11 Days Luxury Serengeti Calving Season Safari

Spend a complete day exploring Tarangire National Park.

Begin with an early morning game drive when temperatures are cooler and wildlife is often more active.

Your guide will choose the day’s route according to recent sightings, seasonal road conditions and your particular interests.

The game drive may include the Tarangire River, Silale Swamp, open savannah, woodland and quieter sections of the park.

Elephants are the park’s signature species, but Tarangire also supports lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras and several antelope species.

The park is one of Northern Tanzania’s most rewarding birdwatching destinations, with more than 500 recorded species. During the green season, resident birds are joined by seasonal migrants.

Guests may choose a full-day game drive with picnic lunch or separate morning and afternoon activities with time to relax at the lodge.

Return to your accommodation in the evening.

After an early breakfast, travel into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and continue toward the crater rim.

Weather permitting, stop at a viewpoint to appreciate the immense scale of the caldera before descending approximately 600 metres to the crater floor.

The Ngorongoro Crater contains one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of large mammals.

Its grasslands, forest, freshwater springs, wetlands and alkaline lake support lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, spotted hyenas and numerous antelope species.

The crater is also one of Tanzania’s more reliable areas for observing the endangered black rhinoceros, although sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Explore the open plains, Lerai Forest, seasonal wetlands and the shores of Lake Magadi. Flamingos and other waterbirds may be present depending on water and feeding conditions.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site or a specially arranged private-style meal where permitted and available.

Continue the game drive during the afternoon before ascending to the crater rim and returning to your highland accommodation.

Spend a full day exploring Central Serengeti.

Begin with an early morning game drive when predators and other wildlife are often active.

The central region includes river valleys, acacia woodland, grasslands and granite kopjes. These habitats support lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, elephants, giraffes and numerous plains animals.

Leopards may be found in trees along the Seronera River, while lions frequently use kopjes as resting places and lookout points.

Cheetahs generally prefer the open plains, where they can scan for gazelles and other prey.

Your guide will tailor the route according to recent sightings and your individual interests.

Photographers may spend extended periods at selected sightings, while guests interested in a broader experience may explore several different habitats.

Choose between a full-day game drive with picnic lunch or separate morning and afternoon safaris with a midday break.

Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, depart Central Serengeti and travel south toward Ndutu and the Southern Serengeti.

The journey is conducted as an extended game drive, allowing you to search for wildlife along the route.

Depending on rainfall and seasonal conditions, migrating wildebeest and zebras may be encountered before reaching Ndutu.

The landscape gradually changes from central river valleys and woodland to short-grass plains, scattered acacias and seasonal lake environments.

These southern plains contain mineral-rich soils that produce highly nutritious grass after the rains, attracting enormous concentrations of herbivores.

Begin exploring the Ndutu ecosystem while travelling toward your camp.

Possible sightings include large wildebeest herds, zebras, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and jackals.

Arrive at your luxury seasonal camp or lodge for dinner and overnight.

Spend the full day following the migration herds across Ndutu and the surrounding plains.

During the peak calving period, large numbers of wildebeest calves may be born across the ecosystem each day.

Newborn calves must stand quickly and remain close to their mothers. Within a short time, they are able to move with the herd.

The concentration of newborn animals attracts predators. Cheetahs use the open plains to hunt, lions patrol the edges of the herds and spotted hyenas search for vulnerable animals.

Your guide will use field reports, recent sightings, rainfall patterns and local experience to determine the most productive route.

The herds may be located near the seasonal lakes, across the Southern Serengeti or within other parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Carry a picnic lunch to maximize flexibility and remain close to active wildlife areas.

Return to your accommodation in the evening.

Enjoy a second complete day exploring the migration grounds.

The additional day is valuable because the herds may move several kilometres overnight or divide into separate groups across the ecosystem.

Your guide will adapt the day according to the latest wildlife information.

You may return to an active calving area, follow the herds farther into the Southern Serengeti or explore woodland and lake habitats where resident predators are frequently encountered.

The open plains are particularly suitable for cheetah viewing. These predators may use termite mounds, raised ground or even stationary safari vehicles as vantage points.

Lions and spotted hyenas follow the migration herds, while leopards are more frequently found in woodland or near seasonal drainage lines.

Other possible wildlife includes elephants, giraffes, bat-eared foxes, servals, caracals, jackals, gazelles and numerous bird species.

Guests may choose a full-day game drive or separate morning and afternoon safaris.

Return to your accommodation for your final evening in Ndutu.

Begin your final day with an early morning game drive.

Morning provides another opportunity to observe active predators, migration herds and newborn animals before leaving the ecosystem.

Depending on the scheduled flight time, return to camp for breakfast or continue with a picnic meal.

Transfer to the nearest operational airstrip and board your scheduled light-aircraft flight.

Your flight may operate to:

The flight offers a final aerial perspective over the plains, volcanic highlands and varied landscapes of Northern Tanzania.