Duration

7 days / 6 nights

Main highlights

Wildebeest calving, big cats, elephants, zebras and birdlife

Overnight: Arusha

Your safari begins when you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport. Your driver-guide will welcome you and transfer you to your lodge in Arusha.

After checking in, you can relax after your journey and enjoy the lodge facilities. If you arrive early, you may have time to explore the town or enjoy views of Mount Meru, weather permitting.

In the evening, your guide will explain the safari plan, the parks you will visit and what to expect during the calving season. Enjoy dinner and a good night’s rest before your first day in the national parks.

Meals: Dinner, depending on your arrival time.

Overnight: Karatu or Tarangire area

After breakfast, leave Arusha and drive to Tarangire National Park. The journey takes you through rural villages, small farms and beautiful Tanzanian countryside.

Once inside the park, begin your game drive in search of elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest and different antelope species. Tarangire is famous for its large baobab trees and elephant herds, which make the scenery especially attractive for photography.

Your guide will look for lions resting in the shade, leopards in trees and other wildlife along the Tarangire River and surrounding woodland. The park also has a rich variety of birdlife.

Stop at a designated picnic site for lunch before continuing your afternoon game drive. Later, leave the park and travel to your lodge or tented camp for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Overnight: Ndutu area

Enjoy breakfast before setting off towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the southern Serengeti ecosystem. The scenery changes as you travel through highland landscapes and open grasslands.

Depending on the route and conditions, you may enjoy wildlife viewing along the way. As you approach Ndutu, the landscape opens into broad plains dotted with acacia trees and seasonal lakes.

During the calving season, large herds of wildebeest gather in this region to give birth. You may also see zebras and Thomson’s gazelles grazing close to the herds. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are often found in areas where young animals are abundant.

After lunch, enjoy your first game drive around Ndutu. Your guide will check recent wildlife sightings and decide which areas offer the best chances of finding the herds and predators.

Arrive at your camp in the evening, freshen up and enjoy dinner under the African sky.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Overnight: Ndutu area

Today is dedicated to exploring the Ndutu calving grounds. Wake up early, have breakfast and head out while the plains are still cool and the wildlife is active.

During January, February and early March, Ndutu can provide wonderful opportunities to see newborn wildebeest calves staying close to their mothers. You may watch calves taking their first steps, feeding or running alongside the herd.

Your guide will follow the movement of the animals and look for predators nearby. Lions may be resting after a night of hunting, while cheetahs scan the open grassland for vulnerable prey. Hyenas and jackals may also be seen searching for food.

Spend the middle of the day enjoying a picnic lunch in an approved area, or return to camp if the location and schedule allow. Continue with an afternoon game drive around Lake Ndutu, Lake Masek or other parts of the plains, depending on wildlife movements and road conditions.

For photographers, the changing light, green grass and large herds provide excellent opportunities for wildlife and landscape photography.

Return to camp in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

Overnight: Ndutu area

Spend another full day in Ndutu, giving you more time to explore different parts of the calving grounds. The herds can move from one area to another, so having an extra day improves your chances of finding them.

After an early breakfast, set out with your guide to look for wildebeest herds, newborn calves and the predators that follow them. Depending on the day’s sightings, you may spend time watching a lion pride, searching for cheetahs in open grassland or observing hyenas around the herds.

Ndutu is also a good place to look for giraffes, ostriches, bat-eared foxes, jackals and several species of antelope. Birdwatchers can enjoy a variety of resident and migratory birds, particularly around seasonal water sources.

Take your time at suitable sightings and listen to your guide’s explanations about animal behaviour, the migration and the challenges faced by newborn calves. Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed, but spending more time in the area gives you a better opportunity to see interesting activity.

After lunch, continue exploring the plains and nearby woodland before returning to camp in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

Overnight: Karatu

Wake up early and enjoy breakfast before leaving Ndutu for https://www.ngorongorocrater.org/. Today brings a different wildlife experience, with a chance to explore the crater floor and its remarkable mix of habitats.

Descend into the crater with your guide for a game drive across grasslands, wetlands, woodland and the shores of Lake Magadi. Look for zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes, hippos, hyenas and lions. The crater is also one of the places where you may have a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.

You may spot flamingos and other waterbirds around the lake when conditions are suitable. The crater’s relatively enclosed ecosystem supports a wide range of wildlife, making it an excellent destination for a final major game drive.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site before continuing your exploration. In the afternoon, ascend the crater walls and drive to your lodge in Karatu.

Spend the evening relaxing, sharing photographs and enjoying dinner after several days of wildlife viewing.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

Safari ends

After breakfast, leave Karatu and drive back to Arusha. Enjoy the countryside views along the way and make a short stop if time allows.

Depending on your flight schedule, your driver-guide can transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport. If you are staying longer in Tanzania, you can arrange an additional night in Arusha or continue to another destination.

You will leave with memories of Tanzania’s beautiful landscapes, the great wildebeest migration and the remarkable wildlife of Ndutu and Ngorongoro.

Meals: Breakfast. Lunch can be arranged depending on your departure time.

The wildebeest calving season

See large herds spread across the southern plains, with opportunities to observe newborn calves and their mothers during the main calving period.

Look for lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and jackals. Predator sightings are often excellent during calving season, although actual hunts are unpredictable.

Enjoy a different landscape filled with ancient baobab trees, woodland, river habitats and a wide variety of wildlife.

Explore the crater floor and look for rhinos, buffaloes, lions, zebras, hippos and many other animals.

Herds gather on the southern plains and calving activity builds as the season progresses. The second half of January can be especially rewarding.

Usually the best choice for travellers whose main goal is to see newborn wildebeest and the predators that follow the herds.

There may still be many calves and excellent wildlife viewing, especially early in the month, but the herds’ movements depend on rainfall and grazing conditions.