6 Day Ndutu Calvin Season Serengeti Migration Tanzania Safari

Witness the Great Migration During the Season of New Life

Experience one of the most remarkable periods of the Great Migration on a 6-Day Ndutu Calving Season Safari in Tanzania. Journey into the southern Serengeti and the Ndutu area during the annual calving period, when vast herds of wildebeest gather on the nutrient-rich short-grass plains and the landscape comes alive with newborn calves and intense predator activity.

The calving season generally takes place between January and March, with February being particularly associated with the peak of wildebeest births around the southern Serengeti and Lake Ndutu. The exact timing and location of the herds naturally vary with rainfall, grazing conditions and animal movements.

Your safari takes you into the heart of the southern Serengeti, where the open plains provide important breeding grounds for the migrating herds. Here, wildebeest give birth in large numbers, creating a fascinating opportunity to observe the early stages of life in the wild. Newborn calves quickly become mobile, while predators such as lions, cheetahs and hyenas take advantage of the abundance of vulnerable young animals.

Beyond the calving spectacle, the southern Serengeti offers beautiful scenery and excellent opportunities for wildlife photography. The short-grass plains, seasonal water sources and surrounding landscapes create a distinctive safari environment during this period. The broader Serengeti ecosystem supports one of the world’s most significant wildlife migrations, involving wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and their predators.

The six-day journey allows you to spend meaningful time exploring the migration areas rather than simply passing through. Depending on your itinerary and current wildlife movements, the safari can include Ndutu, the southern Serengeti and other wildlife-rich areas of the Serengeti ecosystem, giving you the flexibility to follow the herds as conditions change.

With Mbogo Expeditions, your safari is planned around the calving season, your travel dates and current wildlife movements. Enjoy comfortable accommodation, professionally guided game drives and opportunities to experience one of Tanzania’s most extraordinary natural events while respecting the rhythms of the wilderness.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 : Arrival In Arusha

You will be picked up from the airport by a Mbogo Expeditions representative and conveyed to your accommodation in Arusha. Here you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation for the adventures to come. Green Mountain Hotel is nestled in the heart of Arusha and it will captivate you with the natural beauty of the Tanzanian landscape.

DAY 2: ARUSHA TO TARANGIRE

In the morning, you will be picked from your lodgings in Arusha by our personal safari guide. We will set out for Tarangire National Park on a good tarmac road across gently rolling Maasai plains with scattered acacia trees. As we zip along we’ll pass many Maasais in their colorful dress walking on the roadside, riding bicycles, herding cattle and driving donkey’s carts. Tarangire National Park, well known for its large elephant herds, is also host to a multitude of other creatures. From the open roof of our state of the art safari jeep, we’ll experience the seasonal swamps, savanna and life-giving Tarangire River. Endeavor to encounter a multitude of creatures, from zebra to wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe, to name a few. It is possible to glimpse lions stalking prey or leopards watching, relaxing on the trees above.
After our extensive game drive experiencing the varied sights and sounds of the wilderness, we’ll drive to your accommodation for dinner and your overnight.

Accommodation : Farm of dreams Karatu

DAY 3: KARATU TO SERENGETI ( NDUTU)

After breakfast, we will head to the Lake Ndutu region, situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a sublime landscape of the southern Serengeti ecosystem. The drive takes approximately 3 hours, taking us across the beautiful landscape of the Rift Valley Lake Ndutu. It is alkaline like most of the other Rift Valley lakes and is frequently inhabited by a wide array of wildlife. With appetites sated, undertake a game drive in the Ndutu region. The majority of the wildebeest migration can normally be found on the short-grass plains from December to April. After the late afternoon game drive, you will drive to your accommodation for dinner and your overnight.

Accommodation: NDUTU HERITAGE CAMP

DAY 4: FULL GAME DRIVE NDUTU

After our hearty breakfast, we will head out to enjoy a full day game drive in the Ndutu region. We endeavor to explore the range of different habitats found here that include swamps, woodland, soda lakes, and the world-famous Serengeti short grass plains. We will see the awesome sight of the great thronging herds of wildebeests and zebras. During a short time frame around January, normally lasting for about 3 weeks, the majority of the wildebeest calves, dropping in the region of half a million young in this awesome act of synchronized birthing. The sea of grass provides little cover and the young wildebeest calves can run minutes after they are born and within 3 days they are normally strong enough to keep up with the herd.
As our full day of adventure upon the ‘Endless Plain’ ends, we will depart to our accommodation for dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation : NDUTU HERITAGE CAMP

DAY 5: NDUTU TO NGORONGORO CRATER

After breakfast, we’ll head out for an en-route game drive through the Serengeti. We may, with lady luck on our side, spot all of the “Big Five across the ‘Endless Plain’ to the Ngorongoro Crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site formed millions of years ago with the massive explosion of a volcano once higher than Kilimanjaro. It is 610m deep and covers roughly 304sq km. Due to its dense animal population of approximately 25 000 ungulates, the Crater offers the best game viewing. We will arrive at the Crater rim before lunch. With our overview of the spectacular landscape that spreads out before our eyes stored in our memories and memory cards, we descend the bumpy winding track that brings us onto the Crater floor. Very quickly, we will be able to see wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, elephant, perhaps if we’re lucky, the black rhino through the grass.
After lunch and a full afternoon inside the Crater, we’ll head to our partner midrange lodge in Karatu for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation : Farm of dreams Karatu

DAY 6 KARATU TO LAKE MANYARA N.P

After breakfast, we’ll drive to our final destination on this epic safari—Lake Manyara National Park. This, a relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha. It is so named for the shallow salt lake that covers some seventy percent of the surface area, flooding and drying with the seasons. It is home to thousands of flamingo and in the extraordinary region of 500 other bird species. On our exploration of the park we will see monkey, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. After lunch, we’ll head back to Arusha where we will arrive late in the afternoon our adventure at its inevitable end. You’ll have all the sights and sounds of wild East Africa tucked away in your mind for your adventure in life’s journey.

Park fees and conservation fees
Mid-range accommodations
Meals as specified (Full Board)
Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle
English-speaking guide
Drinking water

International and domestic flights
Visa fees
Travel insurance
Tips and gratuities
Optional activities