Ndutu Area
Seasonal Highlights
December - May
The Ndutu area is the best place to be for the annual wildebeest migration. Once the rains start (usually late November), the huge herds make their way down from the Mara River to graze the short grass plains of the Serengeti. For up to six months of the year the wildebeest remain in and around this area, making it an excellent base from which to camp. Some would argue that March and April, though it’s the ‘rainy season’ is the best time to be in the area. Not only have the maddening crowds left by this time, allowing you to enjoy sightings by yourself, but the wildebeest are still around (depending on the rains) and the wild flowers are in bloom leaving the plains carpeted in yellow, white and purple colours – truly stunning, and makes for great pictures!
All year round
Ndutu is a great place to visit all year round. There is a lot of resident game in the Ndutu area, which does not follow the migration north after the rains. All six species of cat can be found in this area: Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Serval, African Wildcat and Caracal, some easier to spot than others! Other resident species include Elephant, bat eared fox, and both the spotted & less common striped hyena!
Dry Season
For those who love Africa when its dry and the colours are golden, Ndutu is a wonderful and intimate place in the dry season. There are many eco-systems within the Ndutu area making it a special place for birding. The marsh, and the soda lakes also provide much needed water for resident game during the dry months of the year.
Moru – Southern Serengeti
Seasonal highlights: all year round
Moru is often referred to as the jewel in the Serengeti’s crown.
Huge granite rock formations have surfaced through the short grass plains to form Moru Kopjes. This is an area of stunning beauty and excellent game viewing all year round. Water is trapped in the area for much of the year which allows the resident game to stay. The area also has historic interest with Gong Rock being used for generations for tribal contact.
The only place to stay in Moru is to camp – our camps are set up in and amongst the Kopjes giving it a magical ambiance. From Moru it is easy to get to the southern plains or to go to the north of the Serengeti.
Ol Karien Gorge & The Gol Mountains
Seasonal Highlights: December - May
The best time to visit is the wet season (December to May), but it can still be included in itineraries at other times of the year if people are particularly keen on walking or geology, bird watching or want to see the genuine Maasai. As the dry season progresses it does become extremely dry and dusty.
To get to Ol Karien Gorge, you travel through the Gol Mountains. This is a spectacular trip. The scenery is prehistoric. Huge mountains, canyons and spectacular rock formations dominate the wide meandering valleys. In the rains, they become lush and green and bright with flowers. Beautiful big trees provide an umbrella of shade for the game. With the mountains attracting the rain, the storm cloud formation and the light is out of this world, making the area seem mystical.During the wet season large amounts of wildlife inhabit these areas.
Ol Karien Gorge is to the east of the Gol Mountains. It is an area of spectacular beauty as well as historic interest. Geologically it is fascinating with the great canyon slicing through the earth. It is the primary nesting ground for vultures. In some areas the gorge is as narrow as the spread of a vultures wings, in others it opens up to the sky.
The Maasai still bring their herds of cattle down to Ol Karien Gorge to drink. Their traditions have been unchanged for hundreds of years. In this area their way of life has not yet been spoilt by western culture. Here is a classic example of ancient interaction between man and wildlife in a timeless and beautiful area.
Our Camp is set up on the dry riverbed of the Ol Karien river, under the shade of the Acacia tortilis trees. Every tent looks out onto the vast Salei plains, with Oldonyo Lengai towering above in the distance, the youngest and only active volcano in the region. The emphasis on a stay here is to be able to walk, which is a real bonus to the safari.
Lake Eyasi
Seasonal highlights: June – November
Other months are more than possible, however as this area can get wet and boggy during the rains we just have to keep an eye out on the weather patterns.
The Lake Eyasi area is located on the floor of the Rift Valley. An escarpment rises to the north into the Ngoronogoro Conservation Area while soda lake lies on the valley floor. The region is especially suited to exploring on foot and we do this with our local guides. It’s here that the Wahadzabe tribe lives. This dwindling population of hunter-gatherers still maintain their thousand year old traditions, albeit with great difficulty. Their language contains clicks, only one of two such linguistic patterns in Tanzania and while there are few similarities between the two, it’s likely there is a connection between Ki-hadzabe and the San or bushman language of southern Africa. A visit to this “primitive” tribe is an interesting learning experience and you can spend the day observing their ways.
Ngorongoro Crater & Crater Highlands
Seasonal highlights: All year
This area is beautiful all year round – but during the months of June, July it does get very cold on the rim
The Ngorongoro crater is one of the wonders of the world. The huge uncollapsed Caldera is home to an estimated 25,000 animals and contains almost all the species one can expect to find on safari, it also provides the best chance of seeing the Black Rhino. For a first timer on Safari it's a must and for the old timer who has been on safari many a time, the view from the top never gets boring.
Away from the crater crowds but just as stunning are the many volcanoes around the Crater collectively known as the Crater highlands. Empakai crater for example is a great place for an off-the-beaten-track walking safari. No vehicles are allowed into the caldera whose floor is covered by Soda Lake. The views both on the way down and from the top are spectacular. On a clear day it is possible to see both Oldoniyo Lengai to the north, and Kilimanjaro to the east. It is a great opportunity to get out of the car, stretch your legs and enjoy safari in a different way. You could spend the night here in a mini camp.
Tarangire National Park
Seasonal Highlights: June to November
This is often an under-rated national park. The Tarangire River is the dominant feature of the park and it attracts huge herds of elephant. Large baobab trees amongst acacia bush dominate the landscape and as you travel further south the area opens up into plains, swamps and kopjes.
The game and bird life is superb. Tarangire is guaranteed to provide vast herds of elephant and buffalo as well as: lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, jackal gazelle, zebra, giraffe and warthog. Good luck could produce wild dog hunting. The area is excellent for birds of prey and the different habitats provide an ideal home for hundreds of other species.
Manyara National Park
Seasonal highlights:
Dry season: July – October better time to spot large mammals
Wet season: November – June better time for bird watching
The lush groundwater forest, grassy flood plains and large alkaline lake makes this little park different from the other parks in the Northern Curcuit. The varied ecosystems make it a bird watchers haven, with over 400 bird species recorded within the park. Manyara is also well-known for its famous tree climbing lions, and is home to some of the largest baboon troops in the world!
Recently the park has offered night game drives as well as canoeing possibilities if the lake is high enough – the only park offering such activities to date.
As the park is only located 1.5 hours outside of Arusha it’s a great stop over on the way to the Crater, giving a nice introduction of what is still to come!
Where & When
With the large variety that Tanzania has to offer, it doesn’t matter what time of the year you’d like to go on safari, we will make sure that you see the best of what each season has to offer.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Activities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Activities | |
| Ndutu | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Game drives | ||
| Moru | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Game drives |
| Olkarien Gorge | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Walking/ Culture | ||||||
| Lake Eyasi | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Walking/ Culture | ||||||
| Ngorongoro Crater & Highlands | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Walking/ Game drives |
| Tarangire National Park | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Game drives | ||||||
| Manyara National Park | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Game drives |
Serengeti Wildebeest Migration
As soon as the rains have commenced, usually in December, the wildebeest head south down
to the plains around the Ndutu area of the Serengeti. They can remain here for up to five months - January, February, March, April and May - moving around these southern plains.
Often in April and May wild flowers come come out, literally carpeting vast areas of the plains in bright colours.
By the end of May the rains begin to dwindle and the wildebeest start heading back through western Serengeti towards the Maasai Mara. The dry season is then in full swing until the cycle of rains commences again.