Crowding at sightings in Kenya and Tanzania?
Oct 11th, 2007 | 09:04 AM
#21
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2006
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<b>Hi Bill,
For Feb/March 2009 when do you recommend i start making reservations?</b>
Hi Hari,
It was tough getting reservations at one lodge 10-11 months in advance, other lodges it was no problem. So a year or a bit more should be OK.
<b>Do you recommend Feb over March or vice-versa and why?</b>
Mid-January thru mid-March should all be good ... later in March there's more chance of rains. We've gone twice (2006, 2007) the last two weeks of January and done well but the wildebeest birthing is a bit later than this so go a bit later if that's something you wish to see.
<b>Would you recommend particular places to stay?</b>
Ndutu is the only lodge in that area, plus a goodly number of tented camps either close to Ndutu or near Moru kopjes or similar. Ndutu fills up very early, the tented camps seem to have openings though.
I know you have a strong interest in cheetahs, so I'd try to get to Gol kopjes early a couple days if I were you (about an hour from Ndutu, maybe a bit less from Moru area, much less if camping near Naabi Hill).
Also, the 'short wet' rains in Nov and Dec seem to have a tremendous impact on what you see ... in Jan 2006 there had been little rain and the short grass was very dry, so few wildebeests out there (no water, little forage) and I think we saw six cheetahs around Ndutu. In Jan 2007 it was reversed, with so much heavy rain in Dec that areas were flooded and the grass was lush, with plenty of water pockets. We saw 17 cheetah around Ndutu (plus 3 more at Manyara and Ngorongoro) as they were able to follow gazelles on the short grass. And several times we got into the huge wildebeest herds, something that we didn't even see in the dry year because they were still scattered in the woodlands where there was water and forage.
So you want heavy rains before you get there to get the grass to spring up, then 2-3 weeks of no rain to dry it out so you can drive on it, for ideal conditions.
Good luck with your planning.
Bill
For Feb/March 2009 when do you recommend i start making reservations?</b>
Hi Hari,
It was tough getting reservations at one lodge 10-11 months in advance, other lodges it was no problem. So a year or a bit more should be OK.
<b>Do you recommend Feb over March or vice-versa and why?</b>
Mid-January thru mid-March should all be good ... later in March there's more chance of rains. We've gone twice (2006, 2007) the last two weeks of January and done well but the wildebeest birthing is a bit later than this so go a bit later if that's something you wish to see.
<b>Would you recommend particular places to stay?</b>
Ndutu is the only lodge in that area, plus a goodly number of tented camps either close to Ndutu or near Moru kopjes or similar. Ndutu fills up very early, the tented camps seem to have openings though.
I know you have a strong interest in cheetahs, so I'd try to get to Gol kopjes early a couple days if I were you (about an hour from Ndutu, maybe a bit less from Moru area, much less if camping near Naabi Hill).
Also, the 'short wet' rains in Nov and Dec seem to have a tremendous impact on what you see ... in Jan 2006 there had been little rain and the short grass was very dry, so few wildebeests out there (no water, little forage) and I think we saw six cheetahs around Ndutu. In Jan 2007 it was reversed, with so much heavy rain in Dec that areas were flooded and the grass was lush, with plenty of water pockets. We saw 17 cheetah around Ndutu (plus 3 more at Manyara and Ngorongoro) as they were able to follow gazelles on the short grass. And several times we got into the huge wildebeest herds, something that we didn't even see in the dry year because they were still scattered in the woodlands where there was water and forage.
So you want heavy rains before you get there to get the grass to spring up, then 2-3 weeks of no rain to dry it out so you can drive on it, for ideal conditions.
Good luck with your planning.
Bill
