7-Day Ndutu Calving Season Safari

After breakfast you leave Arusha for Lake Ndutu, on the edge of the southern Serengeti plains inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The drive takes five to six hours, and the last stretch is on rough dirt tracks across open grassland. You arrive for lunch, then spend the afternoon among the herds of wildebeest and zebra that gather on these short-grass plains in the wet season. Dinner and the night are at your camp.

A full day around Lake Ndutu and the neighbouring plains, in the middle of the calving grounds. From late January to March hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves are born here within a few weeks, and you may watch a newborn find its feet within minutes of birth. The easy prey draws lion, cheetah and spotted hyena, so this is one of the best times of year for predator sightings. Your guide will follow the herds wherever the grazing has drawn them.

After breakfast you drive north across the plains to Seronera in the central Serengeti, game viewing as you go. Elephant, giraffe and buffalo are common along the way, and the granite kopjes are worth checking for resting lions. You arrive at your camp for lunch, then head out in the afternoon to explore the Seronera valley, known for its lion prides and for leopards resting in the trees along the river.

A full day in the central Serengeti. The Seronera River keeps water in the area all year, so resident wildlife stays close: lion, leopard and cheetah, as well as elephant, giraffe, buffalo, topi and hartebeest. You can start at dawn and return for breakfast, or stay out from morning to late afternoon with a picnic lunch. Your guide shapes the day around what you most want to see.

After breakfast you drive from Seronera to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a journey of three to four hours, arriving for lunch. In the afternoon you descend into the crater, home to about 25,000 large animals, including black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo. You climb back out in the late afternoon for dinner and your last night on safari near the crater rim.

After a relaxed breakfast with a view over the highlands, you drive back to Arusha, about three to four hours, with a stop for lunch on the way. If you would like to shop for crafts, the stalls at Mto wa Mbu are a good place to break the journey. You reach Arusha in the afternoon, where we take you to your hotel or on to Kilimanjaro International Airport for an evening flight.