LEMALA NDUTU
Wildlife haven in Ndutu

Perched on the edge of a permanent marsh, Lemala Ndutu is the ultimate amphitheater for the wildebeest migration between December and April. 9 luxury tents of a very high specification are relocated from the Mara area of Northern Serengeti to this stunning Ndutu site between Dec and mid-April, purely to capture the boundless drama that accompanies the migration. The migrating herds of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra begin to arrive in December. Throughout February and March, the calving season takes place.

The camp is situated inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the border of Southern Serengeti in what is perhaps the finest location in the whole of Ndutu. Tucked away under huge umbrella thorn acacias, Lemala Ndutu offers fantastic views of the marsh which attracts a large number of plains game and predators alike. The camp enjoys regular visits from the resident wildlife ranging from lions, leopards, cheetah and hyena to elephant and giraffe. Lion hunts close to the camp are not uncommon.

Another major advantage of the area is the ability to do off-road game viewing. Lemala's open 4x4 vehicles are specially designed with charging units and a large refrigerator so that guests can enjoy full day game drives with great picnic breakfasts and lunches organized by the kitchen as well as chilled refreshments. The camp also offer optional walks along the marsh with an armed ranger for closer encounters with the wildlife.

Appointed with large single or king-size beds with warm duvets, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hr solar lighting, en-suite bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and a great safari shower, all the tents are spacious and very comfortable.

 

The mess tent offers separate living and dining areas with a central bar area and is beautifully decorated with leather sofas, chandeliers, side cabinets, rugs and chests. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire for sundowners before retiring for dinner under chandeliers hosted by the camp manager. House alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are included at meal time.

 

Superb tents, personal hosting, al-fresco meals, fireside discussions, sundowners, spectacular views, breath-taking sunsets, prime migration viewing and optional walks all add to one of the best under-canvas safari experiences in Tanzania.

For a complete Serengeti experience, combine your stay at Ndutu with at least 2 nights at Lemala Ewanjan Seronera Valley (3-hr drive). Lemala Ndutu can be booked on an exclusive basis.

OPEN: 15 Nov to 15 April

SIZE: 9 Luxury tents. Each luxury tent can accommodate triple.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

Game walk

Private bush breakfast or lunch - min 4pax

LOCATION: Ndutu Extra

NEAREST AIRSTRIP: Ndutu

APPROX. DRIVING TIMES:

From Manyara airstrip - 4hrs

From Lemala Ngorongoro - 3.5hrs

From Lemala Tarangire - 6.5hrs

From Lemala Ewanjan Seronera Valley - 3hrs

From Seronera - 3hrs

From Arusha - 7hrs

RATES: Available on game package or drive-in rates. Children rate applies for 6-16 yrs. For complete inclusions and exclusions please see the rate sheet.

MIN AGE - 6 Yrs
GPS Co-ordinates: S 02º 58.779’ E 34º 57.729’

 

About Serengeti

George Adamson, co-raiser of Elsa the lioness, and husband of "Born Free" author Joy Adamson, visited the Serengeti in the early sixties and describes the experience in "Pride and Joy", his autobiography. At this time he considered it probably the greatest of all game reserves in Africa and one man was mainly responsible - Bernhardt Grzimek, Director of Frankfurt Zoo. The Serengeti had suffered terribly from over-zealous hunting in the 1930's and from large-scale killing of game during the war. Grzimek applied himself to the tensions between Maasai need for grazing and the indigenous wildlife. He and his son carried out a massive survey, using planes to quantify the game, and identifying and logging the plantlife. He used his best-seller "Serengeti Shall Not Die" to raise funds and publicise the exercise. Thanks to the Grzimeks, and to John Owen who established a renowned scientific research establishment there, the Serengeti still has an amazing concentration of wildlife.

The 14,763 square kilometres of the Serengeti are probably most famous for being the southern end of the Great Migration. Every year over 1.5 million animals, mostly wildebeest but also zebra and Thompson's gazelle, follow their instincts and move through the western corridor on their 1000 kilometre journey to the fresh grazing of the Masai Mara. Predators pick off the weak, the laggardly and the young and crocodiles feast as the vast herd crosses the rivers but they continue their trek, as they have done since time immemorial. This is one of the earth's great sights - but it is by no means all the Serengeti has to offer.

The vast, flat central plains, made fertile by the ashes of the none volcanos of the Ngongoro highlands, are places of huge skies, of shimmering heat hazes, yet also of delicate wild flowers blooming after the rains. The savannah, sprinkled with Acacia Tortilis, has majestic termite mounds and rock formations called kopjes which make great vantage points for predators. The lion are abundant, the leopard are plentiful (yet still secretive) and black rhino and cheetah both breed here. There are more than 500 species of bird and, interestingly, 100 sub-species of dung beetle - a sign of a varied animal population! Ndutu, in the south, has small lakes where you may see hippo and water birds. Perhaps one of the best ways to see the Serengeti is a hot air balloon ride when, in the cool of the early morning, you may admire the grandeur, the vastness and the stunning landscape.