At the start of November, the vast savannah of the southern Serengeti is impossibly dry and water extremely scarce. Great numbers of wildlife have left, following the rain and rivers to the north, leaving the remaining inhabitants to adapt.
But come early December, it’s a vastly different story; the rains have well and truly arrived, and with them the start of the Great Migration, as thousands of wildebeest head towards their calving grounds in the south of the Serengeti.
The precise start of migration varies each year. Depending on rainfall, sometimes smaller groups of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo move in first before the bulk follows. In other years it seems as though the entire herd arrives as one, blanketing the plains in huge numbers. Every day is different and extraordinary: one afternoon, you might see a just few thousand animals, only to find an ocean of wildlife the next morning, with wildebeest and zebra stretching as far as the eye can see.
The only permanent camp in this unspoiled and remote part of the Serengeti, Sanctuary Retreats’ luxurious Sanctuary Kusini Camp offers ringside seats to this incredible spectacle. Built around a striking kopje (rocky outcrop) overlooking the southern plains, the Camp’s location was specially selected after much research by the company’s guides and local experts.
Nestled in amongst the Acacias, twelve tastefully restyled and spacious open-plan ensuite tents each feature carefully thought-out views of the bush, making them the perfect hideaways for casual game viewing, sundowners and stargazing. Even better, a large private wooden veranda also extends in front of each tent, offering views of grazing wildlife on the plains below.
And it is a view worth coveting. Every year vast herds of zebra, wildebeest and other game congregate literally right at the Camp’s doorstep from mid-December to March the calving season, attracting plenty of attention of from predatory opportunists.
The local pride of lions surveys the plains from their strategic vantage point – Mowe Ya Simba (meaning literally the ‘Rock of the Lions’ in Swahili). Ghostly leopards also lie in wait, while cheetahs steer clear of the chaos caused by larger predators and take refuge in the rolling vast savannah. And of course, large clans of ever-present hyena roam in search of the weak, the wounded, and the ill – all of them ensuring there is rarely a dull moment for Kusini’s guests.
SPECIAL OFFER
2019 prices at Sanctuary Kusini start from USD475 per person per night, twin share, for 1 – 3 nights, including all meals and drinks (excluding premium brands) and transfers to and from the airstrip to the Camp plus a choice of two daily shared game viewing activities.
But for even better savings, take advantage of Sanctuary Retreats’ extended stay offer, when you stay at one or more of our properties including Sanctuary Kusini depending on your season of travel.
Stay 4 – 6 nights and save up to 30%.
Stay 7+ nights and save up to 40%.
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