5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari
The 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safarii takes you to the mesmerising world of the Great Migration, where the drama unfolds as thousands of wildebeest embark on their awe-inspiring journey across the vast plains of the Serengeti. On the 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari, we will delve into the extraordinary phenomenon of the Wildebeest Calving Season, a spectacle that showcases the circle of life in its purest form. Every year, an estimated 1.5 million wildebeest migrate within the Masai Mara and Serengeti ecosystem in search of greener pastures, making it one of the most spectacular wildlife events on the planet. A wildebeest migration safari package witness is an epic journey, we will focus on the calving season, a crucial phase filled with thrilling encounters and heartwarming moments. Picture yourself surrounded by herds of wildebeest, their distinctive grunts filling the air, as they give birth to their newborns amidst the Serengeti’s sprawling grasslands. Experience the intensity of the predators lurking nearby, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on their vulnerable prey. Through captivating storytelling by our professional Safari guide and remarkable insights, he will professionally guide you on the 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari, where you will be immersed in nature’s astonishing cycle of birth, survival, and the relentless pursuit of life. Join us on this exhilarating adventure as we bear witness to the breathtaking Wildebeest Calving Season.
The Best time to witness the Wildebeest calving
On 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari is tailored for an epic wildebeest calving experience. The wildebeest also known as gnu has a gestation period of 8 months. They are grazers and prefer sweet, stocky grasses making the Masai Mara and Serengeti ecosystem an ideal home for the brindled gnu which is the sub species that we find in East Africa. This “delicious” grass often grows in areas that have been burnt recently, as the tall and coarse bush is burnt giving room for new vegetation to grow. The gnu will also follow herds of other grazers that eat dry, longer grasses. These ideal conditions make the wildebeests and other grazers to start migrating towards the Southern Serengeti in January after the rains start hitting the volcanic rich soils. The rains turn the short grass plains into a green carpet that gives energy to the ready to calve female wildebeests. This is exactly where the 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari takes us. The wildebeest and zebras are widely scattered over the southern and southwestern section of the Serengeti and the western side of Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This is when there is a mass calving of wildebeest, with hundreds of thousands of baby wildebeest staggering to their feet and following their mothers within 20 to 30 minutes of being born. Over half a million calves are born within two to three weeks period with the peak being in February. Approximately 8000 calves are born daily.
Where to catch the Calving herds
Nestled within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area yet intricately connected to the serengeti wildebeest migration safari and ecological tapestry, Ndutu serves as the starting point for the annual migration. It’s here, during January and February, that the wildebeest undertake their monumental birthing ritual before embarking on their northward trek. Accommodations in this region are thoughtfully dispersed, offering a diverse array of habitats with the migration safari calving season in mind. While the majority of wildlife activity occurs in the early months of the year, Ndutu boasts stable populations of both resident prey and predators throughout all seasons.
On 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari we explore Ndutu in a 4WD vehicle which epitomises the essence of the Serengeti experience. The landscape embodies quintessential Serengeti beauty, with expansive savanna grasslands stretching southward into the park. Witnessing the spectacle of mass wildebeest calving against the backdrop of the horizon is truly awe-inspiring, with herds of wildebeest and zebras often accompanied by vast gatherings of eland. These plains also offer prime opportunities for cheetah sightings, showcasing nature’s grandeur at its finest.
However, Ndutu offers more than just grassy expanses as we will discover on 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari. Acacia woodlands punctuate the landscape, providing habitats for elusive leopards and majestic lions—keep a vigilant eye for lions lounging amidst the trees. Within these woodlands, encounters range from diminutive dik dik pairs to towering giraffes, highlighting the region’s remarkable biodiversity.
The Ngorongoro Crater
You cant miss visiting this paradise during the 5 Days Best Wildebeest Migration calving season Safari. Nothing quite matches the exhilaration of descending into the Ngorongoro Crater at the break of dawn. As the sun casts its golden light upon the towering peaks encircling the crater’s rim, the dormant wildlife awakens, infusing this hidden realm with palpable anticipation. And indeed, the possibilities seem endless. Among the most coveted sightings is the rare black rhino, with approximately 30 of these majestic creatures roaming the crater floor, often spotted amidst the Lerei Forest and along the Lemala road.
Predatory prowess abounds within the crater’s confines, boasting a population of roughly 600 spotted hyenas, five lion prides, and both golden and black-backed jackals. Fortuitous encounters may reveal lions amidst a successful hunt, nurturing their young, or even a formidable male traversing the grasslands with resounding roars. Ngorongoro’s predators thrive on the abundance of resident herbivores, including wildebeest, zebras, buffaloes, and gazelles. Rarer sightings include elands, warthogs, hartebeests, bushbucks, and waterbucks. The picturesque Ngoitoktok Springs picnic site teems with hippopotamuses, while Lake Magadi allures flamingos to its tranquil waters during the rainy season. Lerei Forest also presents opportunities to observe majestic elephants in their natural habitat.
Yet, beyond the diverse wildlife, the panoramic vistas steal the spotlight: spanning an impressive 19 kilometers wide and encompassing a surface area of 264 square kilometers, the Ngorongoro Crater stands as one of the world’s largest unbroken calderas. Its towering walls, reaching heights of up to 610 meters, provide the backdrop for an unparalleled natural spectacle, where predator and prey coexist amidst the sprawling grasslands, marshes, and acacia woodlands below. Such awe-inspiring grandeur evokes the sensation of stepping into a pristine, untamed paradise, where the only interruption to the wilderness is the occasional passing vehicle. On this safari you can combine it with the ever amazing Zanzibar which is a perfect ending of a Tanzania wildlife safari
Itinerary
After breakfast you will depart for the Ngorongoro crater, you will make a stop at the Olduvai gorge rightly touted as the cradle of mankind after ancient or early man discoveries like the "nut cracker man", We arrive at the crater in time for lunch. Later we explore the floor of this magnificent Crater in search of the endangered black rhino, lions the flamingoes hippos and the gazelles. Dinner and overnight after the game drives will be at the lodge/camp
After Breakfast you will leave for the Ndutu plains . We arrive at the camp in time for lunch. In the evening we head out for our evening game drive
Full Days spent with the calving herds looking out for predators as well. You might opt for a Half morning game drive and return to camp for lunch heading out again in the evening.
Another full day at the plains exploring the plains and its in habitants
After breakfast we head back to the Arusha as we do a game drive. There is an option of extending the safari to Central Serengeti or Zanzibar for your beach holiday.
