Ndutu Extra, Ngorongoro Conservation Area - Tanzania
See the famous migration of the wildebeest in ultimate luxury at the edge of the Serengeti National Park
Perched on the edge of a permanent marsh, Lemala Ndutu Luxury Camp is the ultimate amphitheatre for the wildebeest migration between December and April. 8 luxury tents and 1 family tent of a very high specification are relocated from the Mara area of Northern Serengeti to this stunning Ndutu site between Dec and mid-April purely to capture the boundless drama that accompanies the migration. The migrating herds of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra begin to arrive in December and throughout February and March the calving and rutting season takes place.
Lemala Ndutu is situated inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the border of Southern Serengeti in what is perhaps the finest location in the whole of Ndutu. Tucked away under huge umbrella thorn acacias, Lemala Ndutu offers fantastic views of the marsh which attracts a large number of plains game and predators. Lemala Ndutu enjoys regular visits from the resident wildlife ranging from lions, leopards, cheetah and hyena to elephant and giraffe. Lion hunts close to the camp are not uncommon.
Another major advantage of the area is the ability to do off-road game viewing. Lemala's open 4x4 vehicles are specially designed with charging units and a large refrigerator so that guests can enjoy full day game drives with great picnic breakfasts and lunches organized by the kitchen. Lemala Ndutu also offers optional walks along the marsh with an armed ranger for closer encounters with the wildlife.
Superb tents and hosting, alfresco meals, fireside discussions and sundowners, spectacular views and sunsets, prime migration viewing and optional walks all add to one of the best under canvas safari experiences in Tanzania. Lemala Ndutu can be booked on an exclusive basis. Lemala Ndutu is open 15 Nov to 15 April.
The Serengeti National Park
Venue of the world famous migration of the wildebeest
The Serengeti, whose Maasai name ‘Siringet' translates as ‘the endless plains', offers unparalleled ornithological opportunities and an unrivalled natural arena wherein the glory and harmony of nature can be appreciated as nowhere else on earth. The vast and rolling Serengeti is also the venue for ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth' the annual migration of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of herbivores and predators.
Luxury tented safari camps in Tanzania
When on safari in Tanzania, the traditional luxury safari camp offers a selection of canvas-sided safari tents, usually with thatched roofs, often raised on a timber platform with private veranda. Usually, the luxury safari tents feature comfortable double or single beds with mosquito netting, electric lighting (generator or solar powered) and luxury en-suite safari bathrooms (flushed WC, hot and cold running water, shower and vanity unit).
The safari camp location
The Serengeti is 200 km west of Arusha, Tanzania: the park's northern boundary abuts with the Kenya border; its western boundary reaches Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
Location: Ndutu Extra, Ngorongoro Conservation Area - just at the southern border of Serengeti
Nearest Airstrip: Ndutu
Approx. Driving Times:
From Manyara airstrip - 4hrs
From Lemala Ngorongoro - 3.5hrs
From Lemala Tarangire - 6.5hrs
From Lemala Ewanjan Seronera Valley - 3hrs
From Seronera - 3hrs
From Arusha - 7hrs
Your Tanzania luxury camp safari
The vast and sensational Serengeti, covering 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, is Tanzania's first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of wildebeest and other hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends.
The million-plus wildebeest are the predominant herbivore and also the main prey of a huge cast of large carnivores, principally lion and hyena. Whilst the annual wildebeest migration is the Serengeti's most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.
Wildlife highlights around Lemala Ndutu: This luxury Serengeti safari showcases wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's gazelle, lion, spotted hyena, hunting dog, cheetah, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, topi, eland, jackal and otter. Birds: over 350 recorded species including 34 raptors.
Accommodation: Luxury safari tented camp
Lemal Ndutu offers 8 Luxury tents and 1 family tent. Each luxury tent can accommodate triple. The family tent can accommodate 2 adults and 2 to 3 children.
Each spacious tent is very comfortable and outfitted with a large single or king-size beds with warm duvets, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hr solar lighting, and en-suite bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and a great safari shower.
Dining and bars: Tanzania luxury safari camp style
The Lemala Ndutu mess tent is beautifully furnished in contemporary style with comfortable sofas, lamps, book and corner cabinets, chests and rugs. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire for sundowners before retiring for dinner under chandeliers hosted by the camp manager. House alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are included at meal time.
A Child-friendly safari camp
Lemala Ndutu welcomes children over the age of six.
What to see and do on your Tanzania luxury camp safari
Another major advantage of the area is the ability to do off-road game viewing. Lemala's open 4x4 vehicles are specially designed with charging units and a large refrigerator so that guests can enjoy full day game drives with great picnic breakfasts and lunches organized by the kitchen. The camp also offers optional walks along the marsh with an armed ranger for closer encounters with the wildlife.
The annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti
The migration of the wildebeest is perhaps one of Tanzania's most famous natural events. Twice a year, propelled by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake an 800 km migration trek to new grazing lands. The precise timing of the wildebeest migration varies but generally the Serengeti herbivores congregate and move out at the end of May, sometimes over a period of weeks, sometimes over a period of as little as three or four days.
The wildebeest then head west on the first leg of a roughly triangular 800-km circuit that takes approximately 3-4 months and ends in the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya. When the grazing here is exhausted the tide of wildebeest turns and reverses its progress returning to the short grass plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Where and when to see the migration while at Lemala Ndutu
The migration runs according to its own rules, but in general a large column of wildebeest passes west to Lake Victoria while another moves north past Lobo. While on the hoof (May to June) the rut commences and the wildebeests mate. The migration herds usually reach the north, and eventually cross into Kenya's Masai Mara NR, during July to October. In November the herds begin to reform for the return journey and by December the migration is complete and they are usually to be found grazing the southern grasslands; wildebeest calving starts in February.
Tanzania luxury camp safari experiences in the Serengeti
Typical Tanzania safari experiences at Lemala Ndutu include: safari game drives in especially adapted 4WD safari vehicles (with professionally trained Tanzania safari guides), safari bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners; cocktails around the camp safari campfire and guided safari walks through the bush. Lemala Ndutu also offers ornithological tours, cultural performances and visits to the local Maasai people of Tanzania. In the Serengeti, a particular highlight is a hot air balloon ride, which typically ascends from its launch site at dawn and travels for around an hour across the plains before descending in a controlled landing to a cooked safari breakfast in the bush.
Lemala Ndutu Camp - Ngorongoro / Serengeti • Tanzania Luxury Safari Tented Camps
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