Little and Lovely (3/4*) Family Holiday Fun on Safari in Tanzania

Explore the roots of earth on a special walk that will lead you to the shores of Lake Manyara, just in front of the Rift Valley. The walk lasts about 1 hr.

Enjoy a sundowner, cocktails and snacks, on the shores of Lake Manyara In private areas of the park, pleasant set-ups are arranged for private breakfasts and/or cocktails.

Enhance your stay by having a massage before or after your safari activity.

Hadzabe people were the first to be known in Tanzania. Out of a community of 1000 persons, only 300 to 400 have kept a traditional way of living. Gathered on the shores of Eyasi Lake, those keepers of the past live from hunting & picking. Refusing to grow any vegetable or raise any stock, Hadzabe people live from day to day, taking what Nature has to offer.

Without a Tanzanian guide, meeting the Hadzabes would be really hard. He will indeed be your interpret since these people speak their own language, “clic” language which none of us is familiar with.

Your day:

Early morning, departure from your lodge. Once in the village, you will be welcomed and offered to

share Hadzabes’ daily activities: hunting and picking. Hadzabes have no equal as regard hunting abilities, watching them is really amazing! Their main preys are small mammals (hares, rabbits, baboons) as well as birds or even small antelopes. This shared moment is also a way to exchange with the last representatives of the world as it was several thousand years ago. Without doubt: one of the highlight of your trip.

Back to the lodge for lunch.

Duration of the excursion (transfers included): approx. 5h

Nestled at the foot of the Rift Valley, Mto Wa Mbu village –« mosquitoes’ river » in Swahili- benefits from a permanent natural water irrigation. Settled between Natron and Manyara lakes, it’s the nearby Ngorongoro area which provides Mto Wa Mbu constant water flows. Coupled with a rich volcanic

soil the area is a beautiful and fertile land. Over the years, lots of people have migrated to this

place to settle and take advantage of what the land can offer. No less than 120 tribes and ethnical

groups have then learned to live together, each of them bringing their own traditions and specialties.

Our day: welcome and greet of your guide before to walk towards various points of interest

Travelling down from Kenya every year the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCAA) plays host to one of the world’s greats natural spectacles – The Great Migration (December to April). Over two million migratory animals made up of several species wildebeest, zebra, eland and Thompson gazelle move clockwise from Ngorongoro and the Southern Serengeti to the Northern Serengeti into Kenya and back.

This migration route happens because they follow the rains and therefore the new grasses which grow up rapidly. The Ndutu area is famed for its short grass plains which grow grass which is particularly rich in nutrients and sustains the migratory animals whilst they have their babies. Traditionally the wildebeest and zebra tend to calve on these plains with a peak around February which makes for a beautiful natural spectacle and some exciting predator hunting behaviours. This spectacle makes game driving during the migration season at Ndutu pretty extraordinary!

Predator season (April to December) is a great season to really enjoy the resident predators of Ndutu and indeed Ndutu is a favourite of expert guides, scientists and biologists for its high numbers of cats including lion, leopard, cheetah, civet, serval, wild cat and caracal. The resident predators are territorial and so once they have had their young they remain at Ndutu in the local marsh areas which stay wet all year round and are an essential fresh water source for the herbivores therefore attracting predators. The marshes also serve as the ideal place for cheetah and lion to hide their offspring from danger. You can enjoy sightings of all three species of jackal including the rarely seen side-striped jackal and in the late afternoons you may glimpse striped hyena at the lake shore.

The wonderful thing about doing a game drive during this dry season is that the behaviours of these animals are more visible due to the lack of vegetation. The variety of habitats allows plenty of places to explore and you often find yourself having private encounters with predators.

Guides and vehicles are available on request and upon availability. Game drives can be carried out between 6am - 7pm.

Ndutu Safari Lodge work closely with Serengeti Balloon Safaris. They are the first company to set a balloon aloft over the Serengeti and the first to start flying in the Ndutu area, they have set the bar high for an exceptional adventure, delivered with safety at the forefront of their minds and with their passenger's experience as a priority. From the outset, they have established themselves as partners in conservation in the Parks in which they operate and they take an active role in ensuring ballooning standards are rigorously maintained. They have had to learn the vagaries of the weather from first-hand experience and as such, there are no more experienced pilots than those that fly the green and gold of Serengeti Balloon Safaris. They are adventurers at heart, with a penchant for detail and quality, and with each balloon that flies, they know they are doing something extraordinarily well.

Serengeti Balloon Safaris are available to book through Ndutu Safari Lodge. It would be advisable to book well-ahead of your stay in order to secure yourself a place. Tours from Serengeti Balloon Safaris tend to sell out.