9-Day Photographic Safari – Ndutu & Central Serengeti

Duration: 9 Days / 8 Nights
Destinations: Ndutu (Southern Serengeti & Ngorongoro Conservation Area) → Central Serengeti (Seronera)
Safari Types: Private • Photographic • Calving Season Focus • Honeymoon/Small-Group on request
Starting Point/End: Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) — optional end in Arusha or Zanzibar

Overview

Built for photographers who want time, light, and flexibility. From December–March, the Great Migration gathers on Ndutu’s short-grass plains to drop calves—predators follow. You’ll work dawn and golden-hour sessions with an expert photo-friendly guide, a private 4×4 set up with beanbags and charging, and unhurried field lunches. Where rules allow in Ndutu (NCAA) we may take limited off-road approaches; in Serengeti National Park, we keep to established roads.

Itinerary (Day by Day)

Day 1: Arrive Arusha

Meet at JRO/Arusha and transfer to a quiet lodge. Trip briefing, gear check, and early night.
Overnight in Arusha.

Drive (or optional short flight) across the highlands to Ndutu. Afternoon game drive on the plains and lakeshores for wildebeest herds, newborn calves, and hyenas.
Overnight in Ndutu area.

Pre-dawn start for soft light. Work the short grass for cheetah and hunting lions; follow raptors and jackals around birthing herds. Field lunch; sunset on the marsh edges.
Overnight in Ndutu area.

Second full day to deepen sightings and vary habitats. Track fresh prints at first light, scan sausage trees for leopard, and—where permitted—take careful off-road angles.
Overnight in Ndutu area.

Morning drive, then travel to Central Serengeti (Seronera) with game viewing en-route. Afternoon session on kopjes for lions and open flats for cheetah.
Overnight in Central Serengeti.

Dawn and late-afternoon loops along river lines and rocky outcrops. Look for leopard in the trees, lions on granite boulders, and hyenas at dens.
Overnight in Central Serengeti.

Flexible photo day—shorter loops for close work or a longer circuit to chase reports. Midday rest to back up cards and recharge, then golden-hour finale. Optional hot-air balloon at sunrise (extra cost).
Overnight in Central Serengeti.

Early drive, then fly to Arusha (or drive out if you prefer overland). Easy afternoon at a coffee-estate lodge; optional market or coffee tour.
Overnight in Arusha.

Airport transfer for your flight home or connect to Zanzibar for beach time.

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Safari Booking

Booking Safaris

  • Private 4×4 Land Cruiser throughout with pop-up roof, beanbags, inverter/USB charging, cooler

  • Dedicated, English-speaking photo-savvy safari guide

  • Park/conservation fees for Ndutu (NCAA/Serengeti)

  • 8 nights in well-located lodges/tented camps (Ndutu ×3, Central Serengeti ×3, Arusha ×2) — mid-range or luxury choices

  • Meals during the safari: daily breakfasts, picnic/lunches on full game-drive days, and dinners at lodges

  • Bottled drinking water in the vehicle

  • Airport/airstrip transfers in Arusha and Serengeti (drive-in or fly-in/out as arranged)

  • Government taxes and VAT

  • International flights and any optional domestic flights (e.g., Serengeti ↔ Arusha)

  • Tanzania visa and comprehensive travel insurance

  • Optional activities (e.g., hot-air balloon), Olduvai Gorge entry, premium beverages, laundry, and personal items

  • Tips/gratuities for guide and lodge/camp staff

  • Extra nights before/after the itinerary and any services not listed as included