9 Day Calving Season Safari
Itinerary Details
Itinerary Snapshot
On the nine-day Calving Safari you will visit the Tarangire, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro conservation area, and Serengeti National Park. One on the most spectacular experiences of the Serengeti takes place with the migration and calving season. Travel through breath-taking landscapes and exclusive off-road drives in Ndutu. The calving groups in migration will put you in the midst of thousands of wildebeests and zebras. With over 8,000 wildebeests being born every day, guest may even witness baby wildebeests taking off running just minutes after being born.
Perfect for
- Travelers visiting from January to march,
- Focus on migration wildlife and activity in southern Serengeti and Ndutu
- More exclusive safari experiences with off-road game drive in Ndutu
Day by Day Itinery
Arrival Day
Kilimanjaro Airport-Arusha
Karibu Tanzania, upon arrival to Kilimanjaro Airport our meet and greet guy will welcome you to east Africa. Upon exiting the airport, a Malaki Safari Representative will be holding a poster with your name who will transfer you to Arusha (45-60 minutes).
Day 1-2: Tarangire
In the morning you will be collected in Arusha and travel overland to Tarangire National Park (2 hours). During your drive you will experience woodland dotted with monumental ancient baobabs alongside the road and hopefully see the magnificent herds of African Elephants found in northern Tanzania. The Tarangire River provides water all year round, marking Tarangire National Park a refuge during dry season for migratory ungulates resulting in sheer density of wildlife at it peak.
Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, guests and their guide will drive to the park via the north gate of Lake Manyara National Park. A lush green ecosystem composed of the grassy floodplain, rocky ridge, and acacia forest, Manyara guarantees a diverse birdlife with over 500 species of birds. Some birds in particular include extraordinary flocks of greater and lesser flamingoes, storks, herons, and pelicans inhabiting the lake area.
Stopping on-route at the small village of Mto wa Mbu, a culturally vibrant town known for the market visit after game viewing and hot local lunch guests will continue onward to stroll through farm or kitela farm gardens and coffee plantations
Enjoy the view of surrounding cool highland of kitela or farmhouse.
Day 3: Ngoro Ngoro Conservation Area
Wake up early and be one of the first vehicles descending into one of the natural wonders of the world. Ngoro Ngoro is the world largest intact volcanic caldera with a farmed reputation for African garden of Eden, the 2000 feet high wall surrounding 16km. The wide crater is a vast natural dome that contains everything essential for wildlife to exist and survive. Tanzania population of the critically endangered black or browser rhino can easily be spotted as well as accompanied by encounters with the big five,(lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo). By mid-afternoon it will be time to travel to your next destination – the Ndutu Plains.
Day 4-7: Ndutu Plains southern Serengeti
The Ndutu Plains are tucked between NCAA and Serengeti which allows off-road game drives, perfect for viewing wildebeest migration. The Great Wildebeest Migration is a perpetual movement of over 1.5 million of wildebeest, zebra, antelope and other migratory wildlife in search of fresh food and water from January to February. Ndutu has expectedly had a dense concentration of migratory herds from as its hosts the high anticipated calving season, with the gathering of the Great Migration along with thousands of baby calves born every day. Predators such as lions, leopard, cheetah, and hyena will also follow in a desperate fight for survival, be alert for the striped hyena, a rare carnivore which prefers the Ndutu area and often and spotted at dust or dawn.
Day 7-8: Central Serengeti
Start your morning with a game drive and then proceed to central Serengeti. The famous Serengeti’s endless plains is home of one of the largest wildlife population in the world. Your adventure around the Serengeti Kopjes may reveal all sorts of wildlife ranging from insects, snakes, and lizards to large predators such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Kopjes provide an excellent vantage point to survey the surrounding area for food source or predators. Keep an eye out for a hyrax, small herbivores mammal exclusive to the Kopjes and surprisingly the closest relative to the elephant, various smaller carnivores residents in Serengeti include the common genet, the African civet the honey badger and at least five mongoose species.
Day 9: Home
On your last morning in the Serengeti, enjoy a leisurely breakfast or perhaps head out early for a short early morning game drive before traveling to the Seronera Airstrip, to catch your scheduled flight back to Arusha. Upon pick-up make an optional stop at a local shop with an abundance of wood carvings, artifacts, painting, and crafts. Afterwards, rest at a day room and enjoy a firewall lunch in Arusha before leaving for your departure to Kilimanjaro airport.
Our Reviews
finnkai2024-04-04Malaki is an above and beyond safari guide and person Our 4-person Tanzania adventure with Malaki of Malaki Safaris was beyond expectations. Malaki’s combination of professionalism, warmth, knowledge, passion, and cultural connection made the trip phenomenal. Our itinerary took us to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Empakai, Lake Natron, and Central and Southern Serengeti. Every place awed us with the wildlife and scenery, and we enjoyed staying at a variety of lodges and tented camps, all in beautiful settings. We also spent 2 days hiking with local Maasai guides who taught us about some of their traditions and current realities facing pastoral people in Tanzania. Malaki is a skillful, responsive communicator, so trip planning was enjoyable rather than stressful. He provided suggestions, and he customized our safari according to preferences we expressed. A review below from September 2023 by tomtom771 highlights outstanding aspects of Malaki Safaris, all important to consider when splurging on a trip of a lifetime. Many Tanzania safari itineraries are similar, but it’s the guide who makes the biggest difference. Malaki is from a rural Maasai village, and he pursued his formal education in cities. He knows Tanzania’s landscapes, wildlife, and cultures from lived experience, and he truly loves sharing all of it. Our group had a particular interest in birds, and Malaki eagerly brushed up on his already impressive birding repertoire. When we had questions, Malaki usually had answers, and he often came back later with more information. He has stellar abilities maneuvering the jeep to maximize views and photo opportunities, and he manages to do so without ticking off other drivers. When one of our group members stayed on in Tanzania to do solo travel, Malaki continued to check in on him, occasionally arranging lodging or transfers as a courtesy. It’s not essential that one has a guide who you befriend and hope to see again, but with Malaki we got the best of both worlds, an A+ safari and a talented guide who brightened every day.
sandrab2024-04-04A good, honest and knowledgeable guide! Malaki was highly recommended to us by a friend, and we had a great time with him on the 14-day tour he designed. He guided us at Tarangire National Park, Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti NP. He worked with us on our budget and is a good communicator. He was very patient, knowledgeable with animals and birds and his pleasant personality made our adventure lots of fun! You could tell that he’s been guiding tours for many years. Other guides respected him and he has good contacts in the area. We stayed in a variety of lodges/tented camps, all pleasant and at times luxurious. If you want an honest guide with good morals and great experience, you can’t go wrong with Malaki.
Renato M2023-09-305 day safari Great guide, speaks excellent english! Perfectly organized trip with great accommodations! He was not just our guide and secure driver but become a friend and was a member of our group! Great experience and absolutely recommandatable!
tomtom7712023-09-27Unvergesslich Schön Overall for our safari was an unforgettable and, most likely, a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. However, if we are ever fortunate enough to go on another safari in the Serengeti, we will definitely use Malakisafaris Safaris again. For anyone considering a personal safari tour, they should book with Malakisafaris Safaris and here is why… A. Our Malakisafaris team was very organized and provided clear communication and great service from the time we began the scheduling/reservation process early on until the time we departed Tanzania to come back home. Everyone that we interfaced with was very friendly, personable and always answered our questions to our satisfaction. B, Once in the Serengeti, our safari driver/guide was excellent. We always felt safe in the vehicle and he was an absolute expert at spotting animals on our game drives. In fact, very informative. We where very impressed with our guide’s extensive knowledge of the African cultures, animals, etc., that we experienced. C. Our vehicle was always clean and comfortable, obviously well maintained and reliable on the trail. The vehicle was always well stocked with drinks, bottled water and snacks. The seats even had extra top cushions to protect our hind parts from the daily “African Massage” provided by the trails. D. All of the accommodations provided at the various camp/overnight locations exceeded our expectations. Each of the tented camps/lodges that we stayed at in tarangire, the Serengeti National Park, and in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, were in beautiful natural settings and were conveniently located for the daily game drives. E. The food, and the food service, was very good and the in-camp meals were delivered/provided in unexpectedly formal dining areas. This was tent dining at its finest, but it really wasn’t tent dining at all! We were all surprised at how nice all of the dining areas were. Therefore, keep up the great work, the high standards and thank you folks for a wonderful vacation! You will not go wrong choosing Malakisafaris to organize your trip
Kai H2022-11-06Great 7-day Safari in late October We had a fantastic trip with Malaki, visiting the National Parks of Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Central and North Serengeti. Excellent service, with plenty of water, cookies, plugs for camera and phones while the car was always clean (not easy given the dusty roads). Most importantly Malaki is a safe driver, excellent in spotting animals (we were alone in spotting a rhino, a lioness on the hunt and wildebeest crossing the Mara river) and knows the best spots to take pictures (he worked a few years for National Geographic). He knows most of the camps and their managers so that we could have our lunch box and a free tour in some of the most stunning places in the Serengeti and Tarangire. Furthermore, he is an interesting person with lots of knowledge of Tanzania and the animals you encounter, so I can fully recommend him if you want to organize a Safari in Tanzania.
kathy s2020-02-23My second tour with Malakisafaris Another amazing adventure in Africa with Malakisafaris. Once again, Malaki delivered with a great tour of Kenya and Masai Mara by Onesmu. Malaki was our second guide and didn't miss a beat. The animal behavior info and knowledge of culture and country makes for a robust adventure in an amazing country. THANK YOU!!!
Erin S2020-02-04masai mara the safari was more than I could have imagined. both Malaki and Onesmus were INCREDIBLE guides, with knowledge on any topic we asked them, We learned about the animals, the jungle, Kenyan culture, government and so much more. Onesmus was a great driver, with an amazing energy and laugh. It was clear that both Malaki and Osesmus love their job, love sharing their country and truly respect the animals.
Xavier2020-01-12No tourist traps - Malaki Safaris are exceptionally! Our family of four including a 9 and 6 year old went on a 6 day safari with Malaika. The whole experience was amazing. We were impressed by the guiding knowledge and absolutely blown-away with Malaikas ability to accommodate our kids. From a smaller height Jeep to allow kids views to a specialized itinerary was only the beginning. Malaika truly enjoys kids. We highly recommend Malaika Safaris.
Shukti N2019-11-27Ngoragora and Sarengeti The Safari experience was an unforgettable, fantastic and amazing journey. With a passionate, knowledgeable and experienced guide to educate us on the animals and their whereabouts made the tour phernorminal. 100% go again with Malachi. It was also a safe, fun and humourous trip!! Thank you!Toddle2019-06-20Amazing Malaki himself runs these tours. He’s top tier, does a first class experience. Go to the Legendary Lodge. Don’t go to Rhino lodge.