Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge

Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge — Front Row for the Calving Season

Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge opened in December 2013 on the shores of Lake Ndutu — a stretch of land at the boundary between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park. This position is one of the most valuable in the entire Serengeti ecosystem for one specific event: the Great Migration calving season in January, February and March, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth on the short grass plains of Ndutu. The Ndutu area is the best place on Earth to watch the calving — and it has one additional advantage that the Serengeti lacks: off-road driving is permitted in the Ndutu area, allowing vehicles to move freely through the grass rather than staying on tracks.

The lodge's 22 tents are raised on wooden platforms one metre off the ground, each spaced 15 metres apart for privacy, with palm-frond shade canopies and glass front walls for continuous wildlife views. The Ndutu short grass plains with their acacia trees provide an iconic East African landscape, and the resident wildlife — leopard, cheetah, lion and enormous concentrations of gazelle, zebra and wildebeest — is excellent year-round.

Accommodation

Twenty-two guest tents including two family suites, all on raised wooden platforms with redwood furniture, four-poster beds and glass front walls overlooking the savannah. En-suite bathrooms with showers. A swimming pool, restaurant and bar with outdoor fireplace complete the communal facilities. The lodge can accommodate halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free dietary requirements.

Activities

Game drives in the Ndutu area with off-road driving permitted. Calving season drives (January-March) among the birthing herds. Year-round game for cheetah, leopard, lion, hyena and the short-grass speciality species. Lake Ndutu birdwatching. Bush breakfasts on the plains. Hot-air balloon safaris. Maasai cultural excursions.

Who Is Lake Ndutu Best For?

The lodge is specifically excellent for travellers timing their safari around the calving season (January-March) — the single most underrated wildlife event on the Northern Circuit. Off-road driving makes it far more productive for finding cheetah hunting the newborns and lion family groups in the open short grass. Year-round it is a solid Ndutu base, but January through March is when it truly excels.