01
Day 1 · Tue 9 Feb
Arrival in Arusha
You are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and driven to a garden lodge on the edge of Arusha. The group gathers for dinner and a briefing from your guide on the week ahead.
FEB09TUE
Small-group departure · 2027
The Calving Edition.
February on the short-grass plains, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves are born within a few weeks — and the lion, cheetah and hyena follow. Timed for the peak of the calving season.
Reserve a placeDatesTue 9 Feb – Wed 17 Feb 2027
Duration9 days · 8 nights
RouteNdutu · Ngorongoro · Serengeti
GroupMax. six travellers
Nine days in the southern Serengeti
The shape of the journey
- Arusha1 night
- Ngorongoro2 nights
- Ndutu3 nights
- Central Serengeti2 nights
Why February
Why February
From late January to early March the herds gather on the nutrient-rich short grass around Ndutu to give birth. It is the most concentrated wildlife spectacle in East Africa, with some of the most dramatic predator action of the year. The short rains have passed, the plains are green and the light is superb.
Every small-group departure uses the same guides and vehicles as our private journeys, and never more than six travellers to a vehicle.
Highlights
What to look forward to
- Calving season on the Ndutu plains
- Big cats hunting on open ground
- Ngorongoro Crater floor at first light
- Off-road driving in the Ndutu area
- Olduvai Gorge on the way west
- Light-aircraft flight back to Arusha
Day by day
The itinerary
Camps are confirmed at booking and chosen for their position first. Order and timings can shift with the herds and the weather — that is what the reserve day is for.
02
Day 2 · Wed 10 Feb
Into the crater highlands
After breakfast, a scenic drive west past Lake Manyara and up the Rift Valley escarpment into the green Ngorongoro highlands. An afternoon walk on a coffee farm, and dinner at a lodge on the crater's edge.
03
Day 3 · Thu 11 Feb
Ngorongoro Crater
Down onto the crater floor as the gates open, before the day vehicles arrive. Black rhino, lion, elephant and flamingos on the soda lake, with a picnic lunch by the hippo pool.
04
Day 4 · Fri 12 Feb
West to Ndutu
Out of the highlands and down onto the short-grass plains, with a stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important early-human sites in the world. By the afternoon, the first of the herds.
05
Day 5 · Sat 13 Feb
The calving grounds
A full day among the herds. Calves are born through the morning, often within sight of the vehicle, and the predators are never far away. Off-road driving in the Ndutu area lets us follow sightings closely.
06
Day 6 · Sun 14 Feb
Ndutu and the marshes
Another full day on the plains, timed around the light and the herds' movement. Afternoons around the Ndutu and Masek lakes and marshes are good for cheetah, lion and elephant. This is the reserve day for the route.
07
Day 7 · Mon 15 Feb
Central Serengeti
North through the edge of the herds to the Seronera valley, the most reliable big-cat country in the Serengeti. Leopard in the sausage trees along the river, and lion on the kopjes.
08
Day 8 · Tue 16 Feb
Seronera
A last full day in the Serengeti, planned with your guide around what you most want to see. Sundowners on a kopje and a farewell dinner under the stars.
09
Day 9 · Wed 17 Feb
Departure
An early morning drive, then a light-aircraft flight from Seronera to Arusha to connect with your international flight or onward travel.
Included
What the price covers
- Accommodation as listed, sharing a room or tent
- Meals as shown on each day (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
- Shared 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof — no more than six travellers
- Senior Wildblick guide throughout the safari
- All park, conservation and crater fees
- Internal flights shown in the itinerary
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Drinking water in the vehicle
Not included
What it does not
- International flights and Tanzania visa
- Travel insurance (required)
- Drinks at lodges and camps
- Optional activities (balloon flights, snorkelling, etc.)
- Gratuities for guides and camp staff
- Single supplement if you travel alone
Prefer to travel privately? Any of our departures can be run as a private journey on dates that suit you.
2027 departures
Other small-group journeys
Begin
Travel on 09 February?
Places are limited to six per vehicle. Tell us who is travelling and we will confirm availability.
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