11 Days Wildebeest Calving Season

Choose one or several of our Legacy Exchange Outfitters Experiences spend time with the local community, learn to cook traditional foods , visit a school or take a waterfall hike. Return to your accommodations for dinner and a lovely sunset.

Sample Hotels: Gran Melia or Arusha Coffee Lodge.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast,  set off for Tarangire National Park (approx 2.5hs drive) through beautiful areas and rolling hills, dotted with Maasai bomas. Explore the park for several hours; following herds of elephants, majestic giraffes and prowling lions. In the late evening, check into your accommodations and enjoy the sunset.  In the dry season, the Tarangire River is a magnet for thirsty wildlife.  The Tarangire River attracts wildlife ranging from a large variety of birds to lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, and, of course, elephants. In fact, the park has the largest concentration of elephants in Northern Tanzania . This is also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk are regularly spotted. Tarangire is particularly known for its spectacular baobab trees and its breathtaking views of the Maasai Steppe and the mountains to the south.

Sample Lodge: Maramboi Tented Lodge or Mpingo Ridge.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, make your way toward Lake Manyara National Park, a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Gregory Rift Valley and the crater lake itself. Although the park is small, it has breathtaking scenery and is famous for its tree-climbing lions and growing population of baboons and blue monkeys. The park also has fantastic bird life; thousands of flamingos line the shores of the lake at certain times of the year . After a full-day game drive head towards the Ndutu Plains of the Southern Serengeti  up into the crater highlands, with a quick stop at the Crater Viewpoint for an out-of-this-world scene of Ngorongoro Crater.

Sample Hotels: Ndutu Safari Lodge or Lake Masake Tented Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

These three days are spent in the spectacular Ndutu Plains. The area has a high density of cheetahs and lions, particularly when the wildebeest inhabit these plains from December to March. There are two beautiful soda lakes in the vicinity: Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek. Being in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) you will be able to drive off-road – a great advantage for getting close up to Africa’s large mammals! This area is also the traditional birthing ground for wildebeests in the month of February. It is one of the greatest places in Africa to sit around a campfire and listen to the night sounds under a sky full of stars. Your three days here will be packed full of game drives and animal sightings, with a chance to walk around the lake with a guide.

Sample Hotels: Ndutu Safari Lodge or Lake Masake Tented Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On this day we suggest a very early wake-up in order to do a morning game drive in Ndutu (when the animals are most active) and take in an incredible sunrise.  After the game drive, return to the camp for lunch and then proceed to Ngorongoro, the 8th Natural Wonder of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sample Hotels:Lions Paw Ngorongoro & Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast, yours will be one of the first vehicles to descend 600 meters (2,000ft) into Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is a natural enclosure supporting 20,000-30,000 animals, including elephants, lions and the endangered black rhino. making it the highest density of animals in all of Africa. You will have lunch boxes to eat at your leisure, but a popular picnic spot is at the Hippo Pool, where many birds and of course, hippos are likely to be spotted. In the late afternoon, slowly begin the climb out of the crater for dinner and overnight.

Sample Hotel: Lions Paw Ngorongoro & Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, head to Empakaai for a full-day hike. Empakaai is a scene of vast natural beauty, it is a green caldera with forested walls and a crater lake filling the bottom. It stands 300 meters tall and six kilometers wide, a narrow crater and a steep trek. On clear days, the Empakaai crater offers views of Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania’s active volcano and Kilimanjaro, far to the east. The trek takes 2-3 hrs, depending on your fitness level. Take as long as you like to enjoy the scenery of this special place.In the late afternoon, slowly begin the climb out of the crater and head toward Lake Eyasi for dinner and overnight.

Sample Hotel: Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge or Ziwani Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

This morning is a very early wake up, usually before sunrise, to visit the Hadzabe tribe, one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa. Participate in traditional hunting with bow-and-arrows, or follow honeyguide birds to gather wild honey.  Your day will be spent in the wild, learning about the traditional way of life of the Hadzabe people and how they have preserved their culture for generations. Conclude the day at the lovely Lake Eyasi, a shallow salt lake along the floor of the Great Rift Valley, then continue to Karatu for your hotel.

Sample Hotel: Plantation Lodge or Ngorongoro Farm House

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Your final day. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a slow drive back to Arusha and then the airport, or opt for a full day of visiting a local school before driving to the airport for your departure flight. Depending on the time of your flight, we offer a day-use room at a hotel near the airport.