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Two wildebeest on green short-grass plains near Lake Ndutu

Sample journey · 8–10 days

When the wildebeest are born: Ndutu and the southern Serengeti

Arusha, the Ngorongoro Highlands, Ndutu & the central Serengeti

Photo: Ben Preater / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

The great migration is usually associated with river crossings in the summer, but it begins somewhere else, at another time. After the short rains, roughly January to March, the wildebeest and zebra herds gather on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu, where volcanic-ash soils grow especially nourishing grass. Within a few weeks hundreds of thousands of calves are born here, standing within minutes of birth. The predators come too, cheetah, lion and hyena, and for a few weeks the plains become a theatre of life and survival that is thrilling, and sometimes hard, to watch.

This journey is built around that moment. After a night in Arusha come the Ngorongoro Highlands and the crater, then four nights at Ndutu, so there is time to wait rather than chase, and two nights in the central Serengeti, home to resident animals that don't migrate. It suits experienced travellers and couples who like their safari in long, patient hours. The stays are small seasonal tented camps and lodges, chosen to put you as close to the herds as possible.

The route

The journey

  1. Arusha
  2. Ngorongoro Highlands
  3. Ngorongoro Crater
  4. Olduvai Gorge
  5. Ndutu
  6. Central Serengeti
  7. Arusha (by air)
  1. A dirt road through green grassland with a view over the Ngorongoro Crater

    01Days 1–3 · Arusha & the Ngorongoro Highlands

    Coffee hills above the Rift

    The first night is somewhere quiet on the edge of Arusha, among coffee farms beneath Mount Meru: after the long flight, sleep matters most. The next morning, with the guide who will be with you throughout, it's about three hours west, past Lake Manyara and up the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, to the green Ngorongoro Highlands. Two nights near Karatu or on the crater rim. On the first afternoon, an easy walk around a coffee farm or through highland villages with a local guide; in the evening, cool mountain air and a fire. This gentler start is deliberate: it helps you adjust to the time zone and the altitude, and an early morning lies ahead.

  2. Two rhinos standing in the grass on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater

    02Days 3–4 · The Ngorongoro Crater

    A world on the caldera floor

    On day three, an early start at dawn, so you descend into the crater among the first. Ngorongoro is a vast collapsed volcanic caldera; on its floor, some 600 metres below the rim, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest graze, flamingos sometimes gather on the soda lake and, in the open grassland, rare black rhino are sometimes seen. Because the animals live here all year, the crater is a fine introduction before the plains: your guide shows you how to read the landscape and explains what to expect at Ndutu. Lunch is by a pool where hippos often doze. Time on the crater floor is limited, so after lunch we climb back to the highlands for an unhurried evening in the cool mountain air.

  3. Wildebeest and zebra grazing on the grassy Serengeti plains during the migration

    03Days 4–6 · Ndutu

    Plains full of newborns

    On day four, west across the highlands, past Maasai grazing land and Olduvai Gorge, where a small museum tells the story of the early human traces found here. After a few hours the short-grass plains begin and, if the rains have been kind, the horizon starts to move: wildebeest and zebra as far as you can see. Four nights at a small camp in the Ndutu area. Mornings start before sunrise, when most calves are born, and the guides read the herds' behaviour to know where to stop. There's no need to hurry here: sometimes the best thing is to stay in one place for an hour and watch a newborn stand for the first time and stagger after its mother. Exactly where the herds will be depends on that year's rain, so we choose the camp as flexibly as we can.

  4. A cheetah walking through green grass in the Ndutu area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

    04Days 6–8 · Ndutu & Lake Masek

    The season of the cheetah

    The second half at Ndutu often belongs to the predators. The open short-grass plains are among the best places in Africa to watch cheetah, which hunt by daylight, while lion prides and hyena stay close to the herds. Watching a hunt takes patience and sometimes steady nerves; guides always keep their distance and don't interfere. Between drives, the woodland around Lakes Ndutu and Masek, where leopards and owls hide in the acacias and flamingos sometimes wade in the alkaline water. The rules on driving off the tracks differ between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the national park and change over time, so we follow them strictly. One afternoon can be left for camp: a slow lunch, rest in the shade and an evening by the fire, listening to hyenas calling far away.

  5. A lion cub climbing the rocks of a kopje on the Namiri Plains in the Serengeti

    05Days 8–10 · The central Serengeti

    Kopjes and those who stay

    On day eight it's about three hours north across plains often scattered with flowers after the rain to the central Serengeti, for the last two nights. In the Seronera river valley and around the granite outcrops called kopjes live resident animals that don't follow the herds: lions resting on sun-warmed rock, leopards in the branches of sausage trees, giraffe and elephant along the river. After the intensity of Ndutu, this ending is calmer, and a good chance for one more drive at dawn, when the savannah looks like it does at no other hour. If you like, a hot-air balloon flight over the plains. On the last day, a short light-aircraft flight from a local airstrip back to Arusha and your connection home via Kilimanjaro Airport.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Calving season

    Early mornings on the Ndutu plains, when calves are often born among the herds.

  2. 02

    Cheetah on open plains

    The short-grass plains are among the best places to watch cats that hunt by day.

  3. 03

    The Ngorongoro Crater

    A day on the caldera floor, where animals live year-round and black rhino are sometimes seen.

  4. 04

    Olduvai Gorge

    A short stop where some of humanity's oldest traces were found.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Shorter or slower

    In an eight-day version there is one night in the highlands and one in the central Serengeti; with more time, a fifth night at Ndutu gives the herds even more patience.

  • For photographers

    A private vehicle and guide on a flexible schedule lets you stay with one scene as long as it takes and set out before dawn.

  • With Tarangire

    At this time of year Tarangire is green and quieter; two nights there before the highlands add elephants and baobabs.

  • With Zanzibar

    January and February are usually dry on the islands too, so you can fly straight from the Serengeti to the Indian Ocean.

Practical considerations

  • Calving usually falls roughly between January and March, often peaking in February, but its timing and location vary each year with the rain. Neither the herds nor the births can be promised, so we plan flexibly.
  • Showers are possible at this time, between the rains, and roads and tracks turn muddy afterwards; some transfers may take longer than planned.
  • Nights in the Ngorongoro Highlands are cool and early mornings in an open vehicle are cold, so a warm layer is worth packing even for an African summer.
  • Seasonal camps at Ndutu and in the central Serengeti are small and fill quickly; we check light-aircraft schedules and current park rules before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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