Where can I see the great migration of African animals?

There should be many friends interested in things related to the great migration of animals. The following small series will tell you where you can see immigrants besides Kenya.

: Introduction

1. First of all, if you go to Kenya to watch the great migration, it must be July and August in summer, because only in these two months will animals migrate from Tanzania to Kenya to eat grass, and at the same time they need to cross a river of death, which is called crossing heaven (follow-up).

2. Is it very hot in summer in Kenya? Sorry, you are going to Africa in summer! The average annual temperature in Kenya is 27 degrees. In July and August, most of our northern cities, Shanghai and Guangzhou, were experiencing hot summers, but Kenya ushered in the coolest month of the year. Every year, from June when the dry season comes to 10, Kenya maintains a comfortable and cool temperature.

Can't you see the great migration except during the summer vacation? Don't! Is there no place to watch the Great Migration except Kenya? Don't! To solve this misunderstanding, we first need to explain what is the great migration of animals in East Africa.

The Great Migration of Wild Animals in East Africa, also known as the Great Migration of wildebeests, generally refers to one million wildebeests. Thousands of zebras and antelopes form a huge team, and migrate regularly every year to find water and grass, from Serengeti Nature Reserve in Tanzania to Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. After arriving at the destination, due to climate change, in just two or three months, the expedition army composed of more than two million herbivores will once again take pains to chase the grassland and return to Serengeti. The whole cycle can be called migration cycle.

It can be clearly seen from the migration map above that the large-scale migration of animals in Kenya only accounts for 20% of the time (mainly in July and August), and the other 80% of the time is in the Serengeti grassland in Tanzania, which is below the red dotted line. Then why do people only know about the Great Migration of Kenya? The main reason is that in July and August, animals arrived at the junction of Tanzania and Kenya: the Mara River. The migration of the team across the Mara River is also called "crossing heaven". The Mara River is home to a large number of crocodiles and hippos. They also know that animals migrate here at this time. At this time, natural selection, survival of the fittest will be staged!

A river separated by yin and yang! Because this scene is so cruel and heroic, many news documentaries lead to the main scenes of animal migration that many people understand. It is also the main reason why more than 200,000 people from all over the world flock to the Mara River in Kenya to watch animal migration every July and August!

But animals will only stay here for about 2 months, because the area of Masai Mara is about10.5 million square kilometers, which is only about one tenth of Serengeti grassland. Nearly 3 million animals ate almost all the grass in Masai Mara in two months. As the rain moves south, herbivores will cross the Mara River south again and enter Serengeti to start a new round of grass-seeking journey. During the long journey, animals will pass through the three main habitats of Serengeti-grassland in the south, woodland in the north, Grumiti River, Serungla River and Mara River in the north.

Tank contrast

Masai Mara in Kenya is undoubtedly a paradise for animals. There are really many animals, and there is a great chance of meeting cats. However, due to too many reports, Kenya is currently developing mass tourism, with low consumption, developed infrastructure and more hotels of different grades and types. Due to the influx of tourists in recent years, the commercialization of Kenya's tourism industry has become more and more obvious. In order to please tourists, tour guides trample on grasslands at will, which is reported to happen frequently. The most spectacular paradise trip can be seen in Kenya, because the banks of the Mara River in Kenya are steep, the riverbed is narrow and the river is deep, and the scene is spectacular. But at the same time, you should also be prepared to watch this spectacular scene with nearly 20W guests. If you want to take pictures, a large group of people may make it difficult for you to take pictures. August is the tourist season in Kenya. There are many cars in the park, and sometimes you can even see a dozen cars around the lions.

At present, Tanzania's tourism is dominated by "development without sacrificing the environment".

Tanzania attaches more importance to animal protection than Kenya and strictly limits the number of tourists in Serengeti National Park. And strictly limit the number and grade of hotels. The number of hotels is small and the price is expensive. Tanzania even closed the passage between Masai Mara and Serengeti at 1977! Which is Shahiman. Such Kenyan tourists cannot directly enter Serengeti from Masai Mara, so they have to detour Arusha or Mwanza, which takes 12 hours. In this way, most tourists who go to Kenya will not spend more time and money and make a special trip to Serengeti.

The area of Serengeti is 8- 10 times that of horse racing. It is a more primitive and pure wildlife hunting experience and a deep photography experience in East Africa. You can see the most animals and species, and have more opportunities to see the five African tyrants: lions, bison, cheetahs, rhinoceroses and elephants. Serengeti National Park has the largest number of animals in the world. Less tourists, better experience, just like a person hunting in the vast African grassland, the hotel standard is also relatively high.

Tips:

So how do we choose to go to Kenya or Tanzania?

Actually, there is no standard answer here. Every country has its own characteristics. I suggest that you can choose according to the budget and time!

The following are the differences between the two countries:

Advantages of going to Kenya: 1. The spectacular sight of animals crossing the river. 2. The price is lower. There are many tour groups in the summer vacation, so it is easy to choose and arrange.

Disadvantages of going to Kenya: 1. There are many tourists and people in summer vacation, so it may be difficult to take clean photos. Lions and leopards still have more opportunities to see in Serengeti.

Benefits of going to Tanzania: 1. You can see the great migration of animals almost 365 days a year. (On the border between the two countries in July and August) 2. You can see the most animals and species, and the species and quantity of animals in Serengeti National Park are second to none in the world. 3. Less tourists, better experience. It's like hunting alone on the vast African grassland. 4. Serengeti National Park has higher level and grade of roads, communications and hotel services than Masai Mara.

Disadvantages of going to Tanzania: expensive, the main reason! The same tour time is expected to be 30% or even 50% more expensive than Kenya.

Notes before departure in Tanzania

1. visa

You can get a visa when you arrive in Tanzania. You only need to provide a passport valid for more than 6 months, travel itinerary in Tanzania, printed e-ticket and yellow fever vaccine yellow book, and the cost is 50 dollars. Upon arrival, fill in the "Entry Card" first (only the entry card is needed, no other cards or certificates are needed); To go to Tanzania, you must fill in "travel", otherwise you will be charged a business visa or temporary work permit fee; Please fill in the round-trip ticket for your stay in Tanzania.

2. Yellow-faced woman

Tanzania must have an international vaccination certificate (yellow book) to prevent yellow fever, which can be vaccinated in international travel health care centers in cities of China. Hubei International Travel Health Care Center Address: No.453, Luoshi Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan. Vaccination is free, valid on 10 day after vaccination and valid on 10 year.

3. Currency

The currency of Tanzania is shilling, which is exchanged in US dollars. The exchange rate is about 1:2 100. (Be sure to bring US dollars after the 2003 edition. In addition, a certain amount of dollars must be exchanged for small expenses at home. Tanzania is a tipping country. Baggage porters, security guards and room cleaners spend about $65,438 +0-2 each time.

4. Time difference

Tanzania adopts time 3, which is 5 hours later than Beijing time. That is, noon Beijing time 12 is 7: 00 a.m. East Africa time.

: Suggested equipment (including photographic equipment)

1. Copies of passports, photos, air tickets, travel plans and other important travel documents are kept in two sets.

2. In Tanzania (especially in nature reserves), the temperature difference between day and night is very large and the light is very strong, so quick-drying T-shirts, leather coats, jackets, coats, sun hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and magic headscarves are all necessary.

3. There are many electronic devices, English conversion plugs and multi-port USB charging cable boards. It is recommended to carry it.

4. Anti-mosquito products must be brought. The yellow needle has mosquito repellent stickers from the army over there. Just buy it.

As far as photographic equipment is concerned, bring the best camera you can find if conditions permit. The lens has at least one telephoto and one telephoto. It is best not to change the lens in the open air when shooting wild animals. And it's too late to change the lens when shooting wild animals. Let me give you a hint. Agree with the team members in the same group who will take the details and big scenes, and finally share the photos to avoid the problem of changing the lens. )

6. The wider the wide angle, the better. The longer the telephoto, the better. The bigger the memory card, the better! Tripod is not recommended. SAFARI spends most of her time in the car, so she doesn't use it much. On the contrary, it is suggested to bring a light bean bag, because when we are in the Mara River, we always shoot in the car and can't get off. Stability with bean bags is the only way.

Animal diagram

Be sure to look at the following illustrations of these animals before you go to Africa Wild National Park. You will recognize them. Make them famous!

First of all, you must know the five African tyrants.

A detailed description of large animals

Grass detailed explanation

Detailed explanation of birds and beasts

Other animals

: animal shooting skills

1. Wide-angle exaggeration: If there is an animal in front, take the opportunity to adjust the lens to the widest state and leave a big photo for it.

2. Silhouette shooting: When shooting, put the horizon very low and make the sky whiter. Can show the silhouette effect of animals. Animals must be in the background of strong light ratio to take a silhouette effect.

3. Diagonal composition: At the moment of crossing the river, the diagonal gives people a spectacular vision.

4. Contrast composition: blur the grass behind and highlight the lion. Distance, height, figure, reality.

5. Symmetrical composition:

Generally, as long as the water surface is calm, it can be photographed. But the composition should not be too compact, so we must leave appropriate space to explain the shooting environment.

General skills of photography

Understand animal habits and local environment

In Tanzania, although wild animals can be seen everywhere, their active nature determines that shooting will not be very smooth, and wonderful moments are often missed in the blink of an eye. Therefore, to shoot wild animals, we must first fully understand their habits, have a certain understanding of nature, and know when they rest, eat and move. Secondly, we need to know something about the living environment of animals, so as to choose the required photographic equipment and set the shooting parameters of the camera in advance according to the terrain and lighting conditions of the shooting place.

The biggest difference between shooting wild animals and other subjects lies in the uncontrollable nature of the subjects. You can't ask animals to cooperate with shooting, so it's difficult to guide and communicate. You can only observe carefully, wait passively, and find the right time to shoot. So every wonderful picture of wild animals is hard to come by.

Serengeti

Serengeti National Park is located in the west of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, west-northwest of Arusha 130 km away. Part of the narrow strip extends westward to Lake Victoria for 8 kilometers and northward to the Kenyan border. 1940 and become a protected area; 1929, 228,600 hectares in the middle of Serengeti were designated as hunting reserves; The national park was built in 195 1 year; Expanded in 1959. As the Serengeti-Ngorongoro Biological Reserve in the Man and Ecology Program of UNESCO, it was internationally recognized and listed in the World Heritage List in the same year.

Most people who come to Serengeti will be completely fascinated by the spectacular sight of animal migration. In fact, what really fascinates Serengeti is its entire ecosystem, including migratory animals and animals that do not migrate all the year round. There are several places in Serengeti, and whenever you go, you can always enjoy the fascinating wildlife scenery. Many places are also good places for wildlife sightseeing all year round. There are many permanent residents who do not participate in migration, such as lions and cheetahs. For tourists who love Serengeti, even in the dry season, the barren and desolate places on the southern plains are full of charm, because they can just study the survival strategies of wild animals living here.

The annual migration of animals in Serengeti grassland is the greatest natural landscape in the world. Animals migrate in search of water and pasture. From the air, the migration scene is particularly spectacular-about 6.5438+0.5 million wildebeests and zebras will cruise Serengeti on a large scale every year. They are like a giant rumbling lawn mower sweeping across the grassland, giving back an average of 450 tons of excrement to the earth every day. In addition to wildebeests and zebras, there are about 300,000 Thomson gazelles and 30,000 Grant gazelles on this migration road. The expanding migration team has formed a shocking huge herd.

For an ordinary tourist, no matter where you come from in the world, you will be warmly treated. But the Serengeti is too big, so in different seasons, different routes, different weather and even different drivers, you will see different natural scenes and meet different animals by chance. No matter what you see is all of the five African countries, you have caught up with the spectacular scene without great migration and the thrilling scene without the law of the jungle. I believe I will be shocked, because this is the wild world.

.07.22

Canon EOS 5 dmarkivef 70-300 MMF/4-5.6 lisusm

300mm 1/400ISO 1000 electric vehicle

Zebra and wildebeest are the most common when you come to Serengeti Prairie. The scene in the photo is the most common on the grassland.

Ngorongoro volcano

More than 2 million years ago, a volcano in the Great Rift Valley in northern Tanzania suddenly erupted, leaving a crater 19 km long, hence the name Ngorongoro. It is the second largest crater in the world. Over time, it gradually formed a complete ecosystem, providing habitats for tens of millions of animals. It is also called "the Garden of Eden in Africa". It is shaped like a bowl. Animals live at the bottom of the bowl year after year, unlike animals in Serengeti who always migrate. For the animals in Ngoro crater, this is their home, and they will never leave from birth to death. There are 25,000-30,000 animals living at the bottom of the crater. Besides zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, leopards, jackals and wildebeests, there are a large number of black rhinos.

Manyala L.

Lake Manyala National Park is located in northern Tanzania. The entrance is located to the west of Arusha. Lake Manyala, which stretches for 50 kilometers at the bottom of the rust-colored and golden cliff in the 600-meter-deep rift valley in East Africa, is a gem. Hemingway once praised, "This is the loveliest place in Africa." Manyala can watch animals intensively, which is a virtual miniature landscape of Tanzania Wildlife Park.

Manyala is the best place to learn about the life of birds in Tanzania. There are more than 400 recorded species of birds. Even visitors to Africa for the first time can see 100 kinds of birds in one day. The most striking birds include thousands of pink flamingos that migrate permanently, and other large waterfowl, such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

If you need to shoot the details of flamingos, it is recommended to take more than 400 shots.

Mount Kilimanjaro (the highest peak in Africa)

Kilimanjaro International Airport, located between Mohi and Arusha, is one of the three major international airports in Tanzania (the other two are Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar). Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 meters above sea level), the highest peak in Africa, is located in Moxi, the northernmost town in Tanzania bordering Kenya. It is the watershed between Tanzania and Kenya, the highest mountain in Africa, and also a volcano and snow-capped mountain. The main body of the mountain extends nearly 80 kilometers from east to west, and it is mainly composed of three extinct volcanoes, Kibo, Marvin West and Sheila, covering an area of 756 square kilometers. Its central volcano tapers towards Mount Hulu, with an altitude of 5,895 meters, which is the highest point in Africa. Kilimanjaro is called "the roof of Africa" and many geographers call it "the king of Africa". The main body of the mountain inclines to the plain below, showing a typical volcanic curve. The height of this plain is about 900 meters above sea level. The top of the mountain is covered with snow all year round, but the phenomenon of glacier melting is very serious. If you want to climb the roof of Africa, you must go to Moxi Town and start climbing from here. According to some data, Kilimanjaro is the only mountain in several continents where hikers who have not received professional mountaineering training are likely to climb to the top.

Tips:

Tip: In several countries on the equator in Africa, the temperature is relatively high all year round, but it is cooler at night. If you want to climb the mountain, you should prepare clothes that pass the secondary temperature. It is necessary to prepare quick-drying series short (long) sleeve shirts, quick-drying pants that can be disassembled into shorts, jungle hats, raincoats and other equatorial equipment, as well as sweat-wicking thermal underwear, windproof fleece pants, emergency clothes, down jackets, thick socks (at least 2 pairs), thin gloves and down gloves. Need waterproof hiking shoes and sandals. 1200 grams of cashmere is enough for sleeping bags, because the 4700-meter assault camp can live in wooden houses. Sunglasses, sunscreen and sunscreen lipstick are of course essential.