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The calving season is the reason for this trip. Between roughly January and March, the Great Migration herds gather on the short grass of the Ndutu plains to give birth, and lions, cheetahs and hyenas stay close. This 6-day Tanzania safari puts you there for two nights, then adds two more in the Central Serengeti, where resident lion prides keep the game viewing good all year.
You land at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Our representative is waiting for you there and drives you to The Outpost Lodge in Arusha. There's a briefing that evening. Next morning you set off early for Savannah Ndutu Camp, arriving for lunch and a first game drive. Day three is the main event: an early start, a bush lunch on the plains, and a whole day with the herds and the calves.
On day four you drive north to the Central Serengeti, game viewing on the way, and reach Enkirari Wilderness Camp around sunset. Day five has morning and afternoon drives around the kopjes, the granite outcrops where predators often rest. After a final morning drive on day six, you head back to Arusha and on to the airport, so an afternoon or evening flight works best. It suits first-time visitors and anyone short on time. Our Arusha team can add days or change the camps to fit your dates.
Your 6-day adventure across Africa's most spectacular wilderness areas
You land at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Our representative is waiting for you there and drives you to The Outpost Lodge in Arusha. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight. In the evening your guide runs through the plan for the week, answers questions and checks what you've packed. Dinner is at the lodge, and it's an early night before the drive west in the morning. Overnight at The Outpost Lodge, with dinner included.
An early start today. You leave Arusha after breakfast and drive to the Ndutu plains, where the Great Migration herds gather for the calving season. You check in at Savannah Ndutu Camp in time for lunch, then go out on your first game drive in the afternoon. Expect wildebeest in large numbers, many with newborn calves at their side. It's a good first look before tomorrow's full day. Overnight at Savannah Ndutu Camp, with breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This is the day the trip is built around. You leave camp early, when the herds are active and births are most likely to be seen. Lions, cheetahs and hyenas follow the herds at this time of year, so your guide watches for predators as closely as for the calves. Rather than drive back for lunch, you eat a bush lunch out on the plains and stay with whatever is happening. Back to Savannah Ndutu Camp for the evening. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.
After breakfast you leave Ndutu and drive north into the Central Serengeti, game viewing on the way rather than just covering the distance. The Central Serengeti has good wildlife all year, mostly because of its resident lion prides and other predators that don't follow the migration. You reach Enkirari Wilderness Camp in time for sunset. It's your base for the next two nights, so there's no packing up tomorrow. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.
A full day in the Central Serengeti, with a morning and an afternoon game drive. Much of the time is spent around the kopjes, the rocky outcrops that rise out of the grass. Animals use them as lookouts, which makes them good places to find predators and good backdrops for photos. Your guide will plan the day around what's been seen recently. Overnight at Enkirari Wilderness Camp, with breakfast, lunch and dinner.
One more morning game drive in the Serengeti, then you start the transfer back to Arusha. If your flight schedule allows, you'll have lunch in Arusha before we take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Because of the morning drive and the transfer, an afternoon or evening flight home is the easiest fit. Tell us your flight times when you book and we'll plan the day around them. Breakfast and lunch are included.
Arusha City → Ndutu Area → Ndutu Area → Central Serengeti → Central Serengeti → Arusha City
Stay at carefully selected luxury lodges and tented camps, chosen for their exceptional locations, world-class service, and commitment to sustainable tourism practices.
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Plan for roughly January to March, when the migration herds gather on the short grass of the Ndutu plains to give birth. February is often the busiest month for calving, though the timing moves with the rains each year. Ask us for dates and we'll match them to your travel window.
Day three is the heart of the trip. You leave camp early to find the herds and their newborn calves, then stay out all day with a bush lunch on the plains, so no time is lost driving back. Lions, cheetahs and hyenas follow the herds at this time of year, and your guide watches for them as closely as for the calving.
The first night is at The Outpost Lodge in Arusha, with a briefing that evening. You then spend two nights at Savannah Ndutu Camp, close to the calving grounds, and two nights at Enkirari Wilderness Camp in the Central Serengeti. Our Arusha team can change the camps to suit your dates.
Days four and five are in the Central Serengeti, which has good game viewing all year because of its resident lion prides and other predators. Morning and afternoon drives work around the kopjes, rocky outcrops that animals use as lookouts and that make strong photo backdrops. You also get game viewing on the drive in from Ndutu.
It starts at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Our representative is waiting there and takes you to Arusha. On the last day you have a final morning game drive in the Serengeti, then head back to Arusha, with lunch there if your flight allows, before the transfer to the airport. An afternoon or evening flight home works best.
It's for travellers with limited time who want to see the migration herds with their calves, and the predators around them, without a longer circuit. You spend two nights in each safari camp and there are no internal flights, so it works well as a first safari. Photographers get a full day on the calving grounds.
Yes. Our Arusha team can add days, swap camps or extend the trip, and can run it privately for your own group. Tell us what matters most to you, such as more time with the herds or extra nights in the Central Serengeti, and we'll suggest how to fit it in and send you a quote.
Bring light, neutral-coloured clothing for warm days, a fleece for early mornings and a light rain jacket, as short showers are possible in the calving season. Add a hat, sunscreen, binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens for predators at a distance. A soft duffel bag is easiest to handle in safari vehicles and camps.
The 6-Day Tanzania Safari 2026 is 6 days and 5 nights. The day-by-day itinerary on this page shows where you go and stay each day.
This trip visits Ndutu Area and Central Serengeti.
It is rated easy: no special fitness is needed.
It runs for groups of 2 to 12 travellers.
Included: Full board accommodation at handpicked lodges and camps, All game drives in 4x4 safari vehicles with pop-up roofs, Professional English-speaking safari guide, Park entry fees for all national parks and conservation areas, Bottled water during game drives, All transfers and transportation and Emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Not included: International flights, Visa fees, Travel insurance (recommended), Alcoholic beverages, Tips and gratuities for guide and lodge staff, Personal items and souvenirs, Optional activities not mentioned in itinerary and Additional meals and drinks outside of full board.
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