Travelled and written by

Holly Parmelee, Features Editor, Serendipity Magazine

Our family of 5 travelled to Tanzania on safari to celebrate my husband’s 50^th birthday. It was our first safari and Tanzania was the perfect choice for us as we were able to see the massive herds of the Great Migration. 

We began our trip in the north, and travelled to &Beyond Klein’s Camp. It is part of a 10,000 hectare wilderness concession, and the only other people and jeeps that we saw were those staying at Klein’s. As there are only 10 cottages at the camp, we felt completely alone looking for animals in the vast Serengeti plains. We were spoiled with the amount of animals our wonderful guide Pepita tracked for us in the three days we were there. We saw the Big Five except for the black rhino. Another benefit of staying in a private concession was being able to do night drives and walking safaris. Pepita took us to a local Maasai village where we sat in a traditional hut and asked questions to a local woman that he translated for us. He then taught our kids how to use a Maasai spear and bow and arrow. Klein’s also set up fabulous outdoor meals during our game drives that were always unexpected. After a hike up a mountain one morning we arrived to find a fire with several chairs around it and another guide ready to make breakfast. The views were stunning from our perch and we literally felt like we were the only people in the world.

Next we went to &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The Crater is a UNESCO World Hertitage Site and is a large caldera, or collapsed volcano where many animals spend their entire lives. Because the animals are essentially contained in the crater we were able to see tons of animals in a short amount of time. We saw several prides of lions, huge flocks of flamingos and finally spied the elusive black rhino. The downside of the Crater is that there are lots of jeeps and tourists so it did not have the secluded wilderness feel of Klein’s Camp.

Our last stop was &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas. This was a semi-permanent camp that moves location several times of the year based on the migration. This experience had a romantic “Out of Africa” feel. Gorgeous canvas tents with lanterns and oriental carpets, bucket showers, and a beautiful communal area for tea and cocktails. Meals were set up outside right under the stars and we would hear the sounds of animals at night in our tents.

Wear

Layers. The temperature changes throughout the day so you want to have options. All of the camps do laundry so you really don’t need to bring that much.

Bring

I brought my leather Corroon Big Daddy which was roomy and sturdy enough to hold a camera, extra hats for the kids, binoculars (each family member needs their own pair), sunscreen, bug spray and snacks.