Emmanuel and the Leopard

The wildebeest are concentrating around the Hidden Valley & Miti Mitatu area with some headed to Kusini due to lack of rains this past week around Ndutu. Nomad Tanzania guide, Emmanuel, has been seeing cats everywhere and a leopard that walked right in front of his car, stopping right on cue to pose for happy photographers in the vehicle, before climbing up a nearby tree.

He said it was one of the best close-up sightings he'd ever seen. Halifa has been seeing lots of newborn wildebeest and even a wildebeest giving birth. The guests with him, first-timers on safari, were suitably awed by it all.

"Like Moses parting the waves"

The wildebeest had started to divide up, some in the Hidden Valley area and then some starting to heads towards Maswa and the central Serengeti. However recent heavy rains in the Ndutu area, and the prospect of more rain coming, is expected to bring them all right back down again.

Nomad super-guide Richard Knocker, just back from a Serengeti Safari Camp safari, says “migration was fabulous and calving in full swing; big herds close by camp and game drives right into the middle of them, like Moses parting the waves. Also incredible cheetah sightings almost every day”.

Stacks of cats

Migration Update: big herds seen around Kusini & towards Maswa. Ndutu is currently dry and windy and generally there isn’t much rain around. All the guides report seeing stacks of cats and elephants whilst they’re out amongst the herds.

Lots of rain

Good rains in the southern Serengeti (around Ndutu especially) has meant that the migration is well scattered – Nomad safari guides reporting seeing big herds around Ndutu, Moru, Kusini and some in Piyaya. Our guide Halifa has had the most exciting week of all; seeing a buffalo giving birth and then fighting off a hyena, and a herd of wildebeest crossing Lake Ndutu. Rowland saw a honey badger and kept his distance!

They’re all reporting in from the field to say the general plains game sightings are great!! Our Serengeti Safari Camp is in Ndutu, well placed to catch all the action.

Happy Christmas from all of us!

The migration is scattered, many herds still seen around Moru, but many on their way down to Ndutu, in the Naabi Hill and some have gone across to the Gol Kopjes.

Rains in Ndutu and surrounds have meant lots of green grass and good grazing.

Cats are everywhere: Chediel and his clients saw a spectacular cheetah kill, mother feeding her cubs. Sylvanus watched a leopard and older cubs take down a young zebra. Everyone is in the Christmas holiday spirit and enjoying their safari – Happy Christmas to all from Nomad Tanzania and hope to see you on safari in 2011.

Lions on the viewing menu

Nomad guides are reporting seeing the migration stretched between Naabi, Moru and down to Ndutu. There has been some rain so the whole area has greened up nicely, especially around Ndutu where there has been quite a bit of rain. Lions are definitely on the viewing menu, as well as elephants and some great bird sightings.

Wildebeest all over the place

The wildebeest herds are scattered in rather fragmented herds between Lobo and Seronera; this isn’t unusual for this time of year, and the lack of heavy rains has meant they are more spread out and in smaller groups. Nomad guides have still had good cat sightings over the last week from our Serengeti Safari Camp in the central Serengeti.