Experience the Ultimate Wildlife Photography Adventure in Tanzania 10-Day Serengeti Calving Photography Safari – Ndutu, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
Join a small group of 3 photographers on a 10-day, semi-luxury safari through Tanzania's most iconic wildlife regions. Witness the great wildebeest calving season in Ndutu, explore the vast plains of the Serengeti, and capture the breathtaking landscapes and predators of Ngorongoro. Perfect for both wildlife and landscape photography enthusiasts.
- Information
- Itinerary
- Map
- Testimonials
- Why this tour?
- Related tours
What's included
- A professional driver/guide
- All accommodations before and after the safari
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- Drinking water on all days
- Park fees
- International flights (from/to home)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Tips (tipping guideline US$20.00 pp per day)
Embark on the ultimate 10-day Serengeti Calving Photography Safari, a private, semi-luxury tour designed for just three photographers. This expedition is timed perfectly for the dramatic wildebeest calving season in Tanzania (mid-January to early March). You will capture the circle of life on the Ndutu plains, track apex predators in the Central Serengeti, and explore the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. This is more than a trip; it’s a world-class Tanzania wildlife photography experience.
Your safari vehicle is a private 4×4 Land Cruiser, custom-configured for the demands of wildlife photography.
This specialized vehicle is essential for a successful Serengeti calving photography safari, ensuring you are always in the best position to get the shot.
For more tips, read our guide on Essential Gear for a Tanzania Photo Safari.
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Arrival in Arusha & Safari Briefing
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), you will be met and transferred to your hotel. This evening, you'll meet your expert guide for a comprehensive briefing to discuss your specific goals for this Serengeti calving photography safari, review your gear, and plan for the days ahead.
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Meals: Dinner
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Overnight: Green Mountain Hotel (Semi-luxury)
Arusha to Ndutu: The Calving Grounds
Your photographic journey begins with a scenic 6-7 hour drive through the Ngorongoro highlands to the famed Ndutu region. This area is the epicenter of the wildebeest calving. After arriving, you'll head out for an afternoon game drive to scout the vast short-grass plains for the great herds and attendant predators.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Picnic), Dinner
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Photography Focus: Wildebeest herds, golden-hour landscapes, elephants, and resident wildlife.
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Overnight: Mbugani Tented Lodge (Semi-luxury)
Full Day in Ndutu (Wildebeest Calving Focus)
Today is dedicated entirely to your Serengeti calving photography safari. You will embark on morning and afternoon game drives, exploring the Ndutu and Matiti Plains. Your guide will use their expertise to find the best action, focusing on birth sequences, mother-calf bonding, and the inevitable predator activity from lions, cheetahs, and hyenas.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Birth sequences, nursery herds, predator-prey action, and herd dynamics in golden light.
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Overnight: Mbugani Tented Lodge (Semi-luxury)
Ndutu to Central Serengeti (Seronera)
After a final morning game drive in Ndutu, you'll travel north (approx. 2 hrs) into the Seronera Valley of the Central Serengeti. This area is a wildlife hotspot, renowned for its high density of big cats. Your afternoon drive will focus on tracking predators along the river systems.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Central Serengeti landscapes, leopards, lions, and wildlife concentrations near water.
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Overnight: Mbugani Tented Lodge (Seronera)
Full Day Seronera Wildlife Safari
You have a full day to explore the central Serengeti plains. An optional hot air balloon safari (pre-booked, extra cost) offers a breathtaking aerial perspective of the Great Migration. Your game drives will maximize early morning and late afternoon light, perfect for capturing dramatic predator hunts and wide-angle herd compositions.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Large herds, big cat hunts, golden hour light, and classic wildlife portraits.
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Overnight: Mbugani Tented Lodge (Seronera)
Central Serengeti: Predator & Calving Action
Enjoy another full day of photography in Seronera. You'll continue to track the herds and the predators that stalk them, with a keen eye for the dramatic interactions that make your Serengeti calving photography safari truly unforgettable. As the day ends, you'll focus on creating powerful silhouette compositions against the dusty, golden plains.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Wildebeest calving behavior, lions and cheetahs stalking calves, and dramatic, dusty silhouettes.
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Overnight: Mbugani Tented Lodge (Seronera)
Serengeti to Ngorongoro via Olduvai Gorge
After one last early morning game drive in the Serengeti, you will journey (approx. 3-4 hrs) to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You'll stop at the historic Olduvai Gorge, the "Cradle of Humankind," for unique anthropological and landscape photo opportunities. Arrive at your lodge near the crater rim in time for sunset.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Olduvai Gorge landscapes, wildlife along the route, and sunset over the highlands.
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Overnight: Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge (Semi-luxury)
Ngorongoro Crater Photo Safari to Karatu
This morning, you will descend 600 meters to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a breathtaking half-day wildlife photography session. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a self-contained ecosystem with a dense population of wildlife, including the rare black rhino. In the afternoon, you will ascend and drive to the nearby town of Karatu.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Crater wildlife (elephants, lions, rhinos, flamingos), waterhole interactions, and wide-angle crater landscapes.
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Overnight: Forest Tented Lodge (Semi-luxury)
Karatu to Arusha: Final Landscapes
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before the scenic 3-hour drive back to Arusha. The afternoon is at your leisure to relax by the pool or begin editing the incredible photos from your Serengeti calving photography safari.
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Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Photography Focus: Scenic highlands, optional cultural photography.
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Overnight: Green Mountain Hotel (Semi-luxury)
Departure
After a final breakfast, you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your flight home, concluding your incredible Tanzania photo safari.
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Meals: Breakfast
More about Ndutu
More about Ngorongoro Crater
More about Serengeti National Park
More about this tour
Embark on an unforgettable 10-day photographic safari across Tanzania’s iconic wildlife regions, specially designed for small groups of 3 photographers. The limited group size ensures that each photographer has a full window on each side of the Jeep, maximizing opportunities to capture every moment without obstruction, while providing ample space for camera gear and lenses.
This tour focuses on the great wildebeest calving season in the Southern Serengeti and Ndutu Plains, where thousands of calves are born and predators are most active.
Over the course of 10 days, you will:
- Spend 4–5 full days in the Ndutu & Matiti Plains, capturing newborn wildebeest calves, mother-calf interactions, and predator-prey dynamics.
- Explore the Serengeti Central Plains (Seronera), photographing leopards, lions, and dramatic herd formations in golden-hour light.
- Visit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including a crater descent for unique wildlife and landscape shots.
- Stay in carefully selected semi-luxury lodges and tented camps with easy access to key photographic locations.
- Travel in a private, photography-configured 4×4 vehicle with open roof, bean bags, and inverter for charging gear.
- Benefit from the expertise of an experienced photographic safari guide, skilled in positioning vehicles, tracking wildlife, and guiding for ideal light and composition.
This safari balances immersive wildlife experiences with practical photography opportunities: early morning and late afternoon drives, midday editing time, and flexible shooting schedules. It is perfect for capturing the drama, beauty, and intimacy of the Serengeti calving season, with every photographer guaranteed unobstructed access to every shot.
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