Happy New Year! It's
2016, and I have some resolutions to share with you. Also, since my family
spent Winter Break in Hawaii this year, I have a WeForWildlife TRAVEL SPECIAL
to share with you guys soon! But first, I will present to you all the final and
long overdue African Migration Wrap Post: Part 2.
In the last post, I
shared with you the main highlights of the Migration during each month of the
year. Today, I will inform you of the best places to stay or go to ensure the
most exciting views of the Migration!
Let's jump right into it
shall we?
January-April:
From January all the way
through April, the wildebeest and other Migration animals will be present in
the Serengeti Plains, so depending on which specific area in the Serengeti you
wish to visit, I would recommend different lodges and camps (There aren't
really big commercial hotels in the middle of Africa like you would see in Las
Vegas).
In January, most of the
action takes place in Tanzania, so if you are going at that time, the Asilia safari camp in Namiri Plains would be
a place to consider to stay. According to the UK Telegraph Travel, The Namiri Plains was closed
off to public for 20 years in an effort to bring back the cheetah population,
but they have reopened again last year. Due to its cutoff from human traffic
for so long, if you decide to go anytime in the next couple of years, the camp
will still seem more "wild" and natural than commercialized.
Courtesy: Asilia Namiri Plains
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At the Asilia camp you
will be able to see a wide variety of animals, which include: lions, cheetahs,
leopards, wildebeest, buffalo, and hyenas. If you are lucky, you might see some
black rhinos, aardwolf, and ground pangolins as well. Your chances of
seeing more active animals are higher if you go on a safari in the early
morning or late afternoons.
Asilia is not the only camp you can stay at. Serengeti Under the Canvas and Olakira Camp are "mobile tented camps" that follow the Migration. In other words, unlike the Asilia, they are always moving and there is no set "location" for where their camp is. Where the animals are, that's where these mobile camps are.
There are pros and cons
to all of these options. Stationary camps like Asilia do not follow the
wildebeest and other animals which are constantly on the move, so you are only
guaranteed seeing lots of migrating animals when they are in the
Serengeti/Namiri Plains area (January-April). However, the Asilia camp area is
still very natural and animals are still comfortable wandering in this
area--meaning you will see a greater variety of animals (you will probably see
some more predators than grazers).
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Courtesy: Asilia Namiri Plains
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Mobile camps like Under
the Canvas and Olakira follow the movement of the animals, so you will pretty
much always see animals in action, but they focus on the migration of
wildebeest and zebras and other grazers--so the variety of animals (rare
predators in particular) you will see are slightly less than the variety of
animals that will wander around the Namiri Plains area during January through
April.
May-July
From May to August, the
wildebeest and other animals will be crossing rivers, so you should stay in the
Central and Western Serengeti area. In my opinion, this is the most
action-packed period of time the whole entire year! There aren't a whole of of
options for where to stay in this area, since the river-crossings can get
rather wild. The Serengeti Migration Camp is centrally
located, however, so this might be a place for you to consider.
The Serengeti Migration
Camp is located close to the Grumeti river, so you will be able to see
wildebeest and zebras crossing rivers, hippos, and even some crocodiles. You
will also be able to see herds of elephants, giraffe, and beautiful lions
prowling in the area in search of prey. Here is a complete list of the wildlife
you will be able to see in the Serengeti area around the camp:
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August-October
During this time of year all the animals have followed
the rains to the Masai Mara region. However, this region is "government
property," officially called the Masai Mara National Reserve. You will
have to present your passport in order to enter this area.
There are two great options when staying in the Masai
Mara, and which one you choose will depend on your personal preference. If you
prefer a more commercialized hotel to stay in, consider the Mara Serena Safari Lodge. If you would like
a more wild experience that is closer to nature, consider Governor's Camp.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge is a hotel and a more commercialized
place to stay (it even has Wifi, a conference room, and a buffet!). They also
offer safaris and game drives, as well as a special "Gorilla Safari"
which you can book in advance. See their website for pricing and booking details.
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Mara Serena
Safari Lodge lobby
Courtesy: Mara Serena Safari Lodge |
Governor's Camp is more of a traditional safari camp,
with tents and campfires...the like. During the months August through October,
you will be able to see thousands of wildebeest and zebras (and many other
animals) grazing on the plains, and due to this camp's excellent location, you
will be in the center of all the action. Governor's Camp offers safaris as
well, which you will also have to book in advance to guarantee a spot. Visit
their website for
more details on safaris, pricing, and activities.
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Governor's
Camp picnic table
Courtesy: Governor's Camp |
Some pros and cons to
each of these places to stay: Mara Serena Safari Lodge is a cleaner and more
commercialized to stay. They will have many amenities that will make your life
there a lot easier and much like your normal business-trip hotel stay. However,
because this hotel is so "developed," the experience will not be so
"safari-like" for you. This pricing (as I would imagine and you would
see on their website) is would also be more expensive because of all the
services they offer in such a remote place.
Governor's Camp is a
more natural camp, making your trip a lot more "wild," but that means
there is no maid to vacuum your room every day, refold the bathroom towels, and
arrange the shampoo bottles in pretty positions. Although there will most
likely be workers who will make your bed during the day, there is not much for
them to be done regarding hygiene. Staying clean is up to you. The experience
of your trip will be a lot closer to wildlife and nature, though.
November-December
This is the trickiest
time of year to find the center of all the action, because the animals are on
their way back to the Serengeti, meaning they are all scattered and are not all
concentrated in on particular area. Refer back to my last post, African Migration Wrap Up Part 1, for all the
areas where you will be able to see most of the animals. I would recommend you
stay with a mobile safari camp at this time of year to guarantee seeing the
most amount of wildlife. The mobile Serengeti Safari Camp will help lead you to
the best spot for animal viewing at the right time. This safari camp moves
their location once every few months based on the route the Migration animals
take.
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Mobile tented
camps follow the movement of the animals
Courtesy: Serengeti Safari Camp |
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Private
and/or guided safaris take you up close to wildlife
Courtesy: Serengeti Safari Camp |
Hopefully with these tips and advice on where to stay, you will be able to plan
and experience an amazing African Migration trip!
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Remember when I said I'd share with you all a great
way to help wildlife? Don't worry, I haven't broken my promise. Here it is!
For those that don't know, there is a very famous
wildlife conservation organization called World Wildlife Fund (or WWF for short). WWF
offers a variety of ways for you to help contribute to wildlife conservation,
but of the minority of people who discover their options for helping, the
majority choose to donate or contribute a portion of their own money. However,
I bet not everyone may be able to toss out a hundred or few hundred dollars.
That is why on World Wildlife Fund, they also give you a choice to start your
own fundraiser. I know that sounds really scary and time consuming, but if you
are the type who doesn't want to just donate money, and really want some
hands-on work/contribution, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Plus, most
of the process is already laid out for you.
Panda Nation is what they call it. (Of course, the
fundings won't go just to pandas--all wildlife on this Earth will get a portion
of the money you fundraise) Click here to go to their "Panda Nation"
homepage.
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As you can see, they give you plenty of options for
what type of fundraiser you would like to start. You can choose to fundraise
money for your birthday, participating in a competition, honoring a loved one
or favorite animal, starting your very own fundraiser in your class at school,
or hosting your personal community fundraiser (like a bake sale or car wash) in
your neighborhood.
Once you've got an idea in mind, select the type of
fundraiser you would like to have and just follow their simple instructions to
get started!
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A quick
outline of the process of starting your own fundraiser
Click on the picture to enlarge Courtesy: WWF |
This fundraiser is totally based on you, so you may choose to work with your
family or friends as a team. If this is the case, you can choose to set up a
team fundraising page. The difference between a personal fundraising page and a
team fundraising page is a team page will have a main page outlining your goal
as a team, but in addition, each member of your team will also have their own
personal page that records the funds that they have collected.
Through this experience, you will not only be gaining
experience for fundraising, having fun, and protecting animals yourself, you
will also be helping the World Wildlife Fund take one step closer to their six
main goals:
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Keep in mind that if you do not feel comfortable fundraising or donating money,
that is totally fine. Everyone has their own way of contributing to this world,
and I'm sure you'll find yours soon. Even making the tiniest changes in your
everyday life can make big differences in the long run. Reducing your time in
the shower can help save water. Recycling will help protect our environment.
Not wasting paper (printer, napkins, notebook paper....and even toilet paper)
will help save lots of forests as well. Whichever way you choose to help animals,
I wish you the best of luck in doing so!
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I
really hope you enjoyed this last post of the African Migration theme. I will
announce the next theme in my next post, which will either be my WeForWildlife
New Years Resolutions post or my Hawaii Travel Special. I hope you have an
amazing week, see you next time!
~Cheri
Sources:
http://www.serenahotels.com/serenamara/default-en.html
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