5-Day Ndutu Calving Season Adventure

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Arrival in Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK), you will be met by your driver-guide and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and settling in after your travel. In the evening, a representative from our team will meet you at the lodge for a complete safari briefing before you enjoy dinner and rest.

Main Destination:

Arusha (City)

Activities:

• No wildlife-viewing activities on this day

Accommodation:

Arusha Planet Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located in Arusha (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Arusha to Tarangire

After picking you up in Arusha, we drive straight to Tarangire National Park for a full day on safari. Tarangire is famous for its giant baobab trees and huge elephant herds, giving you a strong start to the trip.

Your game drive follows the Tarangire River, which acts as the main water source in the area. Large groups of elephants regularly gather along the riverbanks to drink, splash, and feed, making them easy to spot up close. As we move through the open grasslands and acacia trees, you will also see giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and buffaloes scattered across the landscape.

Keep an eye on the big trees and riverbanks as we drive; lions in this park often climb into lower branches to rest, while leopards hunt near the water. We will pause for a picnic lunch in the park around midday before continuing through different parts of the reserve. In the late afternoon, we exit the park and head to your lodge for dinner and rest before heading toward Ndutu tomorrow.

Main Destination:

Tarangire National Park

Best Time To Visit July to November (Animals come to the Tarangire River)

High Season June to October (The park is full of visitors)

Best Weather June to October (Little rainfall)

Wildlife in Tarangire NP

ElephantAbundant

GiraffeCommon

LionCommon

BuffaloAbundant

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestAbundant

Show more

HippoCommon

HyenaOccasional

LeopardRare

CheetahRare

Wild DogVery Rare

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

Activities:

• Morning game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle) & afternoon game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle)

Accommodation:

Farm of Dreams Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located 1-2hr drive from Tarangire NP

+4 Photos

+3 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Karatu to Ndutu Plains

After an early breakfast in Karatu, you leave the highlands and drive to the Ndutu area, which sits between the Ngorongoro region and the southern Serengeti. This is where the Great Migration herds gather for the calving season from December to March, spreading across the open grassy plains.

Once you arrive in Ndutu, your game drive starts right away. Thousands of wildebeest calves are born here every day during these months, which brings out a lot of predators like lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas out hunting. You will spend the afternoon following the herds and driving around Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek, where animals come down to drink.

You will stop for a packed lunch out in the park before continuing the game drive through the afternoon. Before sunset, you drive to your camp in Ndutu for dinner and a quiet rest.

Main Destination:

Ndutu (Southern Serengeti NP)

Activities:

• Morning game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle) & afternoon game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle)

Accommodation:

Tanzania Bush Camps - Ndutu Mobile Camp

• Mid-range tented camp located inside Ndutu (Southern Serengeti NP)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Ndutu to Ngorongoro Highlands

You start with a morning game drive in Ndutu. Your guide takes you along the dirt tracks across the open land to search for wildlife.

After spending the morning exploring, you stop for a picnic lunch in the bush. In the afternoon, you leave Ndutu and drive up toward the Ngorongoro Highlands. As you climb out of the flat plains, the scenery turns into green hills, and the air gets much cooler.

You arrive at your lodge or camp on the crater rim in the late afternoon. You will check in, unpack, relax, and enjoy dinner while preparing to go down into the crater the next day.

Main Destination:

Ndutu (Southern Serengeti NP)

Activities:

• Early morning game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle) & afternoon game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle)

Accommodation:

Embalakai Ngorongoro Camp

• Luxury tented camp located less than 1hr drive from Ngorongoro Crater

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Ngorongoro Crater Tour and Departure

After an early breakfast, you drive down the road onto the Ngorongoro Crater floor. The crater is a huge caldera with open grass plains, small lakes, and acacia trees where animals live all year round. You spend the morning driving around different parts of the crater floor to enjoy the scenery and look for wildlife out in the open.

Around noon, you stop to eat your packed picnic lunch near a pool or at any picnic site in the park. You will then do a short final drive before starting your climb back up the crater road. Once at the top, you leave the highlands behind and start the drive back to Arusha.

You will arrive in Arusha in the late afternoon or early evening. Your safari ends here with a drop-off at your hotel in town or directly at the airport for your flight back home.

Main Destination:

Ngorongoro Crater

Best Time To Visit June to October (Wildlife viewing is best)

High Season Most of the year – July to March (Expect crowds)

Best Weather June to October (Rainfall is little to none)

Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater

Black RhinoCommon

LionCommon

BuffaloAbundant

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestAbundant

HyenaAbundant

Show more

ElephantCommon

HippoCommon

White RhinoOccasional

LeopardOccasional

GiraffeNone

CheetahNone

Wild DogNone

Activities:

• Early morning game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle) & morning game drive (pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Non-alcoholic drinks

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.