Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

A complete breakfast buffet with ‘Live station’ where pancakes & eggs cooked to order.

Bush breakfast sites are situated in suitable locations in the park, to enable easier game view for the guests.

We always consider guests’ dietary requirements.

A full lunch buffet with an African themed BBQ station (Charcoal grilled).

Dietary restriction always taken into consideration.

On request traditional dancers can be arranged to add up to the bush experience [additional charge applies for this].

A lavish choice of grilled meats and accompaniments with special dietary requirements taken into consideration.

An African themed buffet dinner with waiters in traditional attire. Khangas for the lady guests and the gentlemen get Kikois. Both are assisted with wrapping them on.

Full bar set up with varieties of dry snack - nuts, popcorn and potato crisps. Where possible a Bonfire is lit for additional ambience.

Traditional dancers can be arranged if requested in advance [additional cos

minimum number of 12 persons is required for each function.

Full open bar setup with baskets of assorted dry snacks.

Traditional dance can be arranged when requested in advance. [Additional cost]

minimum number of 12 persons is required for each function.

A full dinner buffet with an African themed BBQ station (Charcoal grilled).
Dietary restriction always taken into consideration.
On request traditional dancers can be arranged to add up to the bush experience [additional
charge applies for this].

Full bar service & Drinks to be signed and paid as per group drinks policy.
Bonfire set up for ambience and keeping away the wild animals.

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.

Our custom-built open-sided six-person safari vehicles offer comfort, panoramic viewing, dedicated safari guides, refreshments on-board and radio-links for fast location of game. Traditionally, game-drives take place early morning (you are woken with tea and arrive back in time for breakfast) or late afternoon. They can also be timed to coincide with sundowners in the bush.

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 hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends. Here, 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 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.

One of the most magically memorable of the Serengeti experiences, a balloon safari allows you to drift in silence above the splendour of the plains, to dip down to visit the hippo pools of the Grumeti River, and to enjoy a bird's eye view of the wildlife theatre as it is enacted below you.

Awakened by an early-morning cup of tea (around 5.30 am) you will be driven to the balloon take-off point, where you will meet your fully-qualified balloon pilot and watch as the team inflates the vast rainbow-coloured balloon. As dawn breaks, the balloon slowly rights itself, the guests are helped into the wicker basket (a typical balloon carries around 8 passengers and is equipped with seats and safety belts), the sandbags are cast off, and the balloon rises majestically into the cool of the morning air.

Driven by the wind, and guided by jets of hot air from the gas-burners (which allow it to rise or fall according to the pilot's direction), the balloon will fly for a period of around 45 minutes (trailed by a team of ground vehicles). Eventually, it descends to a gentle controlled-landing on the plains. To celebrate, the ground crew offer the guests a glass of chilled champagne, while the pilot prepares their personal ‘flight certificates'. Later, everyone sits down to a full English breakfast, which is traditionally cooked on the burners of the balloon. After breakfast, guests can enjoy a leisurely game drive back to the lodge.

Slow in pace and wide-ranging in scenery, the Serengeti nature walk is designed to offer gentle exercise and a fascinating insight into the world of African trees, flowers, insects, reptiles, birds and animals.

Tanzania offers more than 1,000 species of birds, half of which can be seen in the Serengeti. Most commonly spotted are the Masai ostrich and Kori bustard and, on the lakes, the lesser flamingo.

Endemic to the park are the Fischer's lovebird, the rufous-tailed weaver and the grey-breasted spurfowl. Migrant species are present between October and April and include white storks, rollers, cuckoos, swallows, Montague's and pallid harriers and Caspian plovers.

For the amateur and serious ornithologist alike, we offer a range of half or full day outings which can be custom-tailored to the interests of your ornithological party. The services of a professional ornithologist and up-to-date bird checklists are included, and picnics, bush lunches, camp suppers and sundowners can be scheduled to suit your needs.

One of the most magically memorable of the Serengeti experiences, a balloon safari allows you to drift in silence above the splendour of the plains. You will dip down to visit the hippo pools of the Grumeti River and enjoy a bird's eye view of the wildlife theatre as it is enacted below you.

Awakened by an early morning cup of tea, you’ll be driven to the balloon take-off point. There, you will meet your fully qualified balloon pilot and watch as the team inflates the enormous rainbow-coloured balloon. As dawn breaks and the balloon slowly rights itself, the guests are helped into the wicker basket, the sandbags are cast off and the balloon rises majestically into the cool of the morning air.

After a 45-minute flight, your balloon will descend to the plains, where the ground crew will greet you with a glass of chilled champagne. Later, you’ll be treated to a full English breakfast, which is traditionally cooked on the burners of the balloon. After breakfast, enjoy a leisurely game drive back to the lodge.

Descend to the floor of the Crater for game viewing drives. Often described as the “Eighth Wonder Of The World,” the Ngorongoro Crater is a spectacular natural sanctuary for over 25,000 animals, including the black rhino. It is also a conservation area inhabited by the Maasai tribe.

Take a day trip to Olduvai Gorge. Also known as the “Cradle of Mankind,” it is one of the most important and controversial Palaeolithic finds in recent history.

Enjoy an easy 90-minute wildlife walk around the lodge and Crater rim with our resident naturalist. On this purely educational tour, you will see an array of bird species, wildlife and plants and flowers while enjoying spectacular views of the Crater floor below. Morning and evening walks are offered.

Escorted by an armed ranger, you will enjoy a two-hour walk through the diverse landscapes of the Crater highlands, from the grassy plains to the mountainous forest. Along the way you will view various wildlife and interact with Maasai cattlemen.

Visit authentic Maasai villages, all of which belong to the national Cultural Tourism Programme, and learn more about Maasai homesteads, traditional cattle markets and women's handicraft groups.

The Empakaai Crater is a beautiful 6-kilometre wide, 300-metre deep caldera containing a natural forest and a soda lake that serves as a famous Flamingo breeding site. From the north and eastern rim you can take in dramatic views of the Great East African Rift Valley, Lake Natron and the cone of the active Oldoinyo Lengai Volcano.

Cultural talks are offered evenings at the bar area at 9:00 p.m. Our resident naturalist will discuss the Maasai culture, their activities, their lifestyle and their co-existence with wildlife within the Ngorongoro conservation area. You will also learn about the Ngorongoro ecosystem and biodiversity.