Top 10 Best-value Ndutu Safari Lodges & Camps

By Anthony Ham

A region within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and like a mini Serengeti National Park (which lies just to the north), Ndutu has much the same wildlife and savannah landscapes as its larger neighbor, but almost always without the crowds. Waiting to welcome travelers is an outstanding collection of tented camps and lodges, and they’re joined by mobile tented camps when the great wildebeest migration passes through the area around January and February. With each Ndutu lodge or camp occupying its own corner of this superb wildlife-viewing area, you can also expect a real sense of bush isolation wherever you stay.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

402 Ndutu Tours

1. Africa Safari South Serengeti

Africa Safari South Serengeti offers a classic under-canvas Ndutu experience

Whether you call the area Ndutu or South Serengeti as they do here, Africa Safari South Serengeti has a stirring location atop the savannah grasslands that are the essence of the region. Nearby, there are the Serengeti’s signature acacia trees at every turn. They offer two main types of safari tents: Safari Comfort (with a family variation available) and Safari Luxury Glamping. Although they are slightly different in size and design, they’re both large and face out onto the wildlife-filled plains. Their elegant wooden furnishings add a touch of permanence to the safari tent experience. There is also an option of a simpler basic safari tent with shared facilities, perfect for budget-conscious travelers.

This is what staying in Ndutu (and the Serengeti) is all about: sleeping under canvas and listening for lions and other animals passing nearby in one of the world’s best wildlife destinations. There’s a dining tent, and the service is excellent.

109 Africa Safari South Serengeti Tours

2. Ndutu Heritage Camp

Ndutu Heritage Camp is a simple tented camp south of the Serengeti in a top wildlife area

When it comes to feeling like you’re a part of the wild in Ndutu, simplicity is a wonderful thing. The safari tents here, with simple furnishings and raffia mats, are canvas classics and all face out onto the surrounding grasslands. Don’t be surprised if an elephant wanders right by your tent, or a lion roars nearby while you’re lying in bed. The firepit is ideal for an evening drink with newfound friends beneath an astonishing spray of stars.
There’s also a dining tent, and after dark a Maasai warrior will escort you back to the safety of your tent. The location also gives you a front-row seat for some of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Africa.

84 Ndutu Heritage Camp Tours

3. Tanzania Bush Camps Ndutu Mobile Camp

Tanzania Bush Camps Ndutu Mobile Camp This mobile camp appears in Ndutu from December to March, perfect for catching the great migration

Close to marshlands and flamingo-filled waters, which are such a feature of Ndutu, Tanzania Bush Camps Ndutu Mobile Camp occupies the area from December to March. In ‘normal years’ (although nothing is guaranteed, of course), the camp’s location puts it right in the path of the great migration, promising a privileged position as the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle pass through on their annual circuit. The camp itself is simple, with canvas walls and floors, but you’ll still marvel at how they manage to create so much comfort out of nothing for four months every year.

61 Tanzania Bush Camps Ndutu Tours

4. Kontiki Ndutu Camp

Kontiki Ndutu Camp is a fine tented camp with lovely safari tents and lots of animals close by

Everything that is good about staying in a tented camp in northern Tanzania is found in the Kontiki Ndutu Camp. For a start, the location is ideal, surrounded as it is by savannah grasslands, light acacia woodlands and the wildlife for which Ndutu is famous. Then you have the safari tents that combine comfort and style (with wooden floors and furnishings) with the canvas that lets in the night sounds of Africa, allowing you to feel like you really are out in the African wilds.

Expect also warm and friendly service, and meals of a much higher quality than you might expect out here, miles from anywhere.

45 Kontiki Ndutu Camp Tours

5. Ang’ata Migration – Ndutu Camp

Ang’ata Migration – Ndutu Camp is surrounded by acacias and combines comfort with a fine location

Hidden away in an acacia forest close to Lake Masek and Lake Ndutu, Ang’ata Migration – Ndutu Camp is the kind of place where you can sit on your safari tent’s private terrace and wonder when the next lion or elephant will wander past. Well-positioned for when the great migration passes through, Ang’ata is all about the location, which is one of the best south of the Serengeti. The tents have sturdy wood furnishings and you’ll see and hear all kinds of wildlife pass right through the camp. Excellent service and tasty meals are also features of staying here.

22 Ang'ata Migration Ndutu Tours

6. Masek Tented Lodge

Masek Tented Lodge has large tents in a fabulous location, making it a top Ndutu base

Large tents, a swimming pool, a fantastic location close to waters where flamingos often wade: Masek Tented Lodge is a terrific place and one of the best bases for exploring the Ndutu area for a few days. The raised tents come with wood floors, elegant furnishings and lots of space; some even have elevated views over the water. The grassy surrounds and acacia trees make this feel like a classic East African bush experience, and everything here is excellent, from the food to the service. And, of course, there are always lots of animals nearby – sometimes they even wander through camp.

20 Masek Tented Lodge Tours

7. Nyikani Migration Camp Ndutu

The outstanding Nyikani Migration Camp Ndutu has fine tents and stays in Ndutu from December to March

One of the loveliest mobile camps in the Ndutu area, Nyikani Migration Camp Ndutu arrives in the region in December and stays into March. Its presence at this time is designed to catch the great migration as it moves through Ndutu. It’s a pretty spectacular time to be here – thousands of wildebeest give birth every day in Ndutu when the migration is happening, before heading north into the Serengeti. Acacias, grasslands and flamingo-filled lakes are all nearby, while the tents where you sleep have colorful safari decor and sturdy wooden furnishings.

13 Nyikani Migration Camp Ndutu Tours

8. Ndutu Safari Lodge

Ndutu Safari Lodge is a classic safari lodge with high-quality rooms and amenities

One of the larger lodges in the Ndutu area, Ndutu Safari Lodge has 34 bungalows with stone walls and thatched roofs. Each has its own private terrace that looks out over acacias and grasslands. This being Ndutu, it’s not unusual for an elephant to pass by, a lion to roar close at hand, or, during the great migration, for a wildebeest-and-zebra herd to move noisily through the property. Warm, personal service, nightly campfires, excellent meals and even a gym and spa are all a standard part of the experience of staying here.

Ndutu Safari Lodge Tours

9. Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge

Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge This luxury tented lodge has a top location, excellent safari tents, great facilities and big views

Occupying a privileged location overlooking the plains of Ndutu, and wonderfully well positioned for exploring the Southern Serengeti, Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge is a top choice in a fabulous wildlife area. Everything here – from the elevated safari tents and swimming pool to the restaurant and other public areas – takes advantage of the location with sweeping views. The superb safari tents have hardwood floors and a distinct sense of luxury, while umbrella acacia trees fill the surrounding countryside, all the way down to the shores of Lake Ndutu.

Lake Ndutu Tented Lodge Tours

10. Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp

Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp is an outstanding mobile camp that occupies Ndutu early in the year

One of the better mobile camps to move through the world of Ndutu and the Greater Serengeti, Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp feels like a permanent camp, thanks to the quality and comfort of its furnishings. Its Ndutu location through the first months of the year puts you in the perfect position to catch the great migration, and its carefully chosen locales capture the essence of Ndutu, with easy access to the lake, sweeping plains and light acacia woodlands.

Unlike many mobile camps that rely solely on canvas, Nasikia’s safari tents have more than just the basics, with elegant safari decor and lots of local wood, as well as above-average bathrooms. The dining tent is similarly first class.