Ndutu Area

About Ndutu Area

The Ndutu area is a stretch of short-grass plains and acacia woodland in northern Tanzania, where the south-east corner of the Serengeti meets the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Between December and March it is where the Great Migration's wildebeest and zebra give birth, and it is the most reliable place to watch calving and the predators that follow it. The herds come south after the short rains because the volcanic soils here grow grass rich in minerals that nursing mothers need. Births are tightly synchronised: research on the Serengeti plains found that about 80 per cent of calves arrive within a three-week window in January or February, and the Smithsonian puts the season's total at roughly half a million calves. That glut is the point. Lion, cheetah and spotted hyena hunt in the open, often within sight of the vehicle, and a single morning can include a birth, a chase and a calf on its feet within minutes. Timing matters more here than almost anywhere. Late January to the end of February is the peak, with December and March as the edges of the season, when the herds are arriving or starting to drift away. Exactly where they gather depends on that year's rain, so we plan around the last reports from guides already in the field rather than a fixed point on a map. From about April the long rains set in and the herds move north and west, and Ndutu goes quiet. You can reach Ndutu by road or by a short flight. The drive from Arusha is about 260 km and takes five to six hours through the Ngorongoro highlands, with the last stretch on rough tracks. Scheduled light aircraft fly from Arusha to Ndutu airstrip in under an hour. Our road itineraries usually take in the Ngorongoro Crater on the way in or out. Allow at least three nights, because the herds can be a long drive from camp on some days and good sightings need patience. Ndutu combines well with the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire or Lake Manyara, and some itineraries continue to the central Serengeti once the calving is underway. A calving day starts early. You leave camp before sunrise with breakfast in the vehicle, find the herds, then watch which way the predators are working. Much of Ndutu lies inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where guides can generally leave the track to reach a sighting, something not allowed in the national park. Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek, two shallow soda lakes, hold flamingos when water levels suit, and the area around Lake Ndutu is also a known fossil site where an early form of Homo sapiens was found. The stays we use put you close to the plains. Ndutu Safari Lodge overlooks Lake Ndutu, Lake Masek Tented Camp sits above Lake Masek, and Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge is in the woodland near the lake. Siringit Migration Camp is a seasonal camp set up for the calving months.