Mobile Tented Camps That Give You The Front-Row Seat To The Great Wildebeest Migration.
Mobile tented camps that move locations in the Serengeti throughout the year to capture the best moments of the great wildebeest migration, their locations at different times, what you can do in each area, and how to combine them with other camps to make a standout itinerary.
Staying at Tented Migration Camps takes guests back to the pioneering safari days – transporting them into the heart of the incredible biodiversity in the Serengeti National Park without sacrificing comfort and luxury. These luxurious mobile tented camps are entirely packed up and moved from the northern Serengeti, where they live for half the year, to the southern Serengeti, where they stay for the other half, giving guests a front-row seat to one of Mother Nature’s greatest wildlife phenomenons – the Great Wildebeest Migration.
Olakira Migration Camp
The Classic Tier Olakira Migration Camp moves twice a year. From June to mid-November, its location in the northern Serengeti is unbeatable – with river crossings only minutes away from camp. The mobile tented camp has ten spacious tents (including two family tents), each with an incredible 270-degree stargazing portion. Beds can be rolled out into this meshed veranda area to enjoy sleeping under the magnificent star-filled skies in dry weather.
Come November, the Wildebeest herds start to make their way south to the short grass plains, so Olakira is packed up and relocated to the Ndutu area in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The herds gather here in vast numbers, and with plentiful food and water, thousands of young wildebeest are born. With all these babies around, sightings of predators such as lions and cheetahs are abundant. When the camp moves to the south, there are nine tents (with one family tent).
Ubuntu Migration Camp
Ubuntu is a Comfort Tier camp with a slightly simpler setup than Olakira but without compromising location or wildlife experience. From mid-June to the end of October, Ubuntu is up in the Lamai area of the northern Serengeti, where it’s surrounded by the migration, before quickly relocating to the southern Serengeti’s Kusini area in November to catch the herds on their return south. Ubuntu has ten comfortably furnished tents, including one family tent, each with an en suite bathroom with a safari bucket shower.
Even though both camps can be moved without leaving a trace, they have comfortable furniture, solar power with in-room charging facilities, en suite bathrooms, and fully functioning kitchens from which the chefs produce excellent meals. Incredibly, these mobile tented camps can be moved in as little as eight days, covering vast distances and with a lot of hard work and massive amounts of dedication from the team!
How to fit in an itinerary:
We’d always recommend three days minimum in a mobile tented camp to allow for two full days of wildlife viewing safaris to explore the area.
One of the migration camps could be a standalone mobile safari camp in the Serengeti and combined with other northern circuit highlights such as the Ngorongoro Crater, but these mobile camps also combine wonderfully with a permanent camp in the Serengeti.
From December to March, guests could enjoy the excitement of the migration in the southern Serengeti from Olakira or Ubuntu and then combine it with a much more exclusive experience, flying up to Sayari in the northern Serengeti, away from the crowds and taking advantage of the excellent resident game and low season rates.
Alternatively, combine some time in a mobile migration camp with the reliably fantastic year-round safari game viewing in the central Serengeti from Namiri or Dunia.
For those seeking more adventure and a truly unique Africa safari experience, consider combining the iconic northern Tanzania circuit with the incredible southern circuit of Ruaha or Nyerere National Parks. Or, for a complete contrast, head to Rubondo Island to track chimps through the pristine forest.
It is worth noting that the locations of these mobile migration camps and the dates they move are set years in advance and follow the typical pattern of the great wildebeest migration. However, as with any wildlife, the movement of the herds varies slightly year on year, very much dependent on the weather pattern.
Extras to make for a standout itinerary:
There are some extra activities which can be done from the camps, depending on where they are, to make for an extraordinary experience:
When Olakira is in the north (June – October), guests can visit a local community as a full-day excursion (must be pre-booked).
When in the north, at Olakira or Ubuntu, guests can also visit the local Kuria Tribe. It is also a full-day excursion, but if guests only have a little time, we can arrange an in-camp experience which is a fantastic way to ensure even those on tighter schedules get all the benefits.
You can do a hot-air ballooning from Ubuntu when the camp is in the south (November – March) and Olakira in both the south and north locations.
For keen photographers, you can book a specially adapted photographic vehicle from Olakira Camp when in the north (June – October).
For forest adventure lovers, gorilla tours in Uganda or Rwanda make for a great safari extension. You can extend your Serengeti wildebeest experience in luxurious mobile tented camps with a five-day gorilla trekking experience to see Africa gorillas in either Bwindi Impenetrable or Volcanoes National Park.
Let a local specialist help you. Inquire now!
