and explore.

When it comes to countries with the least amount of population, Namibia is one of them. Which proves to be a good thing for nature. This is because most of the land in Namibia is still unspoiled by human filth or any sort of development, giving nature a chance to breathe.

In the country's Volcanoes National Park, you'll find 10 habituated gorilla families. Groups of 8 trekkers can visit them for one hour per day. But that's enough to get the best African safari experience. And as a nature lover, you'll enjoy the experience to the max.

If you've been around for some time, you'll be familiar with Rwanda's mountain gorillas. They were famously broadcasted and their fight for survival was shown on  National Geographic . This was all thanks to the late  Dian Fossey  back in the 1970s who advocated for the rights of these mountain gorillas throughout her life.

Considering the tragic history surrounding the mass genocide of the people of Rwanda back in 1994, it's truly a blessing what the country has achieved in the past 25 years. There have been countless investments in infrastructure. This has resulted in the country being a very fast-growing destination for ecotourism.

#6 South Africa

But given all the advantages, it's safe to conclude that South Africa also suffers from over-tourism. I mean, if you have so many great attractions, people will flock towards it. Chances are that you'll find yourself in the middle of dozens of unruly visitors who are not too keen on obeying the rules. This occurs mostly during the peak seasons.

Annually, the country has one million visitors. Its biggest attraction is the Kruger National Park with its enrichment in biodiversity. Visitors there also have the liberty to self-drive, thus, getting a first-person private but superb experience. 

For some time now, South Africa has been climbing the charts to become one of the most popular destinations for African safaris. Given its location, South Africa is a very convenient and cheap destination for people from the United States. Besides that, the country also boasts a well-developed infrastructure which makes it perfect for luxury travelers as well.

#7 Tanzania

One of the most popular locations would be the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The country is also a haven for 1100 different bird species. It's no wonder that Tanzania gets this much rep. Especially when the country boasts so many wonders.

We talked about Kenya being the top destination for Safari. Now Tanzania here takes second place in being the continent's most popular safari destination. And why shouldn't it? The country has 16 national parks and an extraordinary amount of wealth and wildlife wonders for the people to witness.

Some of its natural attractions include housing the highest mountain range in Africa. It also has the world's largest free-standing volcano and the second-largest freshwater lake. With its 30 national parks and other wildlife reserves, Uganda boasts many more sanctuaries which are worth the visit. Especially if you're a lover of nature and wildlife.

Often called "The Pearl of Africa", Uganda is certainly a great pick for an African safari. Its reputation as being one of the best ecotourism destinations comes from the country's natural attractions and wildlife.

Out of its 20 national parks, the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is home to many wildlife animals such as African elephants, Angolan giraffes, Cape buffalo, etc. Other than that, there are many private ownerships of National parks, notably the Kasanka National Park which is near the basin of Lake Bangweulu. It's a safe place where visitors can see 400 different avian species.

Zambia may be a bit far down the list of popular destinations for your African safari, but many consider it to be a destination for diversified and immersive safari experiences, and making a notable feature on our 10 Best African Countries for Safari guide. The country is steadily focusing on conservation as their president has shown a keen interest and is working on building the nation's economy as well as the infrastructure.

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