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Wildebeests Calving Season

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Duration

10 Days 9 nights (28th Jan-3rd Feb 2024)

Tour Type

Specific Tour

Group Size

6 people

Languages

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Overview

This trip is focused on serious wildlife photography, and the locations chosen offers best opportunities. Perhaps the greatest spectacle of the Serengeti takes place with the wildebeest calving season,By late January and early February. Approximately 8,000 young wildebeest are born every single day during the peak of the Serengeti calving season.

The famed Ndutu region is just outside of the Southern Serengeti boundary, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This location has a huge quality advantage as the area allows off road game driving, making this the best area in the Serengeti region for wildlife photography. This freedom also allows us to explore far and wide, and we often find active cheetah, huge migration herds, and much more in this quality wilderness setting.

The great migration comes to the shortgrass plains of the Ndutu region for the calving season. Huge numbers usually start arriving in December and utilize the area through early April. 400,000 wildebeest calves are born during a three week period, typically in February but varies from year to year. This irruptive birthing is a successful evolutionary strategy that ensures the survival of the majority of calves despite predators eating their fill during this time of plenty.

Between the easy prey base and the open grassland environment this area is unsurpassed for the opportunity to witness predators hunting – especially cheetah, lion, and spotted hyena. The extremely rare African wild dogs have also made a return to the south near Kakesio and Maswa, which can be searched when conditions are dry. Ndutu is also known for good opportunities to see mid-sized mammals such as bat-eared fox, serval, and with luck sometimes caracal and honey badger.

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Seeing the wildebeests calving in big numbers in South Serengeti or NCA Ndutu area
  • Associated predators in action

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and overnight in Arusha
Day 1: Arrival and overnight in Arusha

Welcome to Tanzania! I will meet you at the airport and transfer approximately 1 hour to Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge for overnight stay. I will give you a pre tour briefing over dinner.

Day 2: Arusha-Ngorongoro
Day 2: Arusha-Ngorongoro

After an early breakfast at the hotel this morning, your group will depart with Henry and Paul. Henry and Paul will each be driving a private vehicle so you are free to rotate between vehicles.
Continue on road transfer about 3 hours to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Stop for a picnic lunch and continue onto the Crater rim road.
Descend into the Crater for an afternoon game drive on the Crater floor seeking out the lion, elephant, hippo, plains game, bird life and various charismatic species that call this ancient collapsed caldera their home. Ascend back up to the rim and your camp for the night, Lemala Ngorongoro.

Day 3: Ngorongoro-Ndutu
Day 3: Ngorongoro-Ndutu

This day we will have an early breakfast at camp and leave with packed lunch into the crater for a second time. We will have a whole morning then ascent the crater after out lunch then drive to NCA Ndutu area, game drive enroute, we will check in at Njozi camp in the evening

Day 4: Ndutu (NCA)
Day 4: Ndutu (NCA)

Fully day game drives looking for calving wildebeest and the resident predators.Overnight at Njozi camp

Day 5: Ndutu (NCA)
Day 5: Ndutu (NCA)

Fully day game drives looking for calving wildebeest and the resident predators.Overnight at Njozi camp

Day 6: Ndutu (NCA)-Serengeti
Day 6: Ndutu (NCA)-Serengeti

Fully day game drives looking for calving wildebeest and the resident predators.Overnight at Njozi camp

Day 7: Ndutu (NCA)
Day 7: Ndutu (NCA)

Fully day game drives looking for calving wildebeest and the resident predators.This day, we will also drive to Seronera in Serengeti and do game drives in central Serengeti. overnight at Njozi camp

Day 8: Ndutu -East Serengeti (Namiri)
Day 8: Ndutu -East Serengeti (Namiri)

After early breakfast, we will checkout with packed lunch and drive north into Serengeti. We will have a Full day game drives looking for more calving wildebeest and the resident predators.We will end the day, with habit of luxury at a beautiful camp (Lemala Nanyuki) in east central Serengeti.

Day 9: East Serengeti
Day 9: East Serengeti

This day we will have full morning game drive, then back to camp before going out again in the afternoon. Our day will end with a a nice sundowner. Overnight at Lemala Nanyuki

Day 10: Serengeti- Arusha
Day 10: Serengeti- Arusha

Today we will have an early breakfast and then a transfer to Seronera airstrip for our flight to Arusha. Hopefully we will be able to see mt. Lengai which is an active volcano north of Ngorongoro Crater. Once in Arusha we will be transferred to a hotel where we will have day rooms until evening when we will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home or onward to other safari extension.

Included/Excluded

  • All accommodations and meals
  • Park and conservancy entry fees
  • Transportation in our customised safari vehicles
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover
  • Visa fees
  • International airfare
  • PCR tests

Tour's Location

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