Four Seasons Serengeti

I know nothing about it but just checking in to say I’m extremely jealous

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Four Seasons Serengeti
Has anyone been? We are going in January and trying to determine which game drives and other activities to do and others to avoid? Right now, planning on a half day game drive, a walking safari, all day game drive to the Ngorongoro crater, and a hot air balloon safari. Will plan to do one of their "bush dinners." Any other thoughts or input?

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Just got back from 2 weeks in Kenya and Tanzania. Didn't stay at the Four Seasons, but stayed at the Lemala Lodges - one in Central Serengeti and the other in Northern Serengeti.

It was entirely awesome! I'll give you my 2 cents on the specific things you asked about:

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hot air balloon safari.

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I was super pumped with this and had some kids with our group...but it was a little bit of a let down, IMO. For one thing, they stayed much lower to the ground than I thought they would. Also, you see some animals, but nothing crazy. Finally, the gas release valve thing is REALLY loud and the pilot has to manipulate it all the time. It sort of ruins the atmosphere. (And the baskets are very big - you won't be by yourselves, there will be up to 14 people or so on one ride.)

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all day game drive to the Ngorongoro crater

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I'll caveat my comments by pointing out that we were there in peak dry season, and you will be there in wet season, so that definitely changes some things (including with mosquitoes - we did all the malaria pills + permethrined clothes only to not see a single mosquito the entire time!) But in any event, the Crater is the part of our trip I would have eliminated if I had known in advance. It is REALLY cool and picturesque, but the only "game" that was any different there was the flamingoes. We didn't see any cats and it's kind of a long drive to get there from where you are and back.

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Will plan to do one of their "bush dinners."

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That should be fun. I imagine the food will be spectacular throughout.

I would do a full day game drive in the Serengeti - it's unbelievable.

Also, insist on having the "open" land cruiser instead of the closed with the roof that accordions up - HUGE difference in experience.

Happy to connect directly and answer any specific questions - we're still bursting from the experience. You will love it.

If you are there during the great migration you are in for a fabulous experience. We did the Kenyan side in the Masai Mara and the mass of animals is amazing. Stayed in Kenya at three different camps. Memorable

following... East Africa is on the short list for honeymoon in Feb. 3-4 days safari and 3-4 days on the beach.

Care to share what cities flying in/out of?

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Care to share what cities flying in/out of?

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It depends on where you're coming from and what you want to do. For ours, we flew into Nairobi (non-stop from Amsterdam) and did a few days there before taking a short flight down to Kilimanjaro.

Alternatively, you could fly from somewhere in Europe to Dar es Salaam and then take short flights into Tanzania from there.

Intra-Tanzania, we used a bush airline called Auric Air - and I thought they were great.

Probably on your list, but my suggestion to you would be to do the safari stuff first and then finish with several days at the beach in Zanzibar. Zanzibar is quite worth it - and I'm pretty sure Auric actually flies from the bush to Zanzibar.

For flying home, Zanzibar is literally like 10 minutes from Dar, so it's easy to get back to the major airport. I think there are also flights from Nairobi to Zanzibar.

Congrats!

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Did you see the wildebeest migration? That would be the highlight for me.

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Interesting that you ask. In the Northern Serengeti, we actually got really lucky, because the herds were supposed to be farther north in the Mara by then. However, there was a little bit of rain - and the herds follow rain. So, while we were there, they actually crossed back SOUTH across the river and we saw some MINDBLOWING crossings - one was at least 15K wildebeest + zebras sprinkled in.

However, we also did our hot air balloon ride up there. And, while we did see a couple of small herds, we didn't see anything even approaching what we saw from the ground - despite the fact that we tracked the river. Basically, it's a waiting game and luck of the draw. But the balloon ride is short and constantly moving, so your odds are not high - at least for river crossings. I know way less about the migration back south, so some of what I'm saying might not apply.

In any event, from the time we noticed the herd starting to amass on the northern side until they broke and started crossing was like 2.5 hours of just patiently waiting.

We are flying Atlanta->Amsterdam->Kilimanjaro. Then a small plane from Arusha to Seronera. On the way back, small plane from Seronera to Kilimanjaro->Dar Es Salaam->Amsterdam->Atlanta.

What did y'all do in terms of tipping staff? (mainly thinking about safari guides). Did y'all convert money or use USD?

Well, we just returned from our trip and all I can say is "WOW!" I'll post some pictures, but will give a rundown of what we did so hopefully that will help someone else.

Flew in to Kilimanjaro Airport late, around 10:30pm and had a driver take us to the Arusha Coffee Lodge for the night. This was a pretty nice resort and I think if we had more time, would have taken their coffee tour. Then caught the bush plane over to Seronera where our game driver picked us up. He had a bush picnic set up for us upon arrival. We then drove to the resort which took about an hour, but we were able to see elephants, a cheetah, tons of antelope and African buffalo.

We then participated in a walking safari which I thought was a really cool experience. I'm a hunter, so I know about tracks and whatnot, but these guys went into great detail. We had a small heard of African buffalo that we were able to observe and then had a leopard jump down out of a tree that none of us had seen about 100 yards away. Luckily, there are two game wardens with AK-47s on the walk with you. At the end of the walk, we had opted for the Bush dinner. They had a table set up for my wife and me with our own chef and a preset menu. All of the food we had was amazing.

The next day, we did an all day game drive in the Serengeti and saw basically everything except the Black rhino. We came upon a group of lions that had made a fresh kill. The three males had finished eating when we got to the site, but the lioness was still feasting on the buffalo. There was a large group of hyenas that started to close in and they actually shared the carcass with the lioness. Unreal. Another Bush picnic, and then the afternoon game drive.

The next day, we did an all day game drive to the Ngorongoro Crater. While on the way there, we came across the Great Migration. I had an idea of what to expect from what I've read and the pictures I've seen but neither of those do it justice. Just literally as far as the eye could see in all directions were zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, and warthogs (pumbas). I'll include a couple of pictures. We had the opportunity to stop at the Maasai Tribe village and see their traditional dance and to visit the inside of their hut. Talk about being appreciative for what we have. My bathroom at home is larger than their entire hut which consists of two tiny beds made of mud and sticks and a tiny kitchen that just has a few rocks for the fireplace. In the crater, we were able to see all of the same animals in addition to some flamingos and the elusive black rhino.

The next day we did the hot air balloon safari first thing In the morning. This was a really interesting perspective of observing the animals from above. Saw some elephants, fox, buffalo, antelope. Had a bush brunch after and then just relaxed at the hotel. The nice part about the hotel, is the giant watering hole just behind the swimming pool. Due to this being the wet season and the Serengeti was very green due to all the rain, we didn't get to observe any of the animals at the site but they usually have elephants and zebras regularly.

This is definitely a trip I would recommend for everyone even if the Four Seasons seems a bit over the top, there are plenty of other places to stay nearby that are reasonably priced. The game drives are just incredible as you are driving down the road, and you look on you left and there are ten giraffes 20 feet away and then you look to the right and there are 3 elephants 30 yards away. Just unbelievable.

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Looks incredible, Africa is in my bucket list to see