Calving Season — Southern Serengeti & Ndutu
Discover Calving Season — Southern Serengeti & Ndutu with Zorani Expeditions.
Journey Overview
Between late January and early March, the wildebeest population gives birth on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu area. Up to 8,000 calves are born per day at the February peak, triggering predator concentrations that rival anything the dry season produces at the Mara. The landscape is green. The light is photographic. Visitor numbers are lower than in the July–October peak. Many Tanzania specialists regard calving season as the more reliably productive of the two migration events.
Departures
Select a comfortable style or departure slot to proceed with your booking enquiry.
Itinerary
Arrival — Arusha
Arrive Kilimanjaro International. Transfer and overnight in Arusha.
Arusha to Tarangire
Tarangire National Park
Drive to Tarangire. The park in the green season is lush — elephant dispersed across the park, birding exceptional, migrants present from November through April.
Tarangire to Ndutu — Southern Serengeti
Drive to Ndutu — approximately three to four hours through the NCA lowlands. By late January the wildebeest herds are across the Ndutu plains in their hundreds of thousands. The first afternoon drive establishes the scene immediately.
Full Day — Ndutu
The centrepiece of the journey. Start at first light and stay in the field. Cheetah families with cubs are regularly encountered here during calving season. Lion prides work the herds systematically. Hyena dens near the Ndutu woodlands are active throughout this period.
Ndutu to Central Serengeti
Drive north from Ndutu to the central Serengeti. The road through the southern plains often constitutes a game drive — the herds at this time of year cover the ground between Ndutu and Seronera.
Full Day — Central Serengeti
Full day in the Seronera Valley. Green-season Serengeti has denser vegetation but the photographic quality of the light and the resident predator activity more than compensate.
Full Day — Central Serengeti
Second full day. Push toward the eastern sector if cheetah density is the priority, or remain in the Seronera Valley. Morning light in the green Serengeti is among the finest in Tanzania for photography.
Serengeti to Ngorongoro Highlands
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Drive east out of the Serengeti and up to the Ngorongoro rim. Final evening in the highlands.
Ngorongoro Crater — Departure
Early descent. Half to full day on the floor depending on departure timing. Drive back to Arusha for Kilimanjaro International departure.
