Ngorongoro Crater & Ndutu Plains - 2023/2024

The Great Wildebeest Migration has arrived on the short grass plains of south Serengeti National Park.  The vast herds today stretch from Naabi Hill to Kusini, HiddenValley and south towards Maswa.  The first week of February, the females have begun to drop their calves.  An incredible 8,000 calves may be born each day over the next weeks.  This provides a bonanza for predators with lion, cheetah, leopard and hyena making the most of opportunities.  The synchronizing of so many females giving birth over the same period however boosts the survival chances of individual young calves.



Day 1: Arrive in Arusha then proceed to Tarangire National Park 
Meet your guide on arrival and proceed to Tarangire National Park, for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park which offers excellent sights. Generally, in the dry seasons Tarangire comes alive as wildlife and bird life congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge

Day 2: Full game drive in Tarangire National Park
Today is a full day game drive in Tarangire National Park, for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park which offers some excellent sights. Generally in the dry seasons Tarangire comes alive as wildlife and bird life congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water. We spend the night in our lodge beautifully set inside the park with stunning views and a unique atmosphere. In the late afternoon we make a short journey from the park to our special lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari lodge

Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater
Today we will descend 2000 feet (over 600 meters) to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for your crater tour. Here we will explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where we may see flamingos. We will also visit the open Savannah where the lions hunt. Picnic lunch will be taken in the crater then head towards the Ndutu. En route there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here in a small museum, we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that have been dated back 2.5 million years. After lunch we drive into the Serengeti itself and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January and February we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffe, buffalo, and elephant, and many large predators such as lion, cheetah, and leopard. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Lemala Ndutu
Day 4: Game drive in Ndutu area
We have another full day in wonderful Ndutu, rising early to make the most of our time. Your guide will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and it you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting bird life, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Lemala Ndutu
Day 5: Ndutu 

A second full day in wonderful Ndutu, rising early to make the most of our time. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and it you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting bird life, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Lemala Ndutu
Day 6: Ndutu
One last full day game drive in Ndutu while following the wildebeests and their calves with the pride of lions and hyenas’ of Ndutu.
Dinner and overnight at Lemala Ndutu
Day 7: Transfer Kilimanjaro Airport

You will be transferred to the Airport.  If you extend your adventure to Zanzibar, you will fly from Ndutu Airstrip or Arusha Airport.

USD $5,660 PER PERSON SHARING

Safari Include:
1. Full board accommodation whilst on safari in the above mentioned en suite tented camps and lodges
2. Private Maasai safari guide
3. Private 4 x 4 safari jeep with pop up roof for game viewing. All guests have window seats
4. Transfers in both directions between the International Airports
5. Park fees
6. Crater fees
7. All meals whist on safari
8. Airport Arrival/Departure Meet and Greets at the airport
9. On safari – Vehicles equipped mineral water, first aid kit and insect repellant
10. Government taxes, VAT and service charges relating to accommodation and included meal
11.Bean bags in all vehicles
12. An authentic Maasai gift as a remembrance of our new friendship
Safari Exclude:
13. Tanzania Visa: $50 per person on arrival, USA and CANADA passport holders USD $100
14. Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc.)
15. Optional Tours (balloon rides USD. 546 per person etc)
16. Tips and any items of personal nature