The Mara River- A place where wildlife meets conflict: in its millions. The migration is a constant dynamic. But at one point during the cycle, a major obstacle stands in the way of the momentum. At first it causes a stutter and a pause, but then the surge comes, and millions of animals cross the Mara River in one of the most spectacular wildlife scenes on earth. C4 Images and Safaris have reserved a small, intimate camp on the Oloololo Escarpment, overlooking the Masai Mara, in perhaps the best time of year to see this phenomenon.

In addition to the Mara River crossing, the reserve offers some of the best cheetah viewing on the continent as well as some of the largest prides of lion. For the connoisseurs, the Masai Mara also offers a number of other species including the delightful Kirks dikdik; topi; eland; Coke's hartebeest; buffalo and black rhino. On the birding front, the Mara offers excellent raptor viewing plus a few specials like Rosy-breasted Longclaw and Schalow's Turaco.
Perhaps the best part of the Mara however, is the panoramic landscape, which consists of rolling grass plains dotted with isolated umbrella-shaped trees.

Founder and professional wildlife photographer Shem Compion and specialist photographic safari guide Greg du Toit will be leading the tour. Greg is an expert on the Masai Mara and has been photographing the annual migration for the last five years. He knows the wildebeest's movements and favourite river-crossing points and has intimate knowledge of the ecosystem in general. With Greg and Shem as your guides, you will be taken to the far-flung corners of the Masai Mara, you will not only get to experience the migration, but also the beauty, freedom and wilderness of one of Africa's greatest ecosystems.

Day 1:
Depart from Jhb and arrive Nairobi, Kenya. 1 night accommodation- Karen Blixen house.

Day 2:
Flight transfer from Nairobi to Masai Mara. Road transfer to Oloololo Escarpment, 6 nights accommodation.

Day 3 - 7:
Masai Mara, tracking the migration.

Day 8:
Flight transfer to Nairobi, road transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Arrival in Jhb early evening.
End of tour.

Breakdown of itinerary

Day 1: 1 Night accommodation in Karen Blixen House

Leave Jhb on SAA flight 182 and arrive in Kenya's capital of Nairobi in the early afternoon. A simple 45 minute transfer will then take us to the old colonial suburb of Karen and indeed where the famous Karen Blixen once lived. There will be time in the afternoon for a visit to Karen Blixen's old farmhouse beneath the famous Ngong Hills, for those who are interested. We will overnight in Karen where you will get a feel for the old colonial lifestyle of Kenya, far from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi City.

Day 2: 6 Nights accommodation in Tented Camp

We depart for the Masai Mara at 10am on a slightly smaller aircraft than we arrived in and we touch down at Kichwa Airstrip after a short 1-hour flight. From there we are transferred by road to our base camp situated on the famous Oloololo Escarpment overlooking the Masai Mara. You will be staying in a classic East African style safari camp consisting of canvas tents, staffed by local Masai. While you will have en-suite bathrooms with flush loos, you will be showering in the traditional safari way using a bucket filled with hot water and hoisted on a rope and pulley. While traditional, the camp is comfortable with large beds and private verandah's overlooking the vast plains of the Masai Mara.That afternoon we will enter the reserve for the first time and sample one of Africa's greatest ecosystems.

Day 3 - 7:
For these five full days, we will focus on showing you the best of the Masai Mara and this will include tracking the migration and getting to the heart of the action. Depending on how and where the migration is moving, we might indeed spend whole days in the reserve taking a picnic lunch and enjoying a day in the wilderness. We will find the best crossing points on the mighty Mara River and spend pleasant hours watching the wildebeest mass on the banks with hungry crocs waiting below. If we are patient enough and fortune favours us, we will witness a wildebeest crossing, arguably the most spectacular wildlife event on the planet. Besides tracking and following the migration, we will search for as many predators as possible, including cheetah, as the great plains are home to these majestic cats. You will also enjoy unfamiliar sights of general game such as Topi standing aloft termite mounds and tiny shy dikdiks going about their daily routine. The Maraalso houses some of the largest buffalo bulls on the continent and a huge density of raptors.

Our time in the Masai Mara will not just be about the wildlife though. Greg will take you to seldom-visited parts of the ecosystem and indeed right up to the southern boundary where the Masai Mara and Serengeti adjoin.Here, there is little human traffic, and we will enjoy the peace and quiet of the great plains as well as some private game viewing. This element of our safari is unique as most safari operators concentrate all their efforts on the river but we feel that by combining superb game viewing with a wilderness experience, we will offer our guests the very best of the Masai Mara.

The evenings will be spent sitting around the camp fire where Greg can explain a little bit more about the fascinating Maasai culture and the Masai Mara reserve and East African conservation issues in general.Having lived in East Africa for four years, he can share with you some of his insight into this special part of Africa. When the coals die down, we head for bed only to begin again at first light.

Day 7:
We have a bit of a lie-in or for those early birds; you can enjoy sipping tea or coffee overlooking the plains from your tent whilst watching the sunrise. After a traditional English breakfast, we depart for the airstrip at 10am to land back in Nairobi by 12pm. There is then a short transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and we board flight SA183 to arrive back in Jhb at 7 pm

As a special offer for this 'Migration Safari', each guest will receive a CD documenting the safari, which will be compiled from photographs taken by Greg during the trip and mailed to you after the safari. This will hopefully serve to not only remind you but also allow you to share with others, what we hope will be a safari of a lifetime.

C4 Images and Safaris look forward to hosting you in the Masai Mara for the greatest wildlife show on the planet!

What our Safari includes:

The above costs include:

• Pickup and transport for the entire Safari and drop off at your destination.
• Entrance and accommodation (2 persons per tent) to all reserves.
• All meals.
• Game activities, drives and walks.
• The services of our guides

• Gratuities to staff and guides.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Extra activities not included.
• Personal expenses
• Travel insurance
• Travel visas