Safari basics
Grassroots safaris tours are inclusive of everything you need in the bush. This means that everything related to transport, accommodation, food and personnel services are included in the price - unless specifically stated otherwise.
Pick-up from hotel or airport will be agreed on separately, but in most cases we offer this as part of our service. If you order with us before arriving in Tanzanian, we'll always pick you up from the airport and drive you to your hotel.
Accommodation before and after your safari will always have to be booked separately (e.g. in Arusha before and after Northern tours). Your safari offer will clearly state what is included in the trip.
Please take a look at our advise below regarding when to go and what to bring on safari.
When to go?
You can basically book your safari for any time of the year, but the long rainy season (masika) in the spring is not the best time for going out in the bush. The road are muddy and you might get stuck.
The high seasons are from around Christmas to February and from June to August. The high seasons are after the short and long rains respectively, when the parks are green and lush. Also the fall is a good time for safaris - there is no rain and you''l have the parks a lot more to yourself.
What to bring?
Below we've compiled a list of things that are good to bring along on your safari.
Clothing
- Neutrally coloured clothing
- 3- 4 short sleeve t-shirts
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 1 sweaters or sweatshirts
- Hankies
- pairs of casual trousers
- 1-2 long sleeve shirts
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Fleece jacket
- Walking shoes
- Lightweight shoes
- Wide-brimmed hat
Travel essentials
- International health card. (yellow fever)
- Travel insurance
- Sleeping bag for camping adventure
- US$ cash/ Tshs and Credit cards
- Passport and valid visa
Medicine
- Imodium
- Painkillers
- Bandages
- Throat lozenges
- Eye drops
Other accessories
- Insect repellant
- Sun screen and lip protection (SPF 30)
- Photocopies of your important documents
- Flashlight
- Camera and spare battery
- Binoculars
- Pocket knife
Safari Info: The Migration of the Wildebeest
The migration of the wildebeest is probably the most famous and fascinating wildlife in Africa The wildebeest migrate annually in hordes of thousands of animals from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in Kenya.
Migration occurs annually but peaks at different times, so there’s no particular way of knowing when it starts. It's start tends to coincide with the end of the rainy season each spring.
In April and May the herds starts to migrate towards West, the greener plains and woodland of the Serengeti's western Corridor. The rain during this time of year makes it difficult to follow the herds. By the end of May, when the rains stop, the wildebeest and zebra gradually start moving to the North and separate groups begin to gather and form massive herds. This is also the time the wildebeest mate. Western Serengeti is the best habitation to watch the migration develop.
In July, the grasses in western Serengeti starts turning yellow and the herds carry on to the North. The crossing of the Grumeti River in Tanzania is the first of the remarkable river crossings to see. The depth of the river makes drowning a distinct possibility for many wildebeest and there are lots of crocodiles which takes advantage of their distress.
Wildebeest and zebra head to Kenya's Lamai Wedge and the Mara triangle. Before they get to plains of Mara, they have to make another river crossing. This time it's the Mara River which is also full of hungry crocodiles.
September through November, Masai Mara in Kenya is filled with large herds of ungulates, obviously tracked by predators. November through December sees them skirting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti plains in Tanzania to have their young.