The Great Migration rivals the Big Five as the crown jewel of an East Africa safari.  The Serengeti in northern Tanzania and the Masai Mara in southern Kenya set the stage for the mass movement of 1.5 million wildebeests and 200,000 zebras, who follow seasonal rains in a never-ending cycle across 150,000 square miles of protected wilderness.

The nomadic animals have journeyed symbiotically for millennia: zebras lead the way and eat the long grasses, and then wildebeest graze on the sweet shorter stalks. The zebras remember the course and keep a keen eye out for predators, while the wildebeest employ their superb sense of smell to track down water. Thousands of gazelles, eland, and impala share the route, and the herds are relentlessly pursued by lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.  Any encounter with the Great Migration is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the most thrilling annual spectacles require regional expertise and proper timing.

When it comes to choosing a Botswana safari camp, quality options abound.  All-inclusive standards are high, and guests are almost always entitled to their choice of two daily excursions centered around regional wildlife and seasonal opportunities.  With so many winning picks on the table, read on to learn why a few forerunners stand out from the rest.

You love travel. Your friends love travel. Why not share the love?

Right now, refer a friend to Global Basecamps, and if they book, we'll send you a $200 Visa gift card as a thank you. There's no limit to the number of referrals you can submit.

Kyoto's 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines are not solely responsible for the city’s year-round allure.  Kyoto tours will have you learning about Zen Buddhism while sipping matcha during a chanoyu (tea ceremony) and browsing the mile-long Nishiki food market for ingredients to cook in the kitchen of a traditional machiya (wooden town house).  You can try sake tasting, calligraphy, martial arts, or roketsu (wax-resist) dyeing, and each season offers a unique bouquet of matsuri (local festivals) to top it all off.

The only place on Earth inhabited by highly endangered mountain gorillas is the Albertine Rift Montane Forest of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The densely forested slopes are home to the planet's 786 rarest primates, who cannot survive in captivity.   The mountain gorillas' long, dark hair reflects the chilly high-altitude habitat that distinguishes them from their lowland cousins.