5 Days Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti Migration Safari

5 Days Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti Migration Safari

This 5 Days Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti Migration Safari is built for one specific window on the Tanzania calendar: the wildebeest calving season in Ndutu, which typically runs from December through March. Rather than chasing river crossings, you position yourself where the migration begins each year — the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti, where up to 8,000 calves are born daily during peak season and predators gather to match.

The itinerary also gives you a genuinely varied set of experiences beyond the usual game drive: a guided walking safari on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater with an armed ranger, a full descent into the crater floor itself, and the option of a hot air balloon flight over the Ndutu plains at sunrise.

It suits travelers specifically targeting calving season, photographers who want predator action guaranteed by the sheer volume of newborn wildebeest, and anyone who prefers a walking element in their safari rather than a vehicle-only itinerary.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Day 1: Drive to Ngorongoro, crater rim walking safari
• Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater game drive, transfer to Serengeti National Park
• Day 3: Transfer to Ndutu Area, game drive
• Day 4: Ndutu wildebeest calving experience
• Day 5: Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Drive to Ngorongoro, Crater Rim Walking Safari

Drive Time: Approximately 3-4 hours

Your Tanzania safari driver-guide will pick you from your hotel in Arusha. After a short briefing, you will drive, with a packed lunch, to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a walking safari. Accompanied by an armed ranger, you will get a close, on-foot encounter with the landscape and learn the basics of animal tracking. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater Drive, Transfer to Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, descend roughly 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive, keeping watch for elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards, zebras, hippos, wildebeests, hyenas, dik-diks, antelopes, and warthogs. You will also take in views around the crater rim and see flamingos along the shore of Lake Magadi, the alkaline lake on the crater floor.

After a picnic lunch in the crater, transfer to the Central Serengeti, watching for the Big Five and other wildlife along the way. Check in at camp, relax, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Transfer to Ndutu Area, Game Drive

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast before setting out with a packed lunch for a game drive through the conservancy en route to the Ndutu Area. Take your time with photography as you look out for wildlife along the way, then continue with a game drive through Ndutu itself, watching for migrating wildebeest herds and the zebras that travel alongside them. Check in at your camp and relax before dinner.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Ndutu Wildebeest Calving Experience

After breakfast, explore the wildebeest-covered southern plains of the Serengeti in the Ndutu Area. This is peak calving season, and you have a genuine chance of witnessing calves being born — along with the predators drawn to the activity. Lunch is enjoyed out in the wilderness, with an early morning game drive and photography session built around your preference. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at the same camp as the previous night.

An optional hot air balloon safari is available at this stage of the trip, at an additional cost of approximately $550 per person — rates for optional activities can change, so confirm the current price when booking.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Ndutu Wildebeest Calving Experience

Day 5: Departure

Drive Time: Approximately 7 hours

After breakfast, begin the drive back to Arusha from your lodge in the southern Serengeti, with further wildlife sightings possible along the way. You will be dropped at the airport in time for your flight, or at your hotel in Arusha, marking the end of your safari.

What’s Included

• Airport transfers as indicated
• All day game drives per the itinerary
• Accommodation for the duration of the safari
• 4×4 Land Cruiser safari vehicle
• Professional safari driver-guide
• All national park fees
• All meals during the safari
• Crater and concession fees
• Drinking water in the safari vehicle
• Government taxes

What’s Not Included

• Flights
• Items of a personal nature (laundry, beverages, internet, etc.)
• Entry visas
• Travel insurance
• Tips and gratuities
• Any item not included in the itinerary