Day 1: Transfer from Arusha to Southern Serengeti (Ndutu Area)

Your morning begins at Gran Melia Arusha’s terrace restaurant in Tanzania. Enjoy an exquisite breakfast as you overlook Mount Meru’s slopes. After breakfast, board your 4×4 vehicle with your tour guide. Also, get briefed about this 5 day Ndutu migration safari, then depart toward Mto wa Mbu. Gradually transition into the wilderness with landscape shifts that dramatically change through the Great Rift Valley. See the tropical forests and volcanic foothills. On the way, travelers might also encounter Maasai herders along the road. So, witness part of the daily lifestyles of the Maasai community on your way to the Southern Serengeti National Park Area of Ndutu.

In addition, the trip from the Gran Melia hotel to the Serengeti covers over 300km in about 6 hours to get there. Pass via Ngorongoro, and this is where a picnic lunch is served in a small clearing overlooking the crater rim forests. Later, continue your journey towards Anatya Serengeti Lodge, where the staff welcomes you upon check-in. Since the journey is tiresome, shed off some jet lag andrelax at your Serengeti tented Camp space. Also, enjoy the wilderness views as you await your bush-style dinner.

Day 2: Explore the Heart of the Ndutu Calving Plains

The day begins early with a warm breakfast that is delivered to your veranda. Note that most mornings at Anatya Serengeti Lodge are crisp, smelling of damp grass and wild sage. So, travelers enjoy breakfast as they enjoy the Ndutu plains. The day officially begins with a game drive towards the short-grass Plains of the Ndutu area for the wildebeest calving experience. Also, this is where most calving of wildebeests occurs in Tanzania.

This area in Ndutu Serengeti is flat, and travelers watch wild animals, including thousands of wildebeest mothers nurturing their newborn calves. Also, witness the Zebra herds mingle with wildebeest, the Thompson’s gazelles running from the Tanzania big 5 cats like lions. And hyenas scattered around calving zones in the Ndutu Region.

In the middle of the day, have a picnic lunch around the triangle plains of Serengeti. Then, your afternoon walking safari in Ndutu Serengeti will focus on predator movements. Since this area is famous for cheetah sightings, you will see them on top of termite mounds scanning the Ndutu plains. Additionally, explore the Triangle Plains Convergence, where animals gather due to open visibility and safety. In the evening, go for a sunset drive where thousands of wildebeest silhouettes create a moving wave across the plains. Lastly, enjoy a more redefined dinner in the open wilderness in the evening before you proceed to bed at your camp.

Day 3: Big Marsh and Small Marsh Game Drives around the Ndutu Plains

Have breakfast at your Ndutu Lodge, followed by a morning game drive into the Big Marsh. So, this is where the water draws in predators like the Lions, Cheetahs, Bat-eared foxes, and hyenas. Also see herbivores, most especially the wildebeest calves gathering at marsh edges. Not only will you witness fauna, but also flora species like the thick marsh reeds, Fever trees, moist grasses, and sedges.

The scenic outlooks around this Ndutu Region are ideal for photography safaris in Tanzania. So, travelers capture the green marsh ribbons cutting through open Ndutu plains dotted with yellow-fever acacias. In the afternoon, enjoy lunch before you proceed for a game drive around the small marsh of the Ndutu area. This area is known for great bird species like crowned cranes, secretary birds, marabou storks, and ostriches striding the flats. Note that this period won’t focus on the Ndutu migration experience.

In the evening, have a campfire dinner at Anatya Serengeti Lodge and savor the chef-led fire-grilled experience as you sit near a fire. Also, listen to stories of the day, like the intense predator encounters, as you prepare for other Ndutu migration and calving experiences the following day.

Day 4: Visit the Lake Ndutu Shores & Hidden Valley Ridges

Have breakfast at the ridge overlooking the Ndutu Lake, with a cool breeze carrying the smell of mineral-rich water. Get ready to have wildlife sightings like flamingos, pelicans, gazelles, and the wildebeest calves learning to run along the Lake Ndutu shores. After breakfast, go for a game drive along the shorelines of the Lake Nduru area. Additionally, you might witness dramatic crossings of the vast reds through the Ndutu waters.

In the afternoon, after another picnic meal, have another game drive, Ndutu safari through the hidden valley ridge. See this secluded area bordered by ridges that act as predator lookouts. From here, you might spot cheetahs resting on ridges, hyena dens, and jackals moving silently between grass pockets. After this exceptional exploration, head back to Anatya Serengeti lodge, though dinner this time will be brought to you in the comfort of your safari tent.

Day 5: Explore the Ndutu Shifting Sands & Departure to Arusha

On the final day, enjoy a warm morning delicacy, then embark on a game drive safari in the Ndutu Area of the Serengeti. This morning game drive leads you to the Shifting Sands of Ndutu in the Southern region of the Serengeti. So, walk through the grasslands and see wild animals like ostriches and gazelles. Also, witness wildebeest groups beginning to scatter north of Serengeti.

Your final walk takes you through land defined by expansive scenic views like the Nasera Rock and volcanic ridges. Next, proceed to a farewell bush brunch before your return transfer to Arusha. Finally, this marks the end of your 5 day Ndutu Migration Calving Season Safari in Tanzania.