8-Day Serengeti Calving Safari, Midrange

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK), you will be warmly welcomed by our Serengeti Wakanda representative and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. Our team will assist with check-in and provide a short safari briefing to prepare you for your upcoming adventure. Spend the evening at leisure, enjoying the hotel’s amenities or exploring Arusha town. Overnight at Kibo Palace Hotel – Mid-range hotel located in Arusha (City).

Your safari begins the moment you walk out of Kilimanjaro International Airport. A Serengeti Wakanda guide is waiting with your name on a board and the words every traveller wants to hear: karibu Tanzania, welcome to Tanzania.

We transfer you to your lodge in the Arusha foothills, where you can shower, change into safari clothes and settle in. Your driver-guide joins you for a relaxed welcome dinner, walks through tomorrow's plan in detail and answers every last question. An early night sets you up for the days ahead.

Where you sleep tonight

Kibo Palace Hotel

Mid-range hotel in Arusha

Comfortable Arusha town hotel with pool, restaurant and a hearty welcome dinner before the safari starts.

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up from your hotel at 8:00 a.m. for a 2-hour drive to Tarangire National Park, renowned for its massive elephant herds and iconic baobab trees, some of the largest on the continent. From the open roof of your safari vehicle, you’ll explore the park’s rich landscapes, including seasonal swamps, savanna plains, and the Tarangire River, which attracts an abundance of wildlife. Expect to encounter a wide variety of species such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, impalas, elands, warthogs, lions, leopards, and over 500 species of birds. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Matete picnic site, offering beautiful views over the river, before continuing with your afternoon game drive. Later, you’ll head to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, surrounded by the peaceful sounds of the wilderness. Overnight at Karatu Simba Lodge – Mid-range lodge located 1-2hr drive from Tarangire NP.

Tarangire is the elephant capital of northern Tanzania. In the dry season the Tarangire River is the only permanent water for miles, and herds of up to 250 elephants come down to drink, calves tumbling between their mothers' legs.

You spend the day on a private game drive through baobab-studded floodplains: lions resting in the shade, giraffe browsing acacia tops, fringe-eared oryx and the strange dwarf mongoose colonies. We pack a hot picnic lunch so you can stay in the park while the light is good.

Where you sleep tonight

Karatu Simba Lodge

Mid-range lodge in Karatu

Comfortable Karatu lodge with garden cottages, pool and easy access to the Ngorongoro gate.

After an early breakfast, depart from Karatu and drive through the scenic Ngorongoro Highlands toward the world-renowned Serengeti National Park. Enjoy a game drive en route as you enter the vast, wildlife-rich plains filled with lions, leopards, zebras, and wildebeests. Upon arrival, continue with an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti, exploring the park’s remarkable landscapes and wildlife until sunset. Later, head to your tented camp for dinner and an overnight stay under the African sky. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp – Luxury tented camp located inside Central Serengeti NP.

The Seronera valley is the heart of the Serengeti and a year-round game-viewing area. Permanent water, rocky kopjes and short-grass plains create the highest density of big cats in Africa: roughly 1 lion per 10 km², and the best leopard sightings on the circuit.

Mornings start before sunrise to catch the cats while they are still active; midday is a slow picnic in the shade of an acacia. In the afternoon we work the riverine fig trees for leopards and the kopjes for resting prides. Distances are long but every stop is worth it.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp

Luxury tented camp, Central Serengeti

Luxury tented camp deep inside the Serengeti — spacious canvas suites with private decks, hot showers, candlelit dinners and lions calling in the distance.

Spend the entire day exploring the Central Serengeti (Seronera region), renowned for its abundance of big cats and migrating herds. Your expert guide will take you to the best locations for exceptional wildlife sightings and stunning photographic opportunities. As the sun sets, return to your camp to enjoy a delicious dinner and a peaceful evening under the star-filled African sky. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp – Luxury tented camp located inside Central Serengeti NP.

The Seronera valley is the heart of the Serengeti and a year-round game-viewing area. Permanent water, rocky kopjes and short-grass plains create the highest density of big cats in Africa: roughly 1 lion per 10 km², and the best leopard sightings on the circuit.

Mornings start before sunrise to catch the cats while they are still active; midday is a slow picnic in the shade of an acacia. In the afternoon we work the riverine fig trees for leopards and the kopjes for resting prides. Distances are long but every stop is worth it.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Luxury Camp

Luxury tented camp, Central Serengeti

Luxury tented camp deep inside the Serengeti — spacious canvas suites with private decks, hot showers, candlelit dinners and lions calling in the distance.

After breakfast, depart for the Ndutu region, located between the southern Serengeti and the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This area is the heart of the Great Migration calving season (December–March), where thousands of wildebeest give birth, attracting predators and offering dramatic wildlife encounters. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Camp – Mid-range tented camp located inside Serengeti NP.

From December to March the migration spreads across the short-grass plains of Ndutu and southern Serengeti to calve. Half a million wildebeest are born in a six-week window, which in turn brings every predator within walking distance.

Our camp moves with the herds. Mornings are a slow circuit of the calving fields with cheetah hunting on open ground and lions on the woodland edge. Afternoons return to the lakes for sunset and a hot bucket shower back at camp.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Camp

Tented camp, Serengeti

Classic tented camp pitched in the heart of the Serengeti — warm hosting, hearty bush meals and easy access to the plains right from your tent flap.

Spend a full day on a game drive across the Ndutu plains, following the herds and observing newborn calves taking their first steps. This area is also known for thrilling predator activity and wide, scenic open plains. For an extra experience, you may opt for a hot air balloon safari over the plains (additional cost). Return to camp in the evening to relax by the campfire and share stories of the day’s adventures. Overnight at Lala Salama Serengeti Camp – Mid-range tented camp located inside Serengeti NP.

From December to March the migration spreads across the short-grass plains of Ndutu and southern Serengeti to calve. Half a million wildebeest are born in a six-week window, which in turn brings every predator within walking distance.

Our camp moves with the herds. Mornings are a slow circuit of the calving fields with cheetah hunting on open ground and lions on the woodland edge. Afternoons return to the lakes for sunset and a hot bucket shower back at camp.

Where you sleep tonight

Lala Salama Serengeti Camp

Tented camp, Serengeti

Classic tented camp pitched in the heart of the Serengeti — warm hosting, hearty bush meals and easy access to the plains right from your tent flap.

Wake up early for a morning game drive in Ndutu, then depart for the Ngorongoro Crater. Descend into this iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site to witness an incredible concentration of wildlife, including elephants, lions, zebras, and if lucky, the rare black rhino. After a rewarding game drive, ascend from the crater and drive to Karatu for dinner and an overnight stay. Overnight at Acacia Farm Lodge – Luxury lodge located 1-2hr drive from Ngorongoro Crater.

From December to March the migration spreads across the short-grass plains of Ndutu and southern Serengeti to calve. Half a million wildebeest are born in a six-week window, which in turn brings every predator within walking distance.

Our camp moves with the herds. Mornings are a slow circuit of the calving fields with cheetah hunting on open ground and lions on the woodland edge. Afternoons return to the lakes for sunset and a hot bucket shower back at camp.

Where you sleep tonight

Acacia Farm Lodge

Farm-stay lodge in Karatu

Stone cottages on a working farm in Karatu, with vegetable-garden dining and views to the crater highlands.

After breakfast, drive back to Arusha. Your transfer driver will transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) for your onward flight, concluding an unforgettable safari with Serengeti Wakanda Tours & Safaris.

Your last morning. After a slow breakfast we transfer you to the airport in time for your international flight, with a final souvenir stop on the way if you have time.

Travel home with a memory card full of photos, a head full of stories and, almost always, a plan to come back. Kwaheri ya kuonana, goodbye until we meet again.