8days Wildebeest Calving Season

An amazing safari that takes you to the famous Serengeti National Park to experience the largest wildebeest migration on earth and witness the fascinating calving season that sees all the calves being born within a few short weeks. Explore the southern and central Serengeti National Park and discover the beautiful Ndutu region in the Ngorongoro Highlands for an array of spectacular wildlife scenes and calving in some of the most pristine wilderness on the planet. Make your way into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera, for the chance to see the big five. A truly magical safari set in beautiful locations allowing you to create memories that will last a lifetime.

DAY1:Arrive at Kilimanjaro - Arusha
Upon arrival, you'll have a meet and greet by our safari expert then drive to Arusha, which takes about 45-60 minutes. At the office have a safari briefing and then proceed to your lodge/hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY2:Arusha - Tarangire National Park
After a leisurely breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel at 8:00 am and drive to Tarangire National Park. Spend a full day exploring the park, with its backdrop of the spectacular, rust-hued Great Rift Valley. Tarangire is home to a stunning concentration of animals with herds of elephants, impalas, and zebras, all of which traverse the sprawling plains. In the afternoon proceed to your accommodation for a dinner and overnight.

DAY3:Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, you will be picked up for the drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Spend six hours exploring Lake Manyara National Park, home to elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, warthog, dik-dik, klipspringer, and much more. Leopards live within the forests and escarpment, lions are widely known for their tree climbing ability, and huge herds of baboons can be seen.

DAY4:Head to the Ngorongoro Conservation area to spend a full day game viewing and with luck witness the calves. Calving usually takes place between January, February, and March of each year. In January the herds begin making their way to the south of the Serengeti after the rains start falling ready to calve. Within a two to three-week time period, over half a million wildebeest are born with as many as 8,000 wildebeest being born on the same day! The herds spend the majority of these three months in the Ndutu and Ngorongoro Conservation areas, although not within the crater itself.

Many years ago, volcanoes in the area would erupt and the volcanic ashes that were left behind led to soil rich in nutrients meaning that the grass that grows here is perfect for young wildebeest to munch on and build up their strength in the first few weeks of their lives. The zebra and gazelle that join the thousands of wildebeest on their journey eat the grass shoots that are less appetizing to the baby wildebeest, leaving behind only the most nutrient-rich grass shoots that are freshly sprouted and soft enough for young wildebeest mouths to pull from the earth. These grasses are also said to help aid the wildebeest mothers in lactating and making sure their milk is full of the goodness needed to raise strong and healthy babies.

Ndutu Area (Ngorongoro) Highlights

The famous Great Migration settles on the plains from about November to March/April
Calving season on the plains is from December through to May
In the dry season (June to November) resident animals gather at waterholes – elephants, giraffes, big cats
All six cat species reside here year-round (leopard, lion, cheetah, caracal, serval, African wildcat)
Prolific birdlife
Olduvai Gorge – a fascinating archaeological site
Lakes Ndutu and Masek, soda lakes.


DAY5:Ndutu - South Serengeti - Central Serengeti
Today we head to the world-famous Serengeti National Park, home to a huge variety of animals and birds. Enjoy game viewing throughout the day. In the evening, we will arrive at the lodge for dinner and overnight.

DAY6:Serengeti National Park - Full Day Game Viewing
Full-day game viewing in the Serengeti National Park, in search of the big five as well as zebra, wildebeest, various species of gazelles and antelopes, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, hippopotamus, crocodiles, and some primate species such as vervet monkeys and olive baboons. It is also an endemic bird area, with a total of 505 species being documented so far.

DAY7:Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
Have an early wake-up with a cup of coffee then enjoy a morning game drive around the Serengeti area. Around midday drive from Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater with game viewing on the way. Overnight on the crater rim

DAY8:After breakfast, collect your lunch box and start descending down into the crater. Set out on a full-day game drive in Ngorongoro Crater to explore the panoramic, short-grass prairies along the crater floor, home to rare black rhinos as well as lions, hyenas and gazelles. See colorfully garbed Maasai herdsmen who call this stunning landscape home. Nearly eight miles across, this was once an active volcano that sunk in on itself and is now a rich ecosystem with immense biodiversity and wildlife, Mid-afternoon enjoy your picnic lunch box at the hippo pool followed by a late afternoon drive back to Arusha.

Description	Distance
Materuni coffee and water falls	80km
Mount meru climbing	50
serval animal feeding	70
hot spring	55
cultural heritage	10