GUIDE ON NDUTU SAFARI LODGE IN SERENGETI

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Ndutu Safari Lodge is a complex of 34 cottages set within the tranquil Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the South-East Serengeti. The handsome thatched cottages, built from local stone and wood, face towards Lake Ndutu and the distant hills. Each has a private verandah shaded by ancient acacia trees which encourage an unexpected number of animals and birds to come right to your door.

Its creator, George Dove, was a retired game hunter who used the initial Ndutu campsite in 1960’s with the blessing of officials from Ngorongoro in response to growing demand for tours in Tanzania giving access to the wonders of the Serengeti, and in particular the calving ground of over a million wildebeests. There they begin their annual oval trek of over 1000 miles to Kenya and back, following the rains in search of lush new grass.



This mass Serengeti wildebeest migration is now acclaimed as one of the great natural wonders of the world and is the focus of many a trip to Serengeti. In 1967, the camp was upgraded to a permanent tourist base, rapidly gaining a reputation for simple tasty food and homely hospitality. It attracted several well-known conservationists to head out for a wildlife safari in Africa to study the indigenous jackals, hyenas and wild dogs. These included Dutch filmmaker, Hugo van Lawick and his wife, Jane Goodall, who the latter became the world's expert on wild chimpanzees of Gombe.

However, shortages of fuel and imported goods during the 1970’s caused a slump in tourism in Tanzania which lasted until the present owners began restoration in 1986, building the pleasant cottages to replace the barracks which had in turn displaced the original tented camp. Ndutu Safari Lodge is still one of the best areas to photograph wildlife on your AfricanMecca tour, so keep your camera handy even at the lodge for the genets, lions, hyenas, jackals, elephants, zebras, giraffes and many more terrestrials and aquatics including avi-fauna as regular visitors to the surrounding site.

Accommodation At Ndutu Safari Lodge

All the 34 cottages are comfortably furnished with en-suite facilities. Ten cottages are for two people with a double bed and five will accommodate three. There is one family room for two adults and two children. The remainders have two single beds. All are wheelchair accessible. Electricity is supplied by generator morning and evening, supplemented romantically by candle light. Although there is timed electricity to all rooms, this will not support intensive use so forget the hairdryer and give your hair a holiday.

You can really get away from the rat race at Ndutu where, in the evening, as you return to your darkened cottage, the light from your torch is reflected in the eyes of dozens of shy, nocturnal creatures in the bushes along your path. Don't just settle for three, four or five stars. At night, here, you can see millions.



Telephone, email and fax can be used by arrangement at the lodge, where internet connection is available. There is also a gift shop outlet for an extensive range of local craft work and curios. Ndutu Safari Lodge actively encourages local trade initiatives to enable women and disabled people to support themselves and their families. The dining room is in the center of the complex, flanked by a comfortable lounge and an open-sided bar.

There you can enjoy your sundowner cocktail as you listen to the night sounds of shrilling cicadas, tooting tinker-birds, roaring lions, barking jackals and howling hyenas. Many AfricanMecca guests who travel to Tanzania remember these night sounds with affection for as long as they live. Ndutu Safari Lodge is special – expect warm and friendly services, delicious food, comfortable and intimate single story cottages and strategic location for maximal wildlife experiences during the migration (see map) and all year round.

Safari At Ndutu Safari Lodge

The varied areas around Ndutu are teeming with wildlife, an ideal base for your tour of the Serengeti from December to March. Your Ndutu Lodge safari with AfricanMecca can covers ecosystems as diverse as the surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the kopjes / grasslands of the Southern Serengeti and the Ndutu soda lake which inspires many to head on an Africa holiday in Tanzania.

You can take guided safari walks around the site as long as you are accompanied by a ranger. You won't need to go far to see wonder after wonder. Zebras, gazelles, impalas, buffalos and giraffes are abundant on the plain as are many predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas. Baboon, monkeys, and even rare black rhino can be seen around the kopjes and flamingo on the soda lake.



Set out in one of the specially designed open pop-up roof 4x4s with your experienced and private AfricanMecca guide for a game viewing tour of the area which can be made in the early morning, late afternoon or on a full day trip. During the rains, starting in December, a million wildebeest start to arrive to in this idyllic location to rest, graze and calve on the southern plains of the Serengeti ecosystem. The sheer strength and fury of the huge males as they clash is heart-stopping. The females calve in progression around February.

As many as 8,000 charming, wobbly newborns stagger to their feet every single day during the calving season. It is an unforgettable spectacle. From April onwards, they can be photographed racing through nearby acacia forest or drinking confidently from the lake before they reset out on their annual migration into central Serengeti plains with the goal of reaching the northern plains via the western corridor.

Throughout the dry season, from July to October, it is the turn of impalas, elephant and giraffe who gather near Ndutu's waterholes. This place is paradise, for birds, for lion and other cats and for wildebeest, just as it was for primitive man at the nearby Ol Duvai Gorge. They can't all be wrong! Everyone must take home at least one treasured memory from their safari vacation in Tanzania with AfricanMecca.

Dining At Ndutu Safari Lodge

At sunrise you can hear more bird song, doves crooning and guinea fowl cackling. Tea or coffee can be brought to your room by request. As you walk to the dining room for breakfast after a light early shower, you may see dozens of bright green, red and yellow lovebirds drinking from roadside puddles, or even hoofed herbivores trotting along the lodge grounds. Meals are home-cooked, simple and hearty, prepared mainly from locally sourced produce.



Ndutu Safari Lodges serves warm soups, infused stews, colorful salads, tender roasts, home-baked bread, pastries and delicious desserts. A hot breakfast is served from 0700 hours, but earlier risers can collect a continental packed breakfast. There is a three-course lunch for AfricanMecca guests returning back from their game drive activity or those arriving from Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

You can also opt for a picnic lunch if heading out on a full day safari excursion from Ndutu. Freshly brewed tea and coffee are available with biscuits around mid-afternoon. A four-course dinner is served after your evening shower and fresh-up. Vegetarian dishes and special diets can be provided on request.



The cozy bar is open all day, populated by tame genets. These are spotted, cat-like animals related to the mongoose and civet, and no, you can't take one home, they are only happy with their home at Ndutu. No wildlife safari to Tanzania is complete without a campfire every evening where you can join other like-minded people for a drink and a chinwag. Drinks can be ordered to include choice of wines, spirits and beer, juices, herbed local Tanzanian hot teas, and even brewed Arabica beaned coffee.

Related Pages

1. Serengeti Safari Park Guide	2. Best Time & Weather To Visit Serengeti
3. Serengeti Map	4. Safari Lodges, Camps & Hotels In Serengeti