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Safari plan · 6 days · Northern circuit · Midrange

Ndutu Calving Season

Lake Manyara, two nights at Ndutu on the edge of the Serengeti when the herds are calving on the short grass, and a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor on the way home.

ArushaLake ManyaraNdutuNgorongoroArusha
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Length6 days · 5 nights
ParksLake Manyara, Ndutu, Ngorongoro Crater
Starts & endsArusha / Kilimanjaro Airport
ComfortMidrange lodges & tented camps
Best monthsDecember–March, calving around February
OverviewThe routeDay by dayRatesWhere you sleepIncludedAdd-onsWhen to goFlights & extrasFAQEnquire
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IOverview

Two nights on the short grass, where the herds come to give birth.

Every year, roughly from December to March, the great herds of wildebeest and zebra settle on the short-grass plains in the south-east of the Serengeti ecosystem, around Ndutu. Ndutu itself sits in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, on the Serengeti’s south-eastern edge. The calving is concentrated around February, when the plains fill with newborns — and with the lion, cheetah and hyena that follow them.

This plan gives you two nights and one full day there, which is enough to see the herds if they are on the plains, but not much slack if the rain moves them. Lake Manyara on the way out and the Ngorongoro Crater on the way back round it off. What it does not give you is the central Serengeti; see ‘Make it yours’ for that.

Major attractions · 3
  1. 01Ndutu and the short-grass plains
  2. 02Lake Manyara National Park
  3. 03Ngorongoro Crater
Trip detailsPrivate
Tour length
6 days · 5 nights
Country
Tanzania
Start / end
Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), both ways
Accommodation
Midrange
Tour type
Private safari
Group size
Maximum per vehicle
Meal plan
Full board on safari
Best period
Dec–Mar
Activity level
Easy — one long day, some muddy tracks
Request a free quote →Questions? WhatsApp +255 762 914 714
IIThe route

Out over the highlands to the plains, back by the crater.

6 days, 5 nights, 3 places to sleep. The solid line is this plan; the dotted lines are the other roads through the region. Point at a day to see its leg.

Route map: Arusha to Lake Manyara, over the crater highlands to Ndutu, then the Ngorongoro Crater and back to Arusha Kilimanjaro NP Kibo Ngorongoro CA Arusha NP L. Manyara L. Eyasi N Arusha Karatu Ndutu Kilimanjaro Airport Makuyuni Mto wa Mbu Manyara NP Crater floor Olduvai
  1. 01Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha~1 h road
  2. 02Arusha → Lake Manyara NP → Karatu~3 h road · ~4 h game
  3. 03Karatu → Ngorongoro highlands → Ndutu~3½ h road · ~3 h game
  4. 04Ndutu & the short-grass plains~9 h game
  5. 05Ndutu → the crater → KaratuThe long day~4 h road · ~5 h game
  6. 06Karatu → Arusha → Kilimanjaro Airport~4 h road
Overnight stopPassing throughSchematic, roughly to scale
IIIDay by day

Six days, one at a time.

Each day lands on top of the last as you scroll: honest road time, game time, meals and where you sleep. Times are door to door in a safari vehicle and move with the season and what you stop for.

Mount Meru above Arusha in the evening — 1600×1200
ArushaADD IMAGE · Mount Meru above Arusha in the evening
01/ 06

About an hour by road. Nothing else asked of you.

03°22′S 36°41′EDay 1 · Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha

Arrive in Arusha

Travel
~1 h road
Game viewing
No game drive
Meals
Dinner
Sleep
Garden lodge
  1. On landing

    Your guide meets you at arrivals with your name. The drive to Arusha is about an hour, on tarmac.

  2. Evening

    Dinner and the briefing: the route, the rules of each park, and what the green season means for the days ahead.

Arriving late?

Most long-haul flights land in the evening. That is what this night is for.

Groundwater forest and the soda lake, Lake Manyara National Park — 1600×1200
KaratuADD IMAGE · Groundwater forest and the soda lake, Lake Manyara National Park
02/ 06

About 2 hours on tarmac to the park, a game drive, then up the escarpment.

03°20′S 35°40′EDay 2 · Arusha → Lake Manyara NP → Karatu

Lake Manyara, then up to Karatu

Travel
~3 h road
Game viewing
~4 h
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Farm lodge
  1. Morning

    West out of Arusha on tarmac, through Mto wa Mbu to the gate at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment.

  2. Midday

    Lake Manyara is small and varied: groundwater forest, open floodplain along the lake, and a great many birds in the green season.

  3. Afternoon

    Up the escarpment to Karatu, in cool farm country below the crater rim.

The short-grass plains below the Ngorongoro highlands in the green season — 1600×1200
NdutuADD IMAGE · The short-grass plains below the Ngorongoro highlands in the green season
03/ 06

About 3½ hours over the rim and down onto the plains, the last part a game drive.

03°00′S 35°00′EDay 3 · Karatu → Ngorongoro highlands → Ndutu

Over the highlands to Ndutu

Travel
~3½ h road
Game viewing
~3 h
Meals
B · L · D
Sleep
Tented camp or lodge on the plains
  1. Morning

    Through the Ngorongoro gate and along the crater rim road, often in cloud early on.

  2. Midday

    Down the far side of the highlands onto the plains, past the Olduvai turn, and off the main road toward Ndutu.

  3. Afternoon

    From here you are looking for the herds. Where they are that week decides where the afternoon goes.

Rain and tracks

Green-season storms can turn the plains tracks slow and muddy. Your guide will pick routes to suit, and some days that means less ground covered.

Wildebeest cow with a newborn calf on the short-grass plains at Ndutu — 1600×1200
Ndutu & the short-grass plainsADD IMAGE · Wildebeest cow with a newborn calf on the short-grass plains at Ndutu
04/ 06

No transfer. Out at first light, back at dusk.

03°00′S 35°00′EDay 4 · Ndutu & the short-grass plains

Ndutu and the calving plains, all day

Travel
No transfer
Game viewing
~9 h
Meals
B · picnic L · D
Sleep
Same camp, second night
  1. First light

    Out early, when births and hunts are most likely to be seen. Your guide reads where the herds moved in the night.

  2. Midday

    Picnic lunch out on the plains or by the Ndutu woodland, where cats often rest in the heat.

  3. Afternoon

    Back to the herds, or to the marsh and lake edges. Back at camp before dark.

Off the tracks

Rules on driving off the tracks differ between the conservation area and the national park — your guide follows them.

The Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
The long day05/ 06

The long one: an early start from Ndutu, several hours on the crater floor, then Karatu.

03°20′S 35°40′EDay 5 · Ndutu → the crater → Karatu

The crater floor, then Karatu

Travel
~4 h road
Game viewing
~5 h
Meals
B · picnic L · D
Sleep
Farm lodge
  1. Early

    Away from Ndutu before breakfast, with a packed one, back across the plains and up onto the highlands.

  2. On the floor

    Down into the crater: grassland, soda lake and swamp in one sealed bowl, and the likeliest place in Tanzania for black rhino, though never a certainty.

  3. Afternoon

    Up the ascent road and a short drive to Karatu.

Rather go slower?

Add a third night at Ndutu and keep the crater for the last morning, or skip the crater and have the extra day on the plains.

The road down the Rift Valley escarpment toward Mto wa Mbu — 1600×1200
Kilimanjaro AirportADD IMAGE · The road down the Rift Valley escarpment toward Mto wa Mbu
06/ 06

About 3 hours to Arusha, another hour to the airport.

03°26′S 37°05′EDay 6 · Karatu → Arusha → Kilimanjaro Airport

Back to Arusha

Travel
~4 h road
Game viewing
No game drive
Meals
B · L
Sleep
Homeward
  1. Morning

    A slow breakfast and the drive down the escarpment and back to Arusha on tarmac.

  2. Afternoon

    Lunch in Arusha and the transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for the evening departures.

IVRates

Priced by group size, because the vehicle is shared.

Park fees, accommodation, vehicle, guide and meals as listed — per person, no booking fees. Rates move with the month and lodge availability; your quote is fixed once you book.

Midrange · price per person, sharing
Group size1 person2 people3 people4 people5 people6 people
From yearraterateraterateraterate
Single supplementamount
Children

Child policy: ages, sharing discount, lodge minimum ages

What moves the price

What changes itHow much

  • The month you travel

    The dry season and the Christmas weeks are peak rates at almost every camp. The long rains are the lowest.

  • How many share the vehicle

    The vehicle and guide cost the same for two people or six, so the per-person price falls as the group grows.

  • Where you sleep

    The same night can cost several times more at one camp than at another a short drive away.

  • Flying instead of driving

    A light-aircraft seat replaces hours in the vehicle, and costs more than the time it saves.

  • Park fees

    Fixed per person per day by the authorities, and the same whoever you book with. We show them as their own line.

Not sure which level suits you? Tell us your dates, group and budget and we will send an itemised quote with named properties.

Request a free quote →
On request
On request
VWhere you sleep

Three places in five nights, two of them at Ndutu.

Each night is described by type first, because the right camp depends on your month. The properties we normally use at each level are listed below; your quote confirms them against availability.

Night 11×

Arusha

Garden lodge or small hotel

One night to land, sleep off the flight and be briefed.

Midrange here means
En-suite room, hot water, mains power, Wi-Fi.
Step up
A coffee-estate lodge on the slopes of Meru.
Night 21×

Karatu highlands

Farm or garden lodge

Close to the Ngorongoro gate, so day three starts on the highlands rather than in Arusha.

Midrange here means
Cottage rooms, mains power, gardens to walk in.
Step up
A lodge on the crater rim itself.
Nights 3–42×

Ndutu

Tented camp or lodge on the plains

Sleeping at Ndutu, not driving in from the highlands, puts you with the herds at first light.

Midrange here means
En-suite room or tent, hot water, power in the evenings.
Step up
A seasonal mobile camp set up on the plains for the calving months.
Night 51×

Karatu highlands

Farm or garden lodge

A short, easy last day home after the long crater day.

Midrange here means
Cottage rooms, mains power, a proper hot shower.
Step up
A lodge on the crater rim.

The properties we use

WhereMidrangeLuxury
Arushapropertyproperty
Karatu highlandspropertyproperty
Ndutupropertyproperty

What ‘midrange’ means on this trip

  • En-suite everywhere. Your own bathroom every night.
  • Hot water. Always available; in a tented camp it may be a bucket shower filled on request.
  • Power. Mains in Arusha and Karatu; solar or generator hours at Ndutu. Bring a power bank.
  • Green season. Camps at Ndutu are busiest around February. Book early for those weeks.
VIThe fine print

What is in the price, and what isn’t.

✓Included

  • Private 4×4 safari vehiclePop-up roof, window seat for everyone
  • A professional driver-guideThe same guide for the whole trip
  • All park and conservation feesIncluding the crater service fee. Itemised on your quote
  • Five nights’ accommodationAs described above
  • Meals as listed each dayFull board from day two
  • Drinking water in the vehicle
  • Airport transfersKilimanjaro Airport, both ways

–Not included

  • International flights
  • Tanzanian visaApply online before you travel
  • Travel insuranceRequired. It must cover medical evacuation
  • Tips for guide and camp staffWe send guidance with your booking
  • Drinks at lodges and campsUnless the property includes them
  • Optional activitiesCultural visits, walks
VIIAdd-ons & changes

The plan is a starting point, not a package.

The changes people ask for most, each with what it costs you in days or hours. Not in the standard price — arranged on request, and most can be combined.

+1 nightprice

A third night at Ndutu

Another full day on the plains. If the rain has moved the herds, it gives your guide time to find them again.

Makes senseFebruary, or anyone who wants the calving above all
The migration month by month →
+2 nightsprice

Add the central Serengeti

Drive on from Ndutu to Seronera for two nights of resident cats before the crater.

Makes senseA first safari that wants the Serengeti too
The Serengeti →
Same lengthprice

Tarangire instead of Lake Manyara

Swap the day-two park. In the green season Tarangire is quieter than in the dry months, but a longer drive.

Makes senseIf elephants matter more than birds
Tarangire →
+1 nightprice

A walk on the highlands

Add a day in the Ngorongoro highlands for a walk with an armed ranger.

Makes senseAnyone who wants time out of the vehicle
Walking safaris →
+3–5 nightsprice

Finish on Zanzibar

Fly from Arusha or Kilimanjaro to the island on day six. January and February are dry months on the coast.

Makes senseEveryone
Zanzibar →
VIIIWhen to go

Rated for this route, not for the country.

This plan is built for roughly December to March, when the herds are usually on the short-grass plains around Ndutu. Calving is concentrated around February, and the predators follow the herds. It is the green season: afternoon storms are common, and rain can make the tracks slow and muddy. From April the herds drift west and north, and Ndutu is the wrong place to be.

Jan
Herds on the short grass
Feb
Calving peak
Mar
Calves and predators
Apr
Long rains
May
Herds moving west
Jun
Herds gone north-west
Jul
Herds in the north
Aug
Herds in the north
Sep
Herds in the north
Oct
Herds in the north
Nov
Herds returning
Dec
Herds arriving
Three bars — the route at its bestTwo — good, with trade-offsOne — possible, and quiet
IXFlights & extras

Getting there.

Arrive

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

About an hour by road from Arusha, and the airport most long-haul connections use. Land any time on day one — the first night exists to absorb late arrivals.

Depart

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

The last day reaches the airport in the afternoon, which suits the evening departures. Book nothing earlier without asking us first.

Via Nairobi

Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO)

Workable: a short regional flight or a road transfer across the Namanga border to Arusha. It adds most of a day, so allow an extra night.

What else to budget.

Not part of the safari price, in order of how much they matter.

  • Tanzanian visaApply online before travel
    Current fee
  • Travel insuranceMust cover medical evacuation
    Typical cost
  • TipsGuide and camp staff, per day
    Guideline
  • DrinksAt lodges and camps
    Typical range
  • Personal spendingLaundry, crafts, extras
    Varies
XWhy book with us

Only what we can prove.

01

Arusha, since 2010

A Tanzanian company, locally owned, running safaris and climbs from Arusha for more than fifteen years.

02

Licensed and registered

TALA-licensed through the Tanzania Tourist Board and registered with BRELA. Ask us for the numbers; we will send them.

03

One guide, one vehicle

The same guide drives you from the first day to the last. Nobody else joins your vehicle.

04

Every fee on its own line

Park, conservation and concession fees are shown separately on your quote, so you can see exactly what goes to the authorities.

XIQuestions

The ones we are asked most.

If you travel in February, the herds are usually on the plains and calving is usually under way. But it follows the rain, not the calendar, and some years the herds wander off the short grass for a while. Two nights gives you a good chance; three gives you a better one.

Ndutu sits in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, on the Serengeti’s south-eastern edge. The plains run on without a fence, and the herds cross the boundary freely.

It is the green season. Storms usually come in the afternoon and can make tracks slow and muddy. It rarely stops a day, but it can shorten one.

Rules on driving off the tracks differ between the conservation area and the national park — your guide follows them.

It can be. Newborns are hunted, and not every chase ends well for them. Your guide will not seek out anything you would rather not see.

Yes. It is a short trip with one long day. Some camps set a minimum age; ask us and we will choose ones that welcome the ages in your group.

Begin here

Send us your dates. We will send you the real version.

Named camps, the right direction of travel for your month, every fee on its own line — and a straight answer if another plan would suit you better.

Rather talk it through?WhatsApp us+255 762 914 714
Safari request Ndutu Calving Season 6 days · 5 nights · private
01When, and what for?
How fixed are the dates?
What do you want from it? Pick any
02Who’s coming?
Travelling as
03How you like it
Style of camp

Not a commitment. It lets us send something realistic instead of something you have to reject.

04Where to reach you
We need a name to write back to.
That email address does not look complete.
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Other safari plans
7 days · Northern circuitThe Great Midrange JourneyRead the plan →
3 days · Northern circuitTarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara ExpressRead the plan →
5 days · Northern circuitMidrange Best of TanzaniaRead the plan →
4 days · Northern circuitSerengeti Fly-inRead the plan →
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