5 Day Luxury Safari
A five-day fly-in luxury safari timed for the Serengeti wildebeest calving season, with game drives in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Route
- Arusha – fly to Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha
- Start / end
- Starts at Kilimanjaro International Airport and ends in Arusha (Arusha Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport)
- Best time
- The wildebeest calving season on the southern Serengeti plains runs from late January to early March, the highlight this safari is built around.
- Trip style
- Fly-in luxury safari with a private safari driver guide, staying at Gran Melia Arusha, Four Seasons Serengeti and andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
Tour overview
There is something truly remarkable about a luxury Tanzania safari during the wildebeest calving season, when the herds give birth en masse between late January and early March. Within a matter of weeks most female wildebeest drop their calves in a synchronized birthing that fills the Serengeti's southern plains with over 400,000 young.
An estimated 8,000 wildebeest are born each day, around 300 every hour. While lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs eat their fill, the synchronized calving is a survival mechanism for the species: there is simply too much food for the predators to eat.
The wildebeest gather on the southern Serengeti plains, in the Ndutu area and the northern part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, drawn by the abundant fresh grass and the calcium in the fertile soil, which is important for growth and passes to the calves through their mothers' milk.
Highlights
- Scenic flight from Arusha into Serengeti National Park
- Afternoon and full-day game drives following the great wildebeest migration
- Early morning drives for the best chance of seeing big cats
- Descent into the Ngorongoro Crater with a chance to spot the rare black rhino and the Big Five
- Optional guided nature walk to the waterfalls and Elephant Cave in the Ngorongoro highlands
- Luxury stays at Gran Melia, Four Seasons Serengeti and andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arrival in Arusha
On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, our representative meets you and transfers you to the Gran Melia or Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha. Later, our safari manager will come by for a detailed safari briefing before leaving you to enjoy the inviting hotel surroundings. Relax after your journey and get ready for tomorrow's flight into the Serengeti.
Day 2Fly from Arusha Airport (ARK) to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast at your lodge, transfer to Arusha Airport for your flight to Serengeti National Park. At the Serengeti airstrip, meet your safari driver guide and transfer to your lodge in the central Serengeti for an early lunch and some rest. In the afternoon, set out on a game drive in search of the great wildebeest migration and the big cats, returning to the lodge late in the afternoon for dinner and overnight.
Day 3Full-Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
Set off as early as 06:30 with a packed breakfast and lunch box for an early morning game drive across the vast Serengeti plains. Early drives often reveal big cats on the road as they try to avoid the morning mist. Depending on your travel dates, you will follow the great wildebeest migration herds and spend plenty of time with them, hoping to witness animal action such as hunting, feeding and fighting.
Day 4Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast at your lodge, depart for the Ngorongoro Crater and descend more than 600 meters down the crater wall to the floor for a wonderful game drive, with the possibility of spotting the rare black rhino and the Big Five. In the late afternoon, drive out of the crater to your lodge on the crater rim for dinner and overnight.
Day 5Morning at Leisure or Guided Nature Walk in the Ngorongoro Highlands
After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, enjoy a morning at leisure or a guided nature walk in the Ngorongoro highlands escorted by an armed ranger. This two- to three-hour walk leads to the waterfalls and Elephant Cave inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area; alternatively, you can take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. Afterward, drive back to Arusha, with a brief stop at the edge of the Great Rift Valley for views of Lake Manyara and its forest, to catch your flight to Zanzibar from Arusha Airport or home from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
What is included
- Transport in a 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- All park entrance fees
- Accommodation in camps or lodges
- Full board, three meals per day while on safari
- Game drives in Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
- Bottled drinking water
- Ngorongoro Crater fees
Not included
- International flights
- Tips for the driver guide
- Personal effects
- Soft drinks, beer and sodas
Good to know
- The tour starts and ends in Arusha/Moshi; fly to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport near Arusha/Moshi.
- Serengeti Joy Tours can help you select international flights, but you will need to book them yourself.
- Airport transfers and extra nights before or after the tour can be arranged at an additional cost.
- On the last day you can connect to a flight to Zanzibar from Arusha Airport or fly home from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Frequently asked questions
When is the wildebeest calving season?
Mass calving takes place on the southern Serengeti plains and in the Ndutu area between late January and early March. During these weeks around 8,000 calves are born each day, attracting many predators.
How do we travel to the Serengeti?
On Day 2 you fly from Arusha Airport (ARK) to a Serengeti airstrip, where your safari driver guide meets you. The return to Arusha is by road via the Ngorongoro Crater.
What are the options on the final morning?
Depending on your flight time, you can relax at the lodge, join a two- to three-hour guided walk to the waterfalls and Elephant Cave with an armed ranger, or take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.
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