The Kogatende Area: It’s not just for river crossings!

When you fly into the Kogatende area of the Northern Serengeti, you first see woodlands and a beautiful kopje area and then you notice the Mara River snaking its way through the land. We first visited this location to hopefully film a river crossing as the migration, the mixed herds of wildebeest, zebra and topi, come back into the Serengeti from the Masai Mara of Kenya. The Mara River in this part of Tanzania is much different than in Kenya: the river is wider and more open in many spots, there are more rocks and ledges that the animals have to maneuver and there are at least ten different crossing sites along a 15km stretch of the river. But if you spend all of your time sitting by the river, hoping for a crossing, betting that you are at the correct crossing location, you will miss the true magic of this area.

Leaving our camp of choice, Karibu River Camp, you have a high likelihood of catching a beautiful sunrise. As you travel along the main road past small rivers and acacia stands, the bird life is amazing and of course, you may see the normal cast of characters, such as giraffe, elephants and the largest of the African antelope: the eland. The trick with this animal is to try and catch it as it leaps while running, a feat that will take the animal across the track in just one bound. Don’t forget to drive along the Sand River or along the Bologonja River looking for black rhinos or cheetahs.