Serengeti National Park - Tanzania
See the famous migration of the wildebeest in ultimate luxury
Ndutu Safari Lodge is an unassuming, yet much sought after safari destination located in the south east of the park, at the heart of the Serengeti Plains and at the head of the famous Olduvai Gorge, ‘birthplace of mankind'. Overlooking a pretty lake Ndutu, the safari lodge is set in acacia woodlands against the backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands.
Established as a hunting camp by the legendary ‘white hunter' George Dove in the 1960s, Ndutu Safari Lodge offers 34 comfortable safari cottages, set unfenced in the midst of the wilderness. Tucked well away from the busy tourist circuit, Ndutu Safari Lodge offers peace, tranquillity and the best chance of viewing the legendary migration of the wildebeest, more especially between December and March when there is no need to go on game drives, since the wildebeests typically pass right by the lodge.
As a result, room reservations at Ndutu Safari Lodge are made almost two years in advance since as the lodge staff like to say ‘a million wildebeest can't be wrong'. The lodge offers a superb base in which to explore the range of habitats that lie within easy reach, this include swamps, woodlands, soda lakes and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains. Ndutu Safari Lodge has been a favourite with professional wildlife photographers and film-makers for the past four decades, because it's simply one of the best places to watch wildlife.
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.
The safari lodge location
The Serengeti is 200 km west of Arusha: the park's northern boundary abuts with the Kenya border; its western boundary reaches Lake Victoria. Ndutu Safari Lodge has an all weather airstrip, which is 1 km away from the lodge. Approximate flying time from Arusha Airport to Ndutu Safari Lodge is 50 minutes. Free transfers are available to transport guests to and from Ndutu Safari Lodge airstrip to the lodge. Daily scheduled Tanzania air service is available from Arusha to the Ndutu airstrip. Other airstrips in the vicinity are Seronera and Manyara.
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 Ndutu Safari Lodge: This luxury Serengeti Safari reveals 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 lodge
Ndutu Safari Lodge offers thirty four safari cottages, which are built of local materials, have private verandas facing soda Lake Ndutu and are surrounded by indigenous trees and shrubs which encourage a host of birds and mammals to come right to their doors.
Extending to either side of the central open-sided bar, lounge and dining room, all rooms are en-suite and offer comfortable, tasteful accommodation. Ten rooms have a double bed, and there are five triple rooms.
Ndutu Safari Lodge also offers one family room, which can accommodate up to 2 adults and 2 children. All other rooms have 2 single beds. All the safari rooms are single storey. Services include laundry, telephone, fax and email (at reception), WiFi access, gift shop, medical services.
The rooms overlook Lake Ndutu where are all wildebeests congregate during the beginning of the migration.
Dining and bars: Tanzania luxury safari lodge style
The dining area, lounge and bar of Ndutu Safari Lodge are housed in the main public area, which affords spectacular views across the soda lake. The lodge offers good quality home cooking on a table d'hote or buffet basis. In the evenings a safari campfire is lit and guests can enjoy the company of a number of genet cats which live in the rafters of the bar.
A Child-friendly safari lodge
The safari lodge welcomes children and babysitting services, children's meals, additional beds and family rooms are available. Wildlife awareness
There are no fences around Ndutu Safari Lodge and wild animals wander through at all hours of day and night. Therefore, although children are welcome at Ndutu Safari Lodge, an adult must supervise them at all times. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure the safety of their children.
What to see and do on your Tanzania luxury lodge safari
• Day wildlife watching and safari game driving
• Observe wildlife close up and personal around the lodge.
• Visit a Maasai Village on the way into the Serengeti.
• Specialized wildlife and ornithology photographic safaris.
• Walking safaris with an armed ranger.
• Game Drives
• There are many game-drive circuits around Ndutu. We have resident guides available to escort you if you are unfamiliar with the area. Game drives can be carried out between 6am-6pm.
• Walking
• Walking is allowed in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area but you must be accompanied by a NCAA ranger. Most walks are usually around 2 hours in duration but they can be varied in length.
The annual migration of the wildebeest in the Serengeti,Tanzania
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 the Ndutu Safari Lodge
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 lodge safari experiences in the Serengeti
Typical Tanzania safari experiences at the Ndutu Safari Lodge 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 lodge safari campfire and guided safari walks through the bush. Ndutu Safari Lodge 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.
Ndutu Safari Lodge - Serengeti • Tanzania Luxury Safari Lodges
To enquire about booking this Tanzania safari hotel, please Contact Us!