The roar of lions at dawn, the thrill of tracking huge herds across the plains, that blissful sundowner at the end of a magical day – there’s nothing quite like a wildlife-watching trip to East Africa.And the national parks of Kenya and Tanzania are some of the continent’s best, both for abundance of glorious species and accessibility of superb camps from which to watch them.You can combine tracking elephants in remote spots with crisp cotton sheets, cool drinks and meals that wouldn’t be out of place in a gourmet restaurant. There are so many highs when you’re on safari – close encounters with phenomenal wildlife, the once-in-alifetime bush dinner, falling asleep to the unique savannah soundtrack… but here are my personal favourites.

The Roar of the Lions...

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact caldera, a collapsed volcano brimming with wildlife. Descend the 600m into the crater by 4WD and keep your eyes peeled: more than 30,000 animals – including cheetah, wildebeest, elephant, lion, dik-dik, and warthog – live within this enormous natural bowl, the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa.

On a Bales safari you can be sure you’ll spot these mighty beasts – we guarantee you a window seat throughout your safari, so you’ve got the best views and photo opportunities, and we insist on a maximum of six passengers per vehicle. You’ll feel like you’ve got the lions and leopards all to yourself.

Ballooning above it all

It doesn’t get any better than this: for the ultimate in game viewing, set your alarm to early and rise above the savannah  or a sunrise balloon flight. The plains seem to stretch into forever as you float noiselessly above, watching huge herds from a bird’s perspective. And when it’s finally time to come down you can raise a glass of champagne to toast your unforgettable morning.

Wildebeest on the way

There are few sights on earth that can match the sheer magnificence of the Great Migration. Each year between July and September vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle sweep across the arid plains of East Africa, from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, playing out an endless, and sometimes dramatic, cycle of life.

A room with a view

Migration Camp lives up to its name: this luxurious tented camp in the northeastern Serengeti is the ideal spot from which to watch the annual Great Migration thunder by. Tucked within the rocks of picturesque Ndassiate Hill, the camp boasts sumptuous rooms, a wellstocked library, delicious meals – and those unsurpassable views of one of nature’s most dramatic spectacles.