augur buzzard

augur buzzard - at the Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.
Tips from my vacation: If you're doing the Tanzania tourist circuit, chances are Ngorongoro is on your itinerary. Lodges are tucked into the crater with beautiful views. Because of the perfect grazing conditions, the animals are said to be 'residents' and (most) don't migrate. The abundant variety in the concentrated area almost guarantees sightings and is a great safari if you have limited time in Tanzania, but it's a 4hr drive from Arusha airport. Most tours do an overnight in Arusha, with a stop the next day at Lake Manyara National Park (which wasn't that great), but it works well as a half-day safari considering the long drive to the crater.
After a lot of research I booked a group tour with Tauck - Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari tour. The itinerary is good for a first-time safari and gives you a taste of everything: Serengeti National Park, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Mount Kenya area, Lake Manyara National Park, Arusha - but to accommodate that, there is a lot of long driving. We stayed in some really great hotels, food was buffet style at breakfast and lunch, with a 3-course selection at dinner. Nice optional and included activities.
We had a group of three jeeps with six people per jeep (bit of a tight fit, but the norm for group trips). If you like group tours, this is a good one, and it's a good company to facilitate a lot of moving parts. Not the best outfitted jeeps; for instance, other companies have warm ponchos and hot water bottles - we just had tiny, thin blankets - so bring a lot of layers so you can enjoy the cold mornings and nights.
My suggestions: Get your own jeep. The shaky bits of my other 2018 video on safari are due to other people in the jeep jumping around trying to get their shot - fair enough; and sometimes bumping into me - not cool, but that's group travel for ya. To avoid this, book your group trip with 5 other friends so your group gets your own jeep. Or if less than 6, pay extra for your own jeep. Getting one allows you to stay as long (or as short) as you want in a particular spot. And then there's more room to use a tripod which I couldn't do on this trip. In mixed group trips, the guides work hard to 'check boxes' so everyone sees as many animals as possible and you don't get much of a vote in what you do or see. So having your own jeep allows you to customize to your preferences.
Next tip, don't buy 'safari clothes' - just bring a mix of layers. This 2018 trip was my first African safari and I couldn't believe all the people in full 'safari' outfits. Keep it simple - hiking tops and pants that wick moisture and keep you warm are perfect (and you can use them year-round, not just when you go on safari).