
Ndutu Area
Ndutu Area
Ndutu area is found in the north-western part of the Ngorongoro conservation area. This area covers about 8000 square kilometers and includes the Ngorongoro crater area stretching to Serengeti national park.
The calving season in the Ndutu area is a major highlight to look up to during a safari in this destination from December, January, February and March. This is during the wildebeest migration when wildebeests move in search of greener pasture.
Ndutu area has green grass which the wildebeests feed on during the calving season before continuing north wards. Predators like lions, cheetahs, hyenas, leopards, can also be seen during the calving season as they prey on the wildebeests.
Over 8000 wildebeests are given birth to in the Ndutu area during the calving season on a daily. A good location to enjoy the calving season in this area is around Lake Ndutu where other wildlife species can also be seen and these include giraffes, elephants, hyenas, antelopes, zebras, lions, leopards, cheetahs among others.
During the calving season, apart from the wildebeests giving birth to their young ones, other wildlife species like zebras and gazelles which accompany the wildebeests also give birth to their young ones using the cover of the many calves of wildebeests born to hide away from the predators like lions, leopards as well as cheetahs.
The presence of rains determine the movement of the wildebeests and in wet seasons in the Ndutu area, these wildebeests can be seen around the grasslands while in the dry season they move off searching for greener pastures.
This area is also known for its beautiful landscape which you can enjoy during a safari around the Ndutu region. Safaris to the Ndutu area can also be combined with safaris to Ol duvai gorge, Ol donyo lengai and the Ngorongoro crater.
The Maasai people are also among the cultures which can be seen in this area and in other parts of Tanzania. They are known for their unique culture and way of life and can be seen grazing their livestock like cattle, goats and sheep in the grasslands shared with the wildlife species.
During a safari in Ndutu area, visitors can choose to stay in Serengeti national park or in the Ngorongoro conservation area. This however attracts park entrance fees if one chooses to stay in Serengeti national park and do a safari in Ngorongoro conservation area and vice versa.
There are no public campsites around Ndutu and also some of the lodges in are known to open in certain seasons or times of the year for example from November to March which is a peak season around this area.
How to get to Ndutu area
Ndutu can be accessed by road from Arusha which is about 6 hours’ drive through the Ngorongoro conservation area. You can also get to this destination by flying from Arusha to the different airstrips around the Ndutu area like Kusini airstrip, Seronera airstrip and Ndutu airstrip.
Scheduled and charter flights are available to the Ndutu airstrip daily from Arusha.
Activities in the Ndutu area
- Game drives are fascinating during a visit Ndutu which has an abundance of wildlife species. The great wildebeest migration is among the sort after experience in this destination as the wildebeests spread across the plains of Ndutu. Due to the variety of wildlife species in Ndutu such as wildebeests, zebras, lions, leopards, giraffes, hyenas, elephants, antelopes and many others this destination can be visited at any time of the year.
- Hot air balloon experience over the plains of the Serengeti national park is a memorable safari experience to watch especially during the calving season when the wildebeests are spread across the grass plains.
- Visit to Ol duvai gorge which is an archaeological site where evidence of existence of mankind was discovered by Dr Louis and Mary Leakey. It is located in the rift valley and is also visited during safaris around the Ngorongoro crater and Ndutu area.
- Maasai experience is one of the activities which tourists can engage in as they explore Ndutu where they get to interact with the Maasai people as they graze their livestock around the grasslands. During this experience, the tourists get to know more about the ways of life and culture of the Maasai people.
- Bird watching is another activity which tourists can engage in as they explore Ndutu. There are a variety of bird species in the region such as the African grey hornbill, fan tailed widowbird, fish eagles, yellow fronted canary among others.
Accommodation around Ndutu area
In regard to accommodation around Ndutu, there is mostly luxury or up market lodges as well as some midrange lodges and this makes it difficult for the budget visitors to find where to stay during their safaris.
Some of these lodges include Angata migration Ndutu camp, Angata Serengeti special camps, Lake Ndutu luxury tented lodge, Ndutu camp among others.