A little rushed at times, but a wonderful trip - It's a bit of cliché to say a travel experience was the trip of a lifetime. But in the case of the Bujo Tours 8-day tour of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, it's an apt description. First up was a game drive in Tarangire National Park, a perfect way to ease into life on the road. The park is small compared to its more famous neighbours but the wildlife is plentiful and easy to see. The second day we took the long drive to the Serengeti. It was just as spectacular as it looks in the nature documentaries -- a never-ending plain of dry grass, studded here and there with umbrella-like acacia trees. Because of its size, the animals were widely spread out and there were many periods when nothing much was visible. But when they appeared, the animal sightings were memorable: Plenty of giraffes, warthogs, gazelles, antelopes, hippo, crocs and even rarely-seen serval cats and a leopard in a tree. Several times, we got very close to lions, including an entire pride of a dozen animals, just a few yards away. We were amazed at how nonchalant lions can be, casually walking within a couple of paces of the truck, studiously ignoring us. One of the sights we most wanted to see was the Great Migration -- more than 1.5 million wildebeests on their way north toward Kenya. It was fascinating to see huge herds grazing just off the road, then suddenly forming single-file lines to continue their northward trek. The only disappointment was that the wildebeests were not ready to make the spectacular crossing of the Mara River. It's completely a matter of luck and our timing happened to be bad. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the trip was in the Ngorongoro Crater. The early morning mist and the the sun slowing creeping down the crater wall made for an enchanting atmosphere and animals were everywhere. The tour was very well run. It was a private tour, meaning we had our own driver/guide Freddy and our own cook, Aresto. Freddy has a keen eye and was usually the first to spot wildlife. He's very knowledgeable and happy to stop whenever we wanted a longer look. Aresto's meals were mostly delicious stews and curries. You should be aware that the accommodation throughout was safari tents, big enough for a 6-footer to stand in. We slept in sleeping bags on foam mats. If you're used to camping, you'll have no trouble with the accommodations. At night we could hear lions calling nearby, sometimes sounding like they were just outside our tent. (According to Freddy, one night they actually were!) I have few criticisms, but I do wish the pace of the safari was a little slower. Sometimes it felt like we were racing to fit in as much as possible. That was most notable in the Ngorongoro Crater. Soon after coming to the crater floor, Freddy got word that a black rhino was nearby. In our race to get there, we sped right past a huge herd of water buffalo right on the side of the road. In the end, we saw only a glimpse of the rhino about a kilometre away. I would far prefer to have spent time close to the water buffalo. We were only in the crater half a day. I would recommend spending a whole day there, even a day and a half. It's too nice a place to race through. But overall, it was a wonderful trip and I give Bujo Tours five stars.